Racers Roll Out for Soapbox Glory

For Derby Participants, Who Pour Time and Money Into the Sport, It's Not Just a Hobby

Soapbox racing in the District is not for the faint of heart.

The cars travel up to 30 miles an hour, and the difference between winning and losing in the 30-second race is often just a few tenths of a second -- the result of one ill-timed turn or a wayward breeze. The simple cars, often made of wood and plastic and covered in paint and stickers, can cost upwards of $500 and require up to 100 hours of polishing and trimming to get up to snuff. Racers spend weeks in spring and fall training during a rally season, honing their driving skills and getting their 150-pound cars ready.

The 67th Greater Washington Soap Box Derby, an all-day affair that ran yesterday on a 900-foot track on Constitution Avenue between Louisiana and Delaware avenues, attracted about three dozen competitors -- ages 8 to 17 -- from across the region.

And this year featured the toughest competition yet, organizers said.

Gone were the two charity groups, a Red Cross team and the Metropolitan Police Boys Club, that helped boost attendance at last year's event. In their stead were the tried-and-true racers and their families that dominate the field year in and year out.

"The die-hards are out here," said Eric Keitz, the derby's director and a certified public accountant from Annapolis whose two girls competed yesterday. "These kids want to win."

And, on hot summer days like yesterday, nerves can be tested. Fathers shake hands, discuss strategies and study the complicated tournament bracket, which observers say resembles the NCAA basketball pool. Two competing fathers nearly got in a fistfight near the starting gates.

"It's ultra-competitive," said Ken Tomasello, an assistant director of the derby whose three kids spent years racing. "People spend months preparing. It's the real deal."

And it's all for the chance to go to Akron, Ohio, for the national competition late next month.

Area racers had once been shut out of winning the nation's soapbox derby championship. The area didn't bring back its first top trophy until last year. But a few notable racing families have helped make the region more competitive.

The Washington area now ranks third in the nation in the racing series, in terms of prizes won. And last year's top racer in the most competitive division -- the Master's -- was a 17-year-old prodigy named Kacie Rader of Mechanicsville.

Rader, who won all three divisions in the District races and now is an 18-year-old incoming freshman at College of Southern Maryland, showed up to yesterday's race despite being too old for the competition and unable to claim another trophy. But she is still a legend among her racing peers.

"I think my dad is more proud than I am," said Rader, as she looked at a four-foot-tall trophy and her gold winner's jacket, placed prominently at the judging table. Her championship ring, still tucked inside a velvet box, was hidden away in her purse.

The odds-on favorites to win this year in the Master's division were Courtney and Justin Rayle, a brother and sister from Mechanicsville. Courtney, a 16-year-old who will be a senior at Chopticon High School in St. Mary's County, beat her 14-year-old brother to claim first prize and add her name to a trophy that bears her uncle's name. "I love the hills and the speed," said Courtney, whose family wore "Team Rayle" embroidered shirts to the event. "And I love winning."