Image via elviskline99/YouTube
Apparently double decker bus racing was a thing back in the day, at least for one exhibition race broadcast on television. Video of that event uploaded to the internet shows just how insane a prospect it was to pit six of the tall buses against one another on a short track for 15 laps.
This shopping cart turned go-kart is an excellent bad idea to consider.
Our first concern when we started watching this race was that someone was going to put a bus on its side. Considering how tall they are and how quickly the drivers are taking the turns in the track, it’s a real concern.
Maybe the drivers had been coached on that because of the potential risk. It sounds like at least one was a rally car driver and the others might have been city bus drivers. In other words, they didn’t stick some random guys behind the wheels of the powerful vehicles and just tell them best of luck.
This happened back in 1982 and was broadcast on ITV in the UK as part of the World of Sports program. Who exactly had the idea of racing double decker buses isn’t known, but it was obvious someone looked at the six recently decommissioned city of London public transportation vehicles and had a genius idea.
After all, who wouldn’t pay good money to see such a spectacle in person? And who wouldn’t tune in on the TV to watch it broadcast? Plent of people did and they were entertained.
They even rigged up an early version of a dashcam, putting a camera inside one of the buses so viewers could see from the driver’s perspective. It was almost as much of a mind-blowing innovation as the double decker buses racing on a track.
This just goes to show people will race anything, from lumbering city buses to farm equipment and whatever else they can get to go even relatively fast.
Images via elviskline99/YouTube
