And they’re off ... downhill daring-do

The hundreds of teams who applied for a place on the starting line at St Patrick’s Hill in Cork were whittled down to 59 hopefuls from 19 counties and one entry from England.

Colour and charisma were among the talents sought by the celebrity judges, including models Glenda Gilson and Amanda Brunker, former Ireland rugby star Mick Galwey and Cork's Lord Mayor Cllr Colm Burke.

From the stage on St Patrick's Bridge, they watched the machines whirl their way down the steep incline, most of them making it to the chequered flag in less than 30 seconds.

One of the faster teams was the Crazy Babies from New Bawn, Co Wexford, whose pilot Trevor Howlett had trouble bringing his plummeting pram to a halt after crossing the finish line.

"My foot just slipped on the brake so I was glad of the barrier in front of the stage," he said.

Fiona Meade travelled from London to take part with Peter's Perfect Turbo Terrific, the entry from Cambridgeshire. Originally from Newmarket in Co Cork, she had some idea of the task that faced them.

"I've been in London for 15 years and I'd say I haven't been up that hill in a lot more than that," she said, after driver Steve Jenkins guided their soap box home.

More familiar with the surroundings were the Meade family no relation from White's Cross near the city. Siblings John, Fiona, Michael and Billy were helped by friend Paul Rockley to create Iasc Óir that's Irish for Goldie Fish after the famous fish atop Cork's Shandon steeple.

"I was a bit nervous at the start but it was grand once I got through the first few chicanes," said a very professional- sounding John Meade.

The event attracted more than 30,000 spectators who came to watch the excitement on a number of giant screens set up on nearby streets and quays. Comedian and TV celebrity Patrick Kielty livened up proceedings as the master of ceremonies, aided by children's favourite Dustin the Turkey.

However, the fun was a little spoiled by the very size of the crowd, which forced organisers to switch off two screens. They asked people to move around to watch the screens on nearby MacCurtain St for safety reasons.

The show did go on, however, and unsurprisingly the eventual winners were the Crazy Babies, with fellow Wexford team The Lawn Boyz hot in pursuit and The Ducks, from Mallow, Co Cork, in third place.

For their efforts, the Crazy Babies can look forward to a trip to the last Grand Prix of this year's Formula One season in Brazil in October.