The event claims rain or shine. As of 6 a.m. this morning, work crews were putting the finishing touches on a set up that began on WEDNESDAY. IN that time, Red Bull has not gained any fans that live in The Wall. Last night a tractor trailer carrying a jumbo-tron parked on a sidewalk doing some damage to private property.
One resident said that having the bike race was enough of an inconvenience.
The media gates open very soon (10 a.m.) and I am headed out to get my press pass. On the itinerary, Mayor Michael Nutter is supposed to be going down in a cart around 1:30 p.m. We'll see what happens in this weather.
UPDATED - 11 a.m. - Things are beginning to take shape in Pit Row. Teams are together already in costume. All things Red Bull are a go along Lyceum Ave-Levering St. But the power of human creativity and pinch of lunacy also prevails. Take of example Team Big Bertha (right). As you can see, the guys have created a great likeness of a birthing mother. But has anyone noticed, said driver will be going down the head first. Sweet.
All things Philly and Pop are not neglected. Team Philly Pride, who was featured a few weeks ago in The Review, are handing out Dum Dums and Peanut Chews. The Porkchop Express has the Philly Phanatic on a Platter. Flying Ninja Monkeys are going down as the Ghostbusters. The team is handing out marshmallows in an effort to get out the text vote.
Despite the threat of inclement weather, it seems to be shaping up to a good time. Red Bull officials are keeping the track clear of rogue hay. The track could still be a little slick from last night's rainstorm. Races begin at 1 p.m.
UPDATE - 5 p.m. - Large crowds, inclement weather and possible repeated runs up and down The Wall have kept this reporter from making hourly reports onto this space. The weather held until noon when the skies opened up on the crowds of people in Manayunk. I couldn't tell who was the bigger sucker the crowds or the reporters who were covering the event. (At least, Medics and police were making overtime pay, so they were possibly the overall winners of the day.)
According to the emcee of the day, the downpour was perfect for soapbox racing...if you enjoy crashes. Out of the total 36 cars participating in the event, a quarter of them did not even make past Fleming St. Included in that group was NBC 10s Tim Furlong and his so-called 'Flying Peacock'. The race did feature some spectacular crashes from cars. 'The Originators', composed of a Nintendo box and paper-mache heads of Mario and Luigi, flipped over decapitating the face of Nintendo Corp. The head of Luigi was later found on the pike of a home on Tower St. and Lyceum Ave. (see right)
"Dr. Strangebox" made a spectacular crash at the Tower St. turn. Sadly many cars 'taco-ed' their wheels, such as Philly2night. and Rocky Car-Go-A...barely making it off the ramp.
But for every crash, wreck and slowpoke (of which there were a few), there were some speed demons along the track including Philly and Manayunk beloved mayor, Michael A. Nutter.
"Nutter is the winner," said one fan.
Nutter was given the specialty-built Red Bull Can car. Nutter was helped along my his councilmanic successor, Curtis Jones Jr., who also waved the green flag starting the event.
"This is a car built by the Secret Service for me," said Nutter.
The neighborhood was well represented in this event by three times including the first car down the hill, 'Philly Pride', who gave a decent account of themselves.
"I was on the brakes," said John Wiggins. "I shouldn't of held them down so long by the time we got the Tower St they were worn off. So I said 'Aim for the Hay'"
Along with Pride, Jebidiah's Journey, hailing from East Falls, came down faster than any Amish would on any given day. Rounding out the group was 'Killa Bees', Emmett McGinn drove his team's creation day. He was also celebrating his 27th Birthday in style. Well Done!
But in the end, end it was experience that mattered. Team 'Deuces Wild', who placed second last year in Providence, RI, took the top spot with their mix of Wacko Jacko (Michael Jackson) and his children. In Second Place, was 'Great Scott' with their back to the future theme, and the Wizz Kids took third.
But for all this fun and frivolity, the event was bittersweet. Lack of communication between residents and organizers lead to some friction during the set up phase. But it was shear stupidity that really was the problem.
Early in the day, people hoping for a vantage point for the race climbed up the rocks at Tower Street before the wall. Many people do it during the Bike Race. Well, it has never rained on the day of the bike race. This day, Mother Nature more than made up for that oversight.
Before the race started Police and medics were called over to the rocks to aid a man who face-planted. The man was seriously injured. Many people called for help and made a corridor to transport the inured man. After this incident, police warned people off the rocks. The crowd gave an ovation to the medic teams on their return.
"I still have that guys blood in my pockets," said one medic.
One police officer, who should be commended, used the crowd to keep an eye on the area, making sure no else else climbed up. When people did, this little crowd of people would chant a certain obscenity in their direction.
If being soaked to the bone was not enough, many had soaked their brain as well. Broken beer bottles, crushed cans and plastic cups litter the sidewalk. In defense of one group, they had the presence of mind to clean up after themselves. Sadly, not everyone was like that.
If this was bad enough, people without patients were publicly urinating along the wall.
But many of these same incident mar the bike race. Hopefully, the spirit and the fun of the event itself outweighed the negativity that follows it. Unlike the bike race, this was a one-and-done event. There are many people in the neighborhood who are thankful for this small mercy.
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