Soap Box Derby

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Image:Fasnetskistenrennen.jpg The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run nationally since 1934. World Championship finals are held each August at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, relying completely upon gravity to move.

The first All-American race was held in Dayton in 1934, after an idea by Myron Scott, a photographer for the Dayton Daily News. The following year, the race was moved to Akron because of its central location and hilly terrain. In 1936, Akron civic leaders recognized the need for a permanent track site for the youth racing classic and, through the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Derby Downs became a reality.

Thanks to precision ball bearings modern gravity-powered racers start well down the hill, yet still attain speeds of over 35 miles per hour in races that last less than 30 seconds and are measured in hundredths of a second.

During its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, when Chevrolet was a sponsor and famous TV and movie stars made guest appearances, as many as 70,000 people would gather in August to eat snow cones and cheer hundreds of youthful racer/builders (boys only in early years) ages 11-15 who were the champions of local races around the nation and from several foreign countries.

During the 1970s and 1980s the purity of kid-built cars and amateur racing lost its lustre due to overeager adults and civic boosters who hired professionals to build or rebuild cars, or worse, installed electromagnets and other illegal devices to derive an unfair advantage. Chevrolet eventually dropped their sponsorship. One redeeming factor was elimination of sex discrimination, allowing girls to build and compete on an equal footing.

Today there are broader categories that extend the age range to younger racers and permit adults to assist in construction. This is especially helpful for younger kids who haven't mastered power tools, as well as to provide an outlet for adults.

Soap Box Derbys are also held all around the world, often as national masterships. They mostly have a semi-professional character.

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Scandals

In 1973, 14 year old Jimmy Gronen of Boulder, CO was stripped of his title two days after winning the national race. X-ray examination of his car revealed an electromagnet in the nose. When activated at the starting line, the magnet would pull the car forward by attracting it to the steel paddle used to start the race. The boy's uncle and legal guardian at the time, wealthy engineer Robert Lange, was indicted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In 2003, 13 year old Wilton Blakely of Huntersville, NC was stripped of his title shortly after winning the national race. Examination of his car revealed the rear axle kingpin was held in place by adhesive, and a steel bearing had been added to the steering assembly.