Soap Box Derby ‘rules:’ Stay low, go fast and have fun

STANWOOD — It’s Julian Brandes’ first race.

For a month, the 7-year-old has been working on his car, a sleek, bright speedster that’s just his size. His dad, Aaron Brandes, has been teaching him how to use tools such as drills and screwdrivers to put it together. The wheels are the most fun to work with, Julian said as he added the finishing touches Tuesday evening.

He’s one of 50 young racers getting ready this week for the eighth annual Stanwood-Camano Island Soap Box Derby.

The derby challenges children between seven and 17 years old to build their own racing cars, which come as kits that must be assembled with adult supervision. The cars don’t have motors and rely on gravity to gain speed when drivers compete in one-on-one timed runs down the hill on 276th Street in downtown Stanwood. The street will be closed during races. Cars and buses will be rerouted.

Racing kicks off Saturday at 9 a.m., with an opening ceremony 15 minutes before the first run. The event is an annual highlight that started eight years ago when Randy and Marla Heagle, owners of Windermere Real Estate in Stanwood, were looking for something to bring together local businesses and families. They saw soap box cars that had been assembled for the Red Bull Race in Seattle and thought, “We need this in Stanwood,” Randy Heagle said.

The race became popular. Kids learned to love the thrill of cruising downhill in cars they built.

“To watch some of the kids go their first time down the hill, it goes from cautiously scared to the look of sheer delight,” Randy Heagle said.

The cars have weights to make sure they weigh the same with drivers aboard, and competitors swap wheels with each other between runs so the race is as fair as possible, he explained. Each pair of racers competes twice, and the one who wins by the biggest margin, usually measured in tenths of a second, wins that match. There’s a consolation bracket so racers defeated early on can come back and win the whole thing. It’s unpredictable and a lot of fun, he said.

“It’s all day,” community resource center director Christie Connors said. “It’s just going, going, going.”

It’s a great family event that brings the community together at the start of summer, she said.

Jay Lemke’s son used to compete but “got too cool and too big to race anymore,” he said. Lemke now volunteers to help others with their cars. People might be surprised by how much responsibility the children take on, he said.

“Kids are supposed to be turning all the wrenches with adult supervision,” he said. “A lot goes into making the car go straight, making it go fast. Eighty percent is driver and 20 percent is set-up.”

The secret to being a good driver is not to crash, Aaron Brandes playfully advised his son.

“And what kind of line do you need to go in?” he asked.

“A straight line,” Julian replied. “If you’re turning into the sidewalk, you have to turn the other way.”

Ex-racers often share their expertise with the next generation.

The Steens are family of racers. Tayler Steen, 17, raced for seven years and Levi Steen, 15, raced for six years, but neither is participating this time. Instead, they are helping others, including younger sister Kennedy, 9. This is her third race.

Tayler, Levi and friend Emily Alfieri, 17, offered some driving tips: stay low, go fast and have fun.

“It’s not so much knowing the course of the road, it’s knowing what to do with yourself in different situations,” Tayler said.

For example, if you’re going to crash, you might as well turn into it and minimize the damage, she said.

They’ve made new friends through racing and learned a lot about handling tools, staying safe, being confident and working hard.

Most importantly, they’ve learned about teamwork and good sportsmanship.

There’s an unspoken rule among the competitors in Stanwood and Camano Island, racers explained. They give hugs and handshakes and cheer for each other, Alfieri said.

“And no matter what,” she said, “we say, ‘Good luck.’”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.