Derby days
Father’s Day tradition about family as much as trophies
Good, clean fun at neighbourhood’s annual soap box derby competition
WATERLOO — There was high drama on the racetrack in Waterloo Saturday, of the kind usually reserved for places like Daytona or Indianapolis.
A blown tire. An overzealous fan who ran onto the course during a practice run. A high-speed crash into the tire barriers — which left racer Tyler MacTavish and vehicle relatively unscathed, prompting his relieved shout of “It survived!”
Now for a bit of clarification. The track was actually a gently-sloping stretch of Middlebury Drive in Waterloo, the cars an assortment of homemade soap box derby racers not really going all that quickly. Oh, and that overzealous fan? A curious neighbourhood cat living fast and loose with one of his nine lives.
It’s not quite the big leagues, but the annual Westvale Community Association soap box derby was at least as much fun.
The event, a Father’s Day weekend tradition since 2000, drew a handful of competitors and a bunch of spectators to the closed-off road. Watching over it all was lead organizer David Britton, who’s also treasurer for the association.
“We’re just happy to see anybody out,” he smiled. “We never know how many racers we’re going to get.”
There’s been a dozen in crowded fields in the past. On Saturday, a few young participants took turns piloting at least three different soap box racers down the street on solo practice runs.
The rules are pretty straightforward. You need a helmet and working brakes. Wheels need to be made of rubber, not plastic, which tends to skid. Parents are on hand to sign liability waivers.
While there are official soap box derby associations and events, this is not one of them. “We have no aspirations,” Britton said. “This is very much the junior ranks.”
But there are still prizes to be won, thanks to local sponsors, and a trophy to be claimed. Executive members of the association and other volunteers are on hand to keep things running smoothly; donations were collected for association events like next weekend’s fun fair and fireworks.
There was a flurry of activity in the pits/someone’s driveway as father Joel Corbeil and others in the pit crew worked to replace his son David’s blown tire.
“Going down, I might have hit something and the tire popped, right at the end,” said David, 12, in a trackside interview. “They’re patching it right now.”
This is the second year he’s raced here, coming in fourth place last time. “Me and my dad built it,” he said. “It was a fun project.”
MacTavish — the speedster brought to a halt by the row of tires strung across the road past the finish line — was at the wheel of a racer that could accommodate up to three people. Lending their first initials to the cleverly named “TVO on the Go” racer, it was built by Tyler, friend Vithushan Kumanan and Tyler’s brother, Owen — with assistance from mom Carolyn MacTavish.
Up at the starting line stood veteran racer Jesse Williams, 10, a participant here since the age of six. “We’ve been changing it. This is actually one of the best designs,” he said. “I think it’s enjoyable to do fun things on the weekend. I also got to spend a lot of time with my dad building it. It’s fun.”
Phillip Williams looked on, ready to give his son another firm push to get him going on a trial run. “They get so excited,” he said. “The kids just love getting out. It’s something that you don’t see a lot of places.”