Tomorrow’s annual Soapbox Derby has been moved from Spruce St in Kenai to the parking lot of the Challenger Learning Center. Fortunately Scott Hamann, the race organizer, is a metal worker…
Hamann: “Since it’s in a parking lot, we had to take some trailers and build some ramps and handrails and stairways to get a little bit of elevation to race off of. That’s the biggest change.”
That makes for a slower, but more technically demanding course…
Hamann: “It’ll actually kind of draw the race out a little bit and the cars will have to be a little bit better tuned. So it’ll be much more important the driver’s skills not weaving around. It’ll have some good points to it, for sure.”
Pavement issues on Spruce St made it too difficult and dangerous for kids to race their derby cars along. The winner of tomorrow’s race will then have the option to go on to represent the Kenai Peninsula in the Ohio nationals or claim a $1,000 scholarship.
Hamann: “But our hope is always that the winner will go and represent us in Akron.”
The derby starts in the Challenger Center parking lot at 10am. Registration is at 9:30am.
