Red Bull’s soapbox draws 50,000 to Salt Lake City — and many more laughs

SALT LAKE CITY — Matthew Henke says the whole experience traveling down Main Street in a rattlesnake was a blur, but it sure was worth it.

Henke and his teammates — Tom Avant, Richard Bartlett, Jordan Kelley and Doug Thebeau, competing as “The Desert Rats” — not only conquered the first-ever Red Bull Soapbox course in Utah, but the group from Kanab also wooed the judges Saturday afternoon with their “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West”-themed pageantry.

It was enough for them to win the race, which drew tens of thousands of spectators on top of being streamed globally.

“We were happy to perform and happy to represent (Kanab),” Henke said, shortly after hoisting the first-place trophy with his teammates.

About 50,000 people braved the heat to flood Main Street near Capitol Hill, roaring as 48 competitors flew down the street, past a rock garden, a few turns and a series of jumps toward the end of the course set up on the hill.

Many residents of the neighboring apartment complexes watched from their balconies, while some spectators scaled trees and street signs along the course to get a view as the carts made it down the track, or at least tried to. Most carts made it down in one piece, but some carts disintegrated as they reached different obstacles.

But it was also clear that speed was only part of the point, as teams shared high-fives and lots of laughs as, one by one, they made it down the track. Not only did every team have unique vehicle designs, but they were required to perform a short skit before traveling down the course.

A team of celebrity judges handed down scores based on speed, creativity and showmanship, which factored into the final scores.

“Jokes aside, it was tons and tons of fun,” said Isaac Dushku, a member of the team “Delicate For.” “I just can’t believe (50,000) people came. It was so awesome — a total dream.”

Elevating Utah on a global stage

Dushku’s team was one of many from Utah that used the stage to highlight what makes the state so unique. He and his brother, Gideon, and their friends from Centerville knew they wanted to pay homage to their home somehow. 

They settled on their favorite rock and state license plate design: Delicate Arch, crafting a large papier-mâché replica painted about as orange as the same thing.

“We thought Red Bull is coming to Utah, let’s give them a slice of Utah. We think Delicate Arch is a good representation of that,” Gideon Dushku said. “We’re honored to represent it to the whole world.”

Choosing that came with its own challenges, though. The arch broke from the cart, forcing Isaac Dushku to hold onto it on his way down.”

Another cart designed like the “Out of the Blue,” a massive whale leaping out of a Salt Lake City roundabout, ran the course a few moments beforehand. It also featured the 9th and 9th neighborhood gnomes, along with a license plate nod to the Julia Reagan billboards that have captivated the internet.

Allison Tardif, of Salt Lake City, and a member of “Raise Hell, Praise Whale!” is aware the design features “very niche” Utah references, but she and her teammates wanted a platform to spotlight the state’s diversity, too.

“We were just so excited to represent our parts of our community that are maybe less visible, especially right now — our queer friends, our friends of color,” she said.

Coming to Utah

Others traveled thousands of miles to compete on the Utah stage. Domino Ireland, of Raleigh, North Carolina, had already competed in Red Bull’s other zany events, like its Flugtag flight contest, but he had never competed in a Soapbox event.

A heavy traveler, Salt Lake City’s event was his only opportunity to cross it off his list this year. He submitted an ouija board design that won out, something initially designed in North Carolina and reassembled once it was flown out to Utah this weekend. 

While Ireland had been to Utah’s capital before, he recruited a few friends to join him, some of whom had not.

Andrew Depompa is one of those. He approached about some time after Ireland’s design was selected, accepting the offer because he figured it was a dumb enough idea that he had to do it. Plus, it allowed him to travel to visit Salt Lake City for the first time, where he enjoyed a foothill run before Saturday’s race.

“It’s fun, and it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around often, so you just got to take it,” he said.

A large crowd

Those who attended were equally delighted. Red Bull’s final crowd projection was more than double what it projected when it announced the event in February. 

Hemin Lee and Zac Horton, of Salt Lake City, were among those who stuck around the course for hours to watch the competition, despite temperatures maxing out at 97 degrees in the city.

“It’s pretty awesome — it’s a good time,” Horton said.

With such a large turnout, Henke hopes that Red Bull will bring the event back to Utah. If not, at least Utah competitors and fans alike put on a show for the world to see.

“I feel like Utah came out in droves,” he said, adding “The Desert Rats” is proud to be part of the event’s history.