Lafra is a fictional brand of high-end soapbox racers, inspired by videos of soapbox racing in Ecuador. (Try searching YouTube for “ecuador soapbox racing”.) The vehicles they use are DIY contraptions optimized for durability and minimal cost. The racing itself is captivating — the majestic landscapes, the teamwork, the amazingly long descents — not to mention the danger and technical driving. This racing touches a childhood fascination with go-karts and soapbox racing — which we never actually did. Check out Google street view of E30 going into Pujilí, for example. They have lots of races here, apparently.

This class of racing has a two-person tandem crew that communicates through shoulder pats and hand signals. The stoker or rear crewman sometimes needs to jump out and push the vehicle since they’re unpowered. Often in tight corners, he needs to lean almost all the way to the pavement to counter balance the centrifugal force. Crews of competing cars shout angrily at each other — I’m not sure what they’re saying. Some variation of “Make way I’m going first!” “No I’m going first!” Having no engines to shout over, this kind of cross-team spoken communication is possible.

I wondered what you’d get using high-end materials and build quality. In reality this would likely not be practical for racing as the vehicles would get too damaged even on a single run. At Oneilbroz we don’t care about practicality, of course, and we push things to absurd limits. The logo is an arrangement of a croquet wicket, mallet and balls. Why? I don’t know. It conveys faux Euro-style class. It has a stubborn obliqueness typical of Oneilbroz non-sequitur.

I pictured some Lafra vehicle model names: Isolje, Jiole, Sarpesa (or Sarpedol), Plurale — again, Euro-ish nonsense words that vaguely evoke things like Lamborghini Aventador, Pagani Huayra, or Ferrari Stradale.

The tagline “synergy of command” is a bit of stealth nonsense meant to sound like real branding — the kind of thing you might hear in reference to exotic sports cars. But in this case applied to exotic soapbox racers.

Oneilbroz invites you to find your Lafra imaginary vehicle and enjoy its unique ride experience. Connect with fantastic terrain, race through small towns in the countryside. Shout angry epithets at opposing teams, but maintain sportsmanship. When the race is over and the mountain descent is finished, embrace the other teams — happy that you have made it down the mountain safely.