After a ten year absence The Star City Soap Box Derby has brought Soap Box racing back to the Roanoke Valley. On June 11, 2011, the Soap Box Derby will return to the Roanoke area at Walrond Park in Roanoke County off of Plantation Road. Previously, the Soap Box Derby held races in Roanoke at the Starkey Drag Strip on Buck Mountain Road from 1981 to 1991. Its time to bring racing back to Roanoke! T
he All-American Soap Box Derby started in 1934 as a national youth racing program for children ages 7 to 17. The World Championship Finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. The goals of the Soap Box Derby have been consistent since 1934: to promote families working together, to teach children basic skills of workmanship along with the spirit of competition, and encourage close youth-adult activities, while developing traits such as self-confidence, perseverance, and leadership. Across the Unites States, and around the world, family time is spent together building Soap Box Derby cars. Lifelong bonds are developed as the “Derby Experience” is shared from driver to driver, town to town, and state to state. The Soap Box Derby is a program that will provide cherished memories that will be enjoyed for a lifetime, by kids of all ages. All drivers build their own Soap Box Derby gravity powered racer with the help of their parents or guardians. In order for drivers to begin, a Derby car kit and a set of wheels must be purchased from the All-American Soap Box Derby Headquarters Office. Drivers are encouraged to obtain sponsors to help defer the cost of the car kit. Sponsor logos may be placed on the racers. The cars are to be built to the exact specifications of the kit instructions. In order to help participants with kit construction, the Star City Soap Box Derby will hold construction clinics at Walrond Park. These clinics will help participants understand the rules and regulations that will guide them in building a safe and competitive car. There are three racings divisions drivers can participate in. The Stock Division is for racers ages 7 to 13. This car is a lean forward design and is sold as a kit which includes everything needed for racing except for racing wheels and weights. Drivers are not permitted to paint the Stock Car shell, however, the shells are available in limited colors. The approximate time to build one of these cars is 6 to 10 hours. The next division is the Super Stock Division. This division is open to racers from 10 to 17 years of age. This car is also a lean forward design, and the kit includes everything the racer needs except wheels and weights. The shell of this car is white and may be painted by the builder. The approximate time to build this car is 6 to 10 hours. The third division is the Masters Scottie Division. This division is for racers 10 to 17 years old. This car is a lay-down design, and this kit also includes everything the racer needs to build the car except for wheels and weights. Much more time is needed to assemble these cars than the kits for the other divisions. Winners of these three divisions will represent Roanoke at the World Championships of the All-American Soap Box Derby at Akron, Ohio in July of 2011. Matthew Waldron represented Roanoke in Akron in 1997 when he was 15 years old. Waldron said, “I really enjoyed my Derby experience. I raced for four years, and became the local Super Stock champion in 1997. I had fun building my car with my family, and liked the competition and making new friends.”
SEE YOU AT THE TRACK!
