03/01/2024
The Shenington 24 Hour Race Welcomes
Unusual Rigging Limited
As Headline Sponsors for 2024
The British Federation of Pedal Car Racing, organisers of the British Pedal Car Championship are pleased to welcome Unusual Rigging Limited as headline sponsors of their flagship event – The Shenington 24 Hour Race – for 2024.
The Race will become The Unusual Rigging Limited Shenington 24 Hour Pedal Car Race.
Established in 1983, Unusual Rigging is the UK's most experienced provider of rigging and stage engineering solutions, principally in the entertainment, special event, exhibition, and presentation industries with a reputation second to none in providing rigging solutions to West End and Touring Theatre including taking such shows as “Mary Poppins”, “The Lion King” and “Les Misérables” around the UK and then overseas to international audiences.
Pedal car racing is a cross between cycle sport and motorsport where teams of up to six drivers race single-seater human powered cars in races of up to 24 hours in duration. With classes for juniors as well as adults, the sport actively encourages young people to learn team working, mechanics, physical fitness, and race craft, whilst having a whole load of fun along the way. Drivers share the car, very similar to sports car racing, with each completing multiple laps, before handing over to the next driver.
The Shenington 24 Hour Race was first run in 2008 and provides the ultimate challenge in the sport of pedal car racing. It is the Le Mans 24 Hours of the Human Powered Racing World!
As a sponsor, Unusual Rigging is a perfect fit for a pedal car race given the sport’s Zero Emissions On Track credentials and Unusual’s justly deserved reputation for sustainability and commitment to The Circular Economy.
For Unusual, environmental accountability makes economic sense – waste, whether of raw materials, or utilities such as water – is not just environmentally irresponsible, it is also a waste of money.
For The British Pedal Car Championship, it is all about providing the thrills and skills of long-distance endurance racing with no pollution, no particulates, no spillages, and no noise (except for the enthusiastic encouragement of friends, family and supporters)!
Jeremy Featherstone (Chairman, British Federation of Pedal Car Racing).
“Pedal Car Racing is, to our ongoing frustration, one of the best kept secrets in both cycle and motor sport. We would like to change this, and the support of Unusual Rigging will allow us to push the Shenington 24 Hour Race forwards in the future rather than simply existing “hand to mouth” as we have had to previously.
The 24-hour race in particular, offers a simple, but far from easy, challenge: How many laps of the circuit can a team of drivers complete in 24 hours in a human powered car?
Moving into the next few decades with the challenges that climate change is already bringing, few sports can offer such a low-carbon form of racing (road cycling, for example, requires many support cars and motorcycles ahead and behind the peloton whereas pedal car racing very much stays put inside one venue for the duration) and too few companies also give the importance to sustainability and strive for net zero carbon emissions to the extent that Unusual are already doing.”
Tom Harper (Managing Director, Unusual Rigging Limited).
"Unusual is pleased to be the proud sponsor of the 2024 Shenington 24 Hour Pedal Car Race.
In an age where embracing a fully circular economy is paramount for businesses and sports alike, pedal car racing embodies the cherished elements of traditional racing with the added value of delivering both enjoyment and a noteworthy net-zero environmental impact.
Our support reflects our dedication to enhancing the race's standing within the broader sporting community, as we collectively prioritize sustainability in sports and business".
The Shenington 24 Hour Race will take place over the weekend of June 28th – 30th 2024 with practice sessions commencing on the Friday evening and the race starting midday on Saturday.
All the information can be found at www.pedalcarracing.info
