Date with the derby a father and son affair
Father and son Tony and Jaxson Page are taking the men’s wellness message seriously as they gear up for tomorrow’s TiMOru Soapbox Derby.
Tony, a welder by trade, and Jaxson, 15, a Waimate High School student, have spent hours together in the family shed building their soapbox racer named ‘‘RamPage’’, which is loosely based on a 1932 Ford Roadster.
‘‘Some people told me years ago that the best thing you can give your children is time and I think that’s important,’’ Tony Page said.
‘‘When we are working together, Jaxson will ask me questions and talk about life.’’
The event, which was originally held in the 1980s was revived in 2017 when fundraising group TiMOru brought it back in aid of Movember – an annual campaign focusing on men’s health during November.
One of the event’s key objectives is to get people together, building carts, relationships and support networks.
Jaxson said he enjoyed spending time with his father building the racer.
‘‘I’m feeling confident, it should be really good,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s no fear.’’
Jaxson will be in the pilot’s seat when the ramps come out and the jumps happen during the open event.
His older brother Damon and uncle Terry Page along with Tony, will be on hand to lend support and give him a push.
‘‘It’s about having a good chassis, that’s about it,’’ Tony said.
He welded the steel frame and Jaxson built the body and mags from custom wood.
‘‘We’ve test driven it up to 100kmh, being towed by a car and it was fine,’’ Tony said.
In terms of the budget, it had not cost much to build. ‘‘I think the dearest part was the paint and tape.’’
Crowds are expected to converge on George St, Timaru, from 9am tomorrow.