Soap Box Car Drivers Steer Toward Victory

Niklas “Crash and Burn” Biery will not forget the soap box derby races at the top of Hillmont Avenue in Ventura. It was where the 12-year-old got his new nickname.

Niklas fell from the back of the pickup truck taking him to the top of the street and his foot was run over by the attached trailer. But a bruised toe did not stop him from racing his stock car to first place in Sunday’s All American Soap Box Derby Rally.

“My foot feels better now,” Niklas said after clinching the trophy in the race’s stock car division. “It’s fun going down the hill and getting surprised if you win.”

Niklas’ father brought him from Crestline to compete among 44 entries at the two-day California Family Soap Box Derby Assn. event open to ages 8-17. But 12-year-old Randy Taylor and his dad came even farther, traveling some 2,000 miles from Indiana.

It was worth the trip, as Randy took first place in the masters car division.

Of the three divisions, masters cars are hand-built, while stock and super stock cars are assembled from kits. Soap box derby cars consist of hollow shells that have wheels, steering wheels and brakes but are powered by the driver’s weight and the incline of the hill.

Randy’s dad, Bill Taylor, said they made the journey to Ventura because Randy needed to make up points in order to qualify for the national soap box race to be held in Akron, Ohio, in August. Sunday’s win gives Randy a needed boost, but some things are beyond his control.

“Going to Akron is also a race against time,” Bill Taylor said. “If only he’ll stop growing. The car is custom built around him.”

“Yeah, it’s real tight,” said Randy, who has grown 3 inches, two shoe sizes and gained 13 pounds since the car was crafted last year.

Soap box racing is for girls too, with 12-year-old Melissa Soenke of San Luis Obispo winning first place in the super stock car division. Super stock is a larger version of stock, accommodating older and larger drivers.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Melissa said. “You get to the point where you don’t get nervous anymore after you win a few and get more confident.”

Her dad, Steven Soenke, is derby director for the region, which includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern counties and parts of Los Angeles County.

“This is good activity for kids--and their parents too,” he said. “It teaches us how to talk and listen to each other, and I do it so my daughter can have something she can feel good about. Although if it was just myself, I’d probably buy a sports car and drive to Carmel.”