Interview: Red Bull Billy Cart returns
The hilarious, globally-renowned Red Bull Billy Cart returns to Australia for the first time in eleven years on November 15th, as tens of thousands of spectators journey to Sydney’s Centennial Parklands to watch the race. Experienced drivers and amateurs alike, who will have spent months building their dream cart, will finally show the masses what they’ve got. Tens of thousands of people will line the fences, while the official judges will mark the entrants on three key elements – creativity of design, showmanship and speed. We had a chat with The Unbreakable Nokia team in Sydney…
Tell us about your team (age, gender, location)
We are a group of blokes with ages ranging from 22 to 37. Matt Grogan (Groges), age 37, Sydney-born Creative Director. Rico Minten (Rico), age 28, Dutch creative tech. Adrian Falleiro (A-Dos), age 23, Developer born in Sydney. Josef Wimberger (Joe), age 22, Strategist from Brisbane.
What do you all do for a living?
We work in an ad agency.
How did the team get together?
We were knocking back a few frothies in the pub a couple of Fridays ago and someone showed a video of a crashes compilation from the London billy cart race. It was at that moment that we knew this was a go.
Tell us one thing about you that people wouldn’t expect to hear about each of you?
Groges used to race Formula 3000. Rico worked at IKEA once. Adrian is a philosopher Joseph has thrown his (not Nokia) phone at wall and it survived.
Have you built or ridden a billy cart before? If so, when / where and how did you rank?
We’ve all dabbled in gravity-powered vehicles at some point in our lives. Groges was the Formula 3000 champ at some point in his life.
What skills does each team member bring to the table?
As a former racing driver, Groges knows his way around a corner apex like the back of his hand. Rico is as familiar with auto physics as he is with app development. Adrian can build a site and have it tracking users before lunchtime. Joe is a fairly unremarkable MarioKart player.
What is your motivation for getting involved?
We weren’t going to turn down an opportunity to make something ridiculous during work hours.
Do you have a funny billy cart story from your childhood?
Joe had one made out of a wheelie bin that he drove into a parked car when he was 10.
What was the inspiration for your design?
We wanted something truly unbreakable, but also a degree of digital tech. Thus, the invincible Nokia 3310.
What are the materials have you used / will you be using?
Paper mache, human tears, post-it notes.
How will you prepare for Red Bull Billy Cart?
Fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
Do you have any secret tricks or tips to building a speedy cart?
WD-40 and duct tape will fix everything.
Find out more about Red Bull Billy Cart at the official website.
