by Michael Satterfield - 04/07/2022
One of the earliest recordings of derby racing was in Charlie Chaplin's 1914 film 'Kid Auto Races at Venice' where Chaplin is seen attending what was called a "baby-cart race" on Venice beach. With the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup being held in nearby Santa Monica, California, the city of Los Angeles desired to sponsor a youth event, which included a race with cars being launched off a short ramp.
Doubtlessly other gravity-powered races were held over the years but in 1933 Myron Scott saw a group of boys racing down a hill in Dayton Ohio and decided to put together his first race. He decided to host a larger race, with prize money, and 362 kids showed up with their homemade racers. The following year he launched the All-American Soap Box Derby a national competition that would see Robert Turner of Muncie, Indiana crowned the first national champion.
In 1936 Akron, Ohio built a permanent track for the national championship, called Derby Downs which is open to this day and still hosts All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship to this day. The sport would continue to grow and in the 1950s and 60s would reach its peak popularity drawing as many as 70,000 spectators to the world championship races.
In 1973 the sport was rocked by a cheating scandal, 14-year-old Jimmy Gronen and his uncle, an engineer, had installed a hidden electromagnet in the front of the derby car which pull the car towards the starting gate as it dropped. The system was ingenious as it would be activated when Jimmy would place his helmet against the headrest, triggering the magnet and pulling his car forward faster as the starting gate dropped. Gronen's uncle had also applied a chemical to the wheels' rubber that would cause the tires to swell and reduce rolling resistance. As a result, Jimmy was stripped of his title and aluminum plates were installed at the starting gate to prevent the use of magnets ever again.
Girls weren't allowed to compete until 1971, but in 1975, Karren Stead would become the first girl to win the championship, piloting her car with her arm in a cast. Since her win, 27 young ladies have won the world champion title in Akron.
Today Soap Box Derby is still going strong with sanctioned regional races being held across the US for racers between the ages of 7 and 20 years old. Racers can compete in four different divisions, Legacy, Stock, Super Stock, and Masters. The Master's division is the fastest and most experienced division and has a total weight cap of 255lbs for car and driver. A derby car kit costs between $700 and $1,500 and must be purchased through the official Soap Box Derby store. The organization also hosts a number of Gravity Racing Challenge STEM competitions throughout the year.
The racecourse at Derby Downs is 953.9 feet from the starting line at the top of the hill to the finish line. The speed record set in 1940 is held by Tommy Fisher, who crossed the line in just 26.30 seconds, however, today the track is 989.4 feet long and in 2014 Anne Taylor set a time of 26.613 on the longer course. For more info or to look up the current race schedule for your region visit soapboxderby.org.
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