Surrey Research Park’s first-ever Soapbox Derby Champions crowned!

Team Optima Prime, from Surrey Research Park-based Optima Medical, has been crowned the winner of our inaugural Soapbox Derby, held on Wednesday 4 November 2026, after completing a 75-metre course in just 13.12 seconds.

The medical diagnostics company’s homemade, three-wheeled kart secured victory against three other teams in a gravity-powered race that attracted around 130 spectators to Surrey Research Park.

For the event, we transformed the visitor car park outside our flagship Surrey Technology Centre into a temporary racetrack, complete with hay bale chicane and barriers, bunting and sweeping bend. Park employees, students, local residents and visitors from the nearby hospital gathered to watch the racing and support the four competing teams.

An unlikely winner

Team Optima Prime’s victory was particularly impressive given that the team had only confirmed its readiness to compete 48 hours before the event.

Their trolley-like kart, built using a wooden platform, three bicycle wheels and a rear push bar, completed its winning second run in 13.12 seconds, averaging 12.8mph.

Driver Tim Godman [pictured left below] said:

“I’d like to say our win was down to engineering excellence and careful planning, but it was thrown together over a few weeks, and we pointed it downhill and got pushed really, really hard.”

The competition brought together four teams representing businesses and the University of Surrey, with an emphasis on engineering ingenuity, creativity and teamwork.

Among the entrants were Team Mini Stags [pictured at top], six University of Surrey engineering students sponsored by British Land, who built a stag-themed kart using a repurposed Formula Student chassis and bicycle components.

Team SOAP OPERA competed in a modified bathtub on bicycle wheels, complete with a shower-cap-wearing driver, while professional space engineers also joined the competition.

Showcasing Surrey’s automotive innovation

Alongside the racing, we hosted Surrey IN Motion, a complementary showcase celebrating the region’s motorsport heritage and automotive engineering capabilities.

The display featured Gordon Murray Group’s T.50 supercar and T4 heritage vehicle, the University of Surrey’s Team SURTES Formula Student racing car and its ZEBRA autonomous vehicle research testbed, with academics available to discuss the University’s research.

We also welcomed Jean-Philippe Launberg, Strategy and Business Director at Gordon Murray Group, as our technical judge. Jean-Philippe presented the winners’ trophy before delivering an innovation and careers talk to University of Surrey Formula Student students at Surrey Technology Centre.

Bringing our innovation community together

Caroline Fleming, Director of Surrey Innovation District Ecosystem at the University of Surrey and Innovation Lead at Surrey Research Park, said:

“A huge congratulations to all of our amazing teams. They really put on an incredible show, the likes of which has never been seen at Surrey Research Park.

“It was great to bring our innovation community together for this fun event, and to see our car park transformed into a hay-bale-lined racetrack with bunting was an incredible sight.”

Our first Soapbox Derby was delivered in collaboration with British Land, bringing together Park businesses, University students, industry partners and the wider local community.

The event also created opportunities for students to engage directly with industry professionals and strengthened relationships between the University and businesses operating across the region.

We would like to thank British Land for collaborating with us on delivering this event and the team at Gordon Murray Group for helping to supercharge our innovation expo with their supercars. Plus, a huge thanks to all our competing teams and everyone who helped make our inaugural Soapbox Derby a success!