BOOZE BUS has claimed back-to-back Australian Pedal Car Grands Prix with another successful race at Coleraine on Saturday where the team returned to defend its 2023 title against a hot field of competitors.
The Western district turned on a beautiful spring day for all competitors and the spectators lined the course to get the best vantage points to watch the race.
The Australian pedal Car Grand Prix is a fundraising event first and foremost and each car has various charities the teams raise money for.
The event is an endurance race with the cars covering a 1.4km course through the streets of the town which is defined with twists and turns for the drivers to navigate.
The event holds three separate sections with elite, open, and junior sections for the competitors and Booze Bus claiming the elite title and the overall winners laurel after completing 48 laps of the course.
Erach team is made up of both drivers and pit crew.
The Booze Bus team comprised Oscar Bosch, Rhyan Menzel, Nicholas Lambert, and Jackson Templeton as the drivers while Angus Lambert and Olivia Brody were the ever-reliable pit crew.
This was down on the teams’ record of 51 laps it set last year but in that instance the weather was much kinder to the competitors with cooler temperatures making it easier for the drivers to cover more territory.
Second place in the elite section went to Ultra Pedallers who also completed 48 laps but could only watch on as Booze Bus crossed the line first, while Speedy Tradies were third with 43 laps covered.
In the open section, Coleraine Pedalers greeted the chequered flag with 31 laps completed just in front of The Baggers which also covered 31 laps but were just behind Coleraine Pedalers as WDHS Coleraine Cruisers finishing third with 29 laps.
The junior section was hotly contested with St Joesphs Primary School and Blue Blazers (Coleraine Primary School) each completing 33 laps (which was more than those cars in the open section).
Before the Grand Prix is run there is a one lap shoot-out that is called the “Hot Lap” where competitors pedal as fast as possible to set the fastest lap and Booze Bus was at the forefront again with a time 1:41.00, while Ultra Pedalers was second with 1:45.00 and Speedy Tradies third in 2:08.00.
Once again, the junior competitors were quicker than the open cars as St Joesphs posted a time of 2:32.00 while Coleraine Pedalers was a further six seconds adrift with 2:38.00.
The long arm of the law was also in attendance to clock the cars with a radar gun, and Rhyan Menzel was detected at a speed of 40kph in Booze Bus with Oscar Bosch, also in Booze Bus, posting a speed of 37kpm.
A crowd estimated at approximately 250 spectators lined the course to cheer on their favourite cars (and those in the other sections) and they also enjoyed a market of 15 stall holders with various wares on offer.
Results
Elite
1st – Booze Bus (Oscar Bosch, Rhyan Menzel, Nicholas Lambert, and Jackson Templeton) – 48 laps; 2- Ultra Peddlers (Lachlan Sambell, Alex Prince, Ben Prince, and Mitchell Barends) – 48 laps; 3rd – Speedy Tradies (Angus Bosch, Sam Ness, Austin Mills, and Lochie Bosch) 43 laps.
Open
1st – Coleraine Pedalers (Clare Burrell, Harris Burrell, Ryder Kline, and Kane Kline) 31 laps; 2nd The Baggers 31 laps; 3rd Coleraine Cruisers (Rajbir SinghDhingra, Akshit Akshit, Brenda Scott, and Jack Roberts) 29 laps.
Junior
1st – St Joesphs Primary School (Carter Soulsby, Jack Novikov, Xavier Harvey, Isaac Sutherland, Mae Dwyer, Indi Boxer, Blake Densley, Charlie Wombwell, Chris Soulsby, and James Harvey); 2nd – Blue Blazers (Coleraine Primary School) (Lilly Porter, Evie McDonald, Johannes Weisbach, Evelyn Rhook, Jaydee Wombwell, Stuart Jones, Rusty Porter, and Jaxen Kmon with Craig Kmon and Mal Jones as pit crew).
