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This derby, which was part of the Mt. Pulaski Fall
Festival, kicked off at 10 a.m. Kids from all over Logan County, and
some from outside of the county, came with their parents and a derby
car to race. Each race consisted of two cars that were held by a
pulley lever system at the top of a ramp.
When the lever was pulled, the cars were released,
and the kids raced down the hill from the corner of South Washington
and East Jefferson Streets all the way to the corner of South
Washington and East Dekalb Streets.
The racers were split into two age groups, those being kids between
the ages of seven and nine, and kids ten and older. The younger
group was additionally split into three more classes, those being
stocks, super stocks, and unlimited. The older group were split into
stocks and super stocks.
Before the first race began, event organizer Ryan
Jason had all the kids and parents meet him at the bottom of the
ramp to explain a few things. First, he stressed the importance of
safety, telling the kids to only cross the track if it was clear,
but that it would be better if they didn’t cross the track in the
first place. Jason further explained the racers had to stay in their
own lanes. If either racer crossed the centerline of the road, they
would be disqualified from that race, and it would count as a loss.
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He went on to explain this derby would be double
elimination, meaning if the kids lost once, they would get to race
again. Losing a second time would eliminate them completely. Lastly,
Jason explained that the kids would get trophies, but he wanted to
order them after the winners were decided. This way, Jason
explained, he could make sure each trophy is customized with each
kid's name.
The derby kicked off with the seven to nine stocks.
Once that section was over, they moved on to the seven to nine super
stocks, then the unlimited. When the younger group was completely
finished, the last two sections to go were the ten and older stocks
and then super stocks. Each racer had to have their vehicle weighed
in before they could race.
Here are the first-place winners for each section of the derby:
• 7-9 Stocks: Brant
• 7-9 Super Stocks: Tayte
• 7-9 Unlimited: Jameson
• 10+ Stocks: Talon
• 10+ Super Stocks: Logan S
This soap box derby is the first official one that Mt. Pulaski has
seen for a while. Lincoln Daily News got the chance to speak with
Jason at the end of the event. Jason shared that his organization,
Vinegar Hill Racers, have done “pop-ups” in the last few years, but
with limited success. He shared this year they have “made a
concerted effort to organize an event in anticipation of making it
into an annual event. When asked what drove him to spearhead this
event, Jason said when he was seven, his parents got into the sport.
“I raced all through my childhood. It’s some of my fondest childhood
memories.”
This soap box derby has several sponsors, including Johnson True
Value, Ron and Cynthia Bailey, Spear’s Storage, Royal Juniper Ranch,
Graue Inc. Rick and LeeAnn Volle, Amsoil, and Mike Maske Auction and
Real Estate.
Be sure to check in with the Vinegar Hill Racers next year at the
Fall Festival, as they are planning on being back for a second year.
[Matt Boutcher] |
