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Soapbox racer wins three-peat
Isabella Write in her Dino soap box and Tabor Magnuson in his decked out flame car race down Beulah Park’s old derby track.
Marcus Larson
News-Register
For the third year in a row, Michael Paolo basked in the glow of the Yamhill Derby Days winner's circle.
Michael outpaced 18 other children between the ages of 8 and 11 to claim top honors in Saturday's soapbox derby race. The Yamhill 10-year-old has raced, and won, every year since he reached the minimum age of 8.
He has driven the same car each year, one his dad helped him build from a kit. He has changed the body's design each time, however, giving the car different looks.
This year, the car featured a white body with a flag painted on the side. Michael wore a blue T-shirt with a flag on it to match his vehicle.
The theme was his dad's idea, he said.
The Derby Day soapbox car race began in 1955, according to event coordinator and announcer Bruce Belt, who has been running it for 35 years now.
The drivers start their runs, two by two, at the top of a tall wooden ramp. The adults helping out at the top release a wooden stop holding the two cars in place, and they go zooming down the incline.
The course flattens out about halfway through. Whoever crosses the finish line first, as determined by the line judges, wins his heat.
The contest is decided by double-elimination. Two losses eliminate a driver.
Saturday's races took about two-and-a-half hours. Ember Armstrong finished second, Tabor Magnuson third, Luke Sauers fourth, Liberty Greenland fifth and Paul Meyers sixth.
While the winners emerged unscathed from their racing experiences, the derby was not without its mishaps. Lily Wakefield, 11, crashed her blue-and-yellow-striped car into the hay bales at the end of the course after her steering wheel came off.
Lily's car broke an axle in the crash, so she had to sit out the rest of the racing with an ice pack on her side.
Ember, Liberty and Lily were just three of several girls joining this year's field. They competed for prizes that included a race car, bike and pair of binoculars.
Isabella Wright, 11, represented Landmark Baptist Church in Yamhill. She raced a car painted like a cross between a dragon and a dinosaur.
She didn't make the top six, but said she had a lot of fun trying. And all entrants were presented with five-dollar bills for their efforts.
The racers - hot, sweaty and red-faced - posed for a group photo following the competition. Michael proudly displayed the new white and orange bike he won for finishing first, and others showed off their five-dollar bills.
Michael said he definitely plans to race again next year, and is intent on coming out on top again.
So what gives him the edge? "I can't give up all my secrets," he said.
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Comments (10)
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Fri, 07/24/2009 - 8:47pm - Posted by: Fleadog
True? New moniker and style of writing but same harsh, abrasive words. DCASOBH!
Aaron Van Beurden
Sheridan
Fri, 07/24/2009 - 7:32pm - Posted by: darth_r8r
lol @ darth paperman..original
Thu, 07/23/2009 - 4:43pm - Posted by: Fleadog
Chew on this, Darth Paperman.
Aaron Van Beurden
Sheridan
Thu, 07/23/2009 - 11:27am - Posted by: darth_r8r
Yes..lets all be thankful and remember this..cheers
Thu, 07/23/2009 - 9:16am - Posted by: Mike R
Yes, it seems a ball was dropped on the helmet issue and the child should be wearing it for safety.
However, Dad, don't respond to that fool of a commenter named darth. He is rude and goes around making hateful comments in almost every story. Don't let him upset you, he's a jealous angry person. Go around to the other stories, his ugly words are all over them. Ignore them and just use a helmet next time and let's be thankful there were no injuries.
Thu, 07/23/2009 - 3:41am - Posted by: Fleadog
I hate to say it but I gotta go with the "Cheers" guy. Kid driving dragon car, helmet. Kid watching to the right, helmet. Never mind what Dad says, the race officials should have required the helmet or no racing. Alot of adults to share the blame for lack of safety I would think. It does look fun though.
Aaron Van Beurden
Sheridan
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 10:41pm - Posted by: darth_r8r
Ive never had to wear a helmet unless I was riding a motorcycle..but I will tell u this..oregon State Law requires kids under 18yrs of age to wear a helmet..why is this any different...SAFETY FIRST..USE YOUR HEAD !!..had these kids done this in a different situation..they would have had to wear a helmet..r u seriously kidding me?...u r gonna let your child navigate this 80-100lb free rolling THING with NO HELMET?...damn need I say more?..SERIOUSLY?..and you say his helmet is at home?...hes not in a SAND BOX...what if that soap box car flips over and LIL JOHNNYS head gets crushed?....u should be looked @ by CPS..btw I dont Jog..and If I did i would wear a reflective jacket AND a HELMET thats a fact..look i Dont give a rats ass if you jog but u should make sure your child is protected..and jogging is different @ least u r making sure your child is going where he needs to go and you r part of it..r u in the soap box car when LIL Johnny is navagating the way?..I THINK NOT..Cheers
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 8:37pm - Posted by: his dad
His helmet was at home. Have you ever seen this race? He can nearly run faster than these cars and I don't make him wear a helmet when he's running around playing.
Do you wear a helmet when you go for a jog? Should you be required to?
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 7:40pm - Posted by: Nancy J
Congrats little man! Be proud!
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 3:29pm - Posted by: darth_r8r
3 yrs in a row?...someone should test this kid for Steroids / HGH...btw where is the kids helmet in this picture?..I just read where some kid crashed into a bale of hay..i would think it has to be a requirement that these kids MUST wear helmets..controlled environment or not. Not very smart on the adults part.