The real racers of 'The Hill'

The end of an other race season

Congratulations to everyone, especially the NW racers that came home with trophies. One more year of racing winds down and thanks to the efforts by many, the All American Soap Box Derby has continued it's tradition. It was great seeing racers from around the world and taking apart of the many activities. Hopefully we can return again next year as a rally champ, but this is an expensive trip & times are tough.

Kids have rolled down this hill for 74 years, every one of them a champ.

Good luck fellow champs

It was a fun run, but lane number 1 took it by a nose. Several NW racers advanced to the second round, will post more later.

The big day is here...

Three champions are getting ready for the World Championship race. (Levi Slate, Ann-Marie Kuehne, & Cullen Tucker) Only one will go on to the next round. Good luck, and most of all HAVE FUN!

A day at sluggers & putters

I love to climb.

Fine Tuning before the race.

Cullen and Jim making the last final touches on the car. It's pretty much hands off after this until race day.

The NW Bunch - Go Team

Monday morning, downtown Akron. Great group of racers.

The annual ritual: Emptying of the parent crate

My car in the barn (White one with black stripes the middle)

Good Morning Canton

11AM & time for bed.  Those red eye flights are a killer.  Wake me for dinner.

Arrived in Ohio

We left PDX around 9:30 PM, swapped planes in Newark, NJ at some god awful time in the morning and arrived in Cleveland a bit after 8am Eastern time (5 AM for those back home).  Glad we made it, time to get some rest.

Button making party

Salem derby champs making badges. 
Every year before we head off to Akron the Salem champs get together and make buttons so they can trade with other drivers. 

The next time we see our friends will be in Ohio. 

Passions: Young sisters have fallen in love with Soap Box Derby

 From Mercury News

By Linda Goldston

lgoldston@mercurynews.com

Posted: 06/21/2011 03:40:44 PM PDT

Updated: 06/22/2011 09:27:01 AM PDT

Scrunched into her narrow fiberglass race car, her eyes just visible through her goggles and helmet, 14-year-old Veronica Harris of Campbell is ready to race the wind -- or with the wind.

So is her 8-year-old sister, Jessica, in a slightly smaller car.

The Harris sisters are part of the new face of gravity-fueled soap box derby racing, as more girls flock to the "All-American" sport that dates to 1934. Girls weren't allowed to enter the races until 1972, but they've been making up for lost time.

In the Silicon Valley Soap Box Derby -- and increasingly across the country -- 70 to 75 percent of the racers are girls. They love the speed, they love meeting so many young people from other places and they love going head-to-head with boys in races.

The boys are pretty keen on girls racing, too.

"Are you kidding?" Veronica asked. "The boys adore having all these girls doing something they like to do."

Both Veronica and Jessica have qualified to compete for the title of world champion at the 74th All-American Soap Box Derby on July 23 in Akron, Ohio.

Jessica just started racing in the soap box rally circuit in February, but she already has amassed half a shelf of trophies on a large bookcase that is dominated by dozens of trophies won by her older sister.

"I like the wind in your face and the confidence you get from the parents helping," said Jessica, who is dubbed "the speed demon" of the family by her mom.

Is a world championship in hr future....  read more

37 racers participate in derby's 60th running

From Statesmanjournal 

Derby racing is a way of life for Jarritt Youngers.

The 13-year-old from Salem has won first place in various divisions of the All-American Soap Box Derby five times in the past.

"I'm one of the oldest drivers here," the Adam Stephens Middle School eighth-grader said. "You get to meet cool friends. The race is not about winning, it's about having fun and hanging with friends."

The races took place at Derby Downs at Bush's Pasture Park on Sunday and drew 37 drivers between the ages of 8 and 17. This year marked the 60th anniversary of the All-American Soap Box Derby....

Portland Adult Soap Box Derby - Coming up August 13

http://www.soapboxracer.com/   = I want their URL

From their website: "Once a year a brave group of racers convene on the daunting slopes of Mt. Tabor to test their metal to their mettle. These pages are dedicated to all those who have spilled their blood, or even worse, spilled their beer. We thank our beloved volcano for allowing us to tickle her spine."


Some of the racers had an demostration run at our track
http://sincycles.blogspot.com/2011/05/this-past-sunday-captain-chaos.html