GO KARTS of all shapes and sizes hurtled down Chippenham High Street over the weekend as the first Chippenham soap box derby got underway.

Thousands of people defied the rain to line the streets on Sunday as 29 karts, complete with their crews, lined up along the start line in an attempt to become the first ever winners of the soapbox derby, something which the Chippenham BID has hailed as a huge success.

“At the beginning of the day we thought that the turnout wasn’t going to be good because of the weather but there were hundreds if not thousands of people and at one point it was even three people deep at the barriers,” Simon Philpott of the Chippenham BID said.

“You have to try these things to see if they work and it definitely worked! It brought a lot of people to Chippenham on a day which is usually quiet and we generated a lot of interest from other towns so we are doing exactly what we are being charged to do.”

However, following the success of the event, the BID is now working on the lessons they learnt during the day to improve the event for the participants and spectators next year.

“It was a successful event but we have learnt a few lessons for next year as some of our processes and the cars were a bit slow,” Mr Philpott added. “The most significant thing for us though was the sheer number of people coming up to us and asking how they can get involved with next year.

“There wasn’t a lot of carnage, although a few people did fall while getting out of the cars at the end, which was quite funny, so we are thinking about adding some bigger chicanes next year to make it bigger and better. It would also be good if we could extend the course a little bit further up the High Street to the mini roundabout by Iceland without invoking a road closure.

“Obviously we have to work within the constraints of health and safety and the local authority but it will be back next year.”