Drivers soak up competition at annual soap box derby
By Lee Ann Gill - editorial@nwherald.com
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| Start official Vern Jobst checks Saturday afternoon to see whether Tori Stocker (left) and Marisa Monbrod are ready at the seventh annual Kiwanis Club Soap Box Derby in McHenry. More than 20 children participated. (Amanda Schwengel – aschwengel@nwnewsgroup.com) |
McHENRY – After crashing her car during the first heat, 10-year-old Paige King was getting ready to race again.
A veteran in the annual McHenry Kiwanis Soap Box Derby Classic, King sat on the sidelines, analyzing what went wrong at Saturday’s event.
“I kind of went off to the side a little too much, and I tried to straighten out and I lost control,” she said.
Despite the incident, King enjoys the competition.
“It’s just fun to do. You get to meet new people,” said the Johnsburg resident.
“I’m a little nervous at first,” King admitted.
At this year’s event, more than 20 soap box cars raced down the Waukegan Road hill, with pylons separating the road into lanes and hay bales lining either side to soften any mishaps. An announcer called out the drivers’ names and the fraction-of-a-second difference between racers after crossing the finish line.
Brad Beyer of McHenry narrowly claimed first place, beating Emily Woo by 0.15 seconds.
“We do it just like the Indy 500,” said derby Chairman Jim Marinangel, adding that the event is open to any child age 8 to 13 in McHenry County. “We are the only place in McHenry County that has the right to hold a soap box derby event.”
To make every heat fair, each race runs twice, with drivers switching wheels and changing lanes for the second heat. The cars travel 30 mph and weigh about 65 pounds. After the weight of the driver is figured in, weights are placed inside the cars to make sure that each weighs exactly 200 pounds, he said.
“I just like the feel of going down the hill – of how fast you can go,” said 11-year-old racer Rachel Irwin of McHenry. “I’m doing pretty good so far.”
Ten-year-old Benjamin Coil of McHenry has a strategy for winning.
“There are ways you can go down the track to go faster,’” he said. “If you can get as far as you can down into the car, you go faster.”
Kits to make the cars, which come in colors such as bright pink, blue, red and white, are sold by the All American Soap Box Derby Association at www.aasbd.org.
Beyer, the winner of Saturday’s derby, earned the right to compete in the world championship in July in Akron, Ohio.
Jerry Reif, regional director of the All American Soap Box Derby, watched the races, saying he attends an event around the Midwest every weekend. The activity is a positive one for all drivers, he said.
“You don’t have to be an athlete. You don’t have to be a good student,” Reif said. “It’s an equalizer for boys and girls.”
Top finishers
The top racers in Saturday’s McHenry Kiwanis Soap Box Derby Classic were:
1. Brad Beyer.
2. Emily Woo.
3. Marisa Monbrod.
4. Jarett Polep.
5. Tori Stocker.
6. Rachel Irwin.
7. Adrian Kochmanski.
8. Matthew Winnecke.
