12th Bangor Cub Scouts represent NI at Box Kart Supreme Championships

6 cub scouts and 3 leaders from 12th Bangor returned home late on Sunday night having represented Northern Ireland at the 2016 Box Kart Supreme Championships at Goodwood motor racing circuit in West Sussex.
Despite the cubs never having sat in a box kart before they finished in the last 8 out of a field of 40 teams made up from 240 cubs from the south of England.
12th Bangor Cubs made history at the event as, for the very first time, Cub Scouts from two countries competed on the same track.
For the Supreme, Cub Scouts create a Box Kart. A typical soap-box is made of a wooden chassis and has four wheels, arranged as a fixed rear axle, and a steerable front beam axle – usually with a very simple single central pivot. During racing the kart is driven by one and propelled by one or two cubs.
As 12th Bangor were travelling 510 miles to the event, their box kart was kindly built and supplied for them by Round the Bend Racing, Chichester who then provided tuition on Saturday afternoon for the cubs.
All the cubs taking part had a brilliant time with several cubs describing it as “the best weekend of their life”
Over the weekend the cubs got to see a variety of racing cars including Lee Pepper’s car which he had raced at Ipswich on Saturday night. The highlight of the cars though was getting to sit in a Lotus racing car which had just raced around Goodwood at approx. 155mph.
Stephen Bell, race organiser said “12th Bangor Cubs made history today and we were absolutely thrilled to have them here. The fact that they made such an effort to travel so far to take part is testament to the leaders and cubs. The six cubs were outstanding – so well mannered and behaved who listened to every word and learnt so fast. We have loved everything that 12th Bangor have added to the Supreme and look forward to seeing 12th Bangor at the Supreme in 2017”
12th Bangor cub scouts would very much like to thank their sponsors who helped make this trip possible for them – Signature Works Bangor, Halfords Bangor and of course the chairman and committee of 12th Bangor Scout Group and the District Commissioner and committee of North Down Scouts.
We would also like to thank all the local businesses that supplied ballot prizes for the ballot and also the friends, family of the cubs for selling/buying ballot tickets to help raise funds so that future trips like this can be made.