It was almost back to the drawing board for a group of Otago Polytechnic mechanical engineering students after their top-heavy trolley crashed spectacularly during yesterday's annual Manor Pl Trolley Derby in Dunedin.
Their entry, a modified trike, was designed as a class project by mechanical engineering students from the polytechnic last year but was found to be noticeably unstable at top speed yesterday.
During yesterday's third race it was making good progress careering down the Manor Pl slope in a straight line before unexpectedly veering to the right and acquainting itself with a safety fence at high speed.
The impact sent sections of the nearby crowd scattering to safety and left student and driver Kosei Murai (18), of Japan, with a sore leg.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times moments after the crash, Mr Murai conceded the trolley might need a redesign.
"It's easy to tip over."
The trolly's performance appeared to be improving on its second run down the hill as fellow student Kenta Kurose (18), also of Japan, negotiated his way almost to the finish line before contracting a serious case of the speed wobbles.
As the crowd gasped, the trolley wobbled first on to two wheels, then over-corrected and wobbled on to the other two before skidding into a safety net at the bottom of the hill - much to the crowd's amusement.
However, the students were not alone when it came to unusual designs, with Caitlin Buist (13) flying down the hill perched on the back of a jet ski with wheels, while Victoria Vanderlinden (20) tried her luck in a modified wheelchair.
Shaun Tocher (13) won the award for most original trolley, riding on a low-slung camouflaged tricycle armed with an array of party-poppers on the front and a stash of water balloons at the ready.
Nik Borland won two awards, for the super-modified and novelty classes, after racing first in a wheeled bathtub - complete with shower head - bought from a landfill for $10, and later on the back of a motorbike with deployable training wheels.
He was "pretty happy" with his success and impressed with the performance of the weighty bathtub and more nimble motorbike design.
"It's not bad for something you can build in the garage," he said.
About 30 trolleys were entered in this year's derby, which was slightly down on previous years, organiser Barry Lay said.
However, he was encouraged to see new youngsters taking part, and a crowd of about 200 had enjoyed the spectacle despite the rain, which curtailed some of the heat races.
"I haven't heard the crowd laughing so much for a long time. I hate to say it, but the thrills and spills do excite the crowd," Mr Lay said.
Results
- Dunedin Jaycee Cup: Otago Polytechnic.
Best Presented Trolley And Driver: Kosei Murai.
Ronnie Lane CupMost Original Trolley: Shaun Tocher (13).
Graham Hall Cup (junior class, 5 to 8-year-olds): 1, Rosa Buist-Brown; 2, Madeline Mann; 3, Jack Martinac.
Dick Corkin Memorial Cup (intermediate class, 9 to 11-year-olds): 1, Kendra Buist; 2, Molly Buist-Brown; 3, Aaron Eden.
Dunedin Festival Cup (senior class, 12 to 14-year-olds): 1, Sarah Sanford; 2, Caitlin Buist; 3, Matthew Jeffery; 4, Noah Davies.
Otago Southland Cup (super-modified class, minimum age 12 years old): 1, Nik Borland; 2, Richard Cathro; 3, Christina Sanford; 4, Samantha Jeffery.
Novelty class (minimum age 12 years old): 1, Nick Borland; 2, Shaun Tocher; 3, Noah Davies.
