The Red Bull Box Race returns to Johannesburg on October 4th, and among the teams preparing for this madness are two very different South African groups: Noma Yini, inspired by the energy of the townships, and Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu, a team of final-year mechanical engineering students from the University of Cape Town.
Despite approaching the race from completely different worlds, they share one thing: they are ready to create something incredible and see what happens when gravity takes over.
The name Noma Yini originates from the daily activities of street guards in the townships who constantly move, find solutions, and plan actions using available resources. This idea became the starting point for the team.
The team told IOL that their name reflects the 'spirit of perseverance, creativity, and resourcefulness,' as well as the ability to 'create something from nothing and work with what we have.' They admitted that they continue to participate in the races because they 'just have fun.'
Furthermore, the opportunity to see themselves in a space they traditionally do not associate with holds personal significance for the team. Team members noted: 'As Black South Africans, we don't always see ourselves represented in such places, and sometimes this experience can feel unfamiliar.' They wanted to state: 'Why not us? Why can't we be here, having fun and creating something crazy?' Their approach can be characterized by three words: 'Creative. Kasi. Unpredictable.'
On the other side of the starting line is Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu. This team is not just participating for the atmosphere; it consists of final-year mechanical engineering students from UCT who decided to build one last completely unnecessary machine together before graduation.
The students explained that since this is likely one of the last times they will all be together before parting ways after graduation, they decided to create 'one last crazy project together.' Their name also reflects the South African flavor, as it is based on common phrases 'quick quick' and 'now now,' which South Africans use when promising to return.
For the students, this name aligns with the theme of the race—a chaotic vehicle trying to deliver the last cargo to its destination. Unlike Noma Yini, they have clearly defined their goals: 'First and foremost, we want to win.' They are also confident in their planned performance at the start, stating that 'we have thought about it a lot and think we will just destroy it.'
The box race is essentially an occasion to assess what happens when people combine imagination, grassroots engineering, and a mountain slope. The teams build their own boxes, perform before the run, and then send one driver down the track through obstacles and jumps. While speed is important, creativity and spectacle are equally important, so the team with the fastest box is not necessarily the most memorable.
Johannesburg has not hosted this race since 2018, while the last South African event took place in Cape Town in 2022. That race attracted over 22,000 spectators in Bo-Kaap, where homemade boxes tumbled, flew, and rolled down steep streets. The reigning champions from Stellenbosch, Potjie Boytjies, even won using a cast-iron pot on wheels.
Now this madness is heading to Sandton. For Noma Yini, it is the embodiment of township energy and unpredictability, and for Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu, it is the final engineering project that ideally should bring them victory.
