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Excitement was in the air on Friday evening as kids of all ages sped down 4th Avenue at the second annual Soap Box Derby sponsored by Cariboo GM and the Horsepower Hooligans.

There were tough-looking replica Jeeps, unibody hot rods decorated with flames and covered with sponsor stickers, while the main body of some of the racers consisted of a slightly modified wheel barrow. Some soaps were constructed of nothing but plywood -- including the steering wheel, and had a hockey stick for a brake handle. The thing they all had in common was that they brought smiles to their occupants, as well as the large crowd of spectators.

The racers, fuelled by creativity and competitive fun, began atop Barnard Street, picked up speed as they battled for the checkered flag at the bottom of the hill near Cariboo GM and were greeted by volunteers who helped them get stopped and turn around. More volunteers then towed the speedsters back up to the top of the hill with an ATV – all still part of the adventure for the drivers.

Each participant went home with a medal to commemorate the event, while the winners in each category received a custom-designed trophy. Westen Becker won the 50-60 pond class, Cameron Prest won the 65-85 pound class and Brett Melville took first in the 100 pound class. Eight year old Soloman Akeson and seven year old Maria Becker took home ‘hard luck’ trophies after both surviving crashes.

Jesse Galloway entered and won the ‘Mystery Machine’, a Horsepower Hooligan built a derby car specifically created to give away in a free raffle at this year’s event. “I’m going to practise a bit on smaller hills before I race it,” Jesse wisely decided. He explained that the only other thing he’d ever won was a hot chocolate by rolling up the rim, so this was a really big deal. His Mom, who was just as thrilled about the car as Jesse was, said she hoped he would be competing in next year’s race.

Lorne Doerksen was the emcee, and kept the races rolling back to back for the maximum spectator satisfaction. Volunteers from Cariboo GM served up burgers and served refreshments, and members of the Lakers Car Club were on site with their show cars on this warm and sunny evening.

There are already plans in the works for even more human-powered race cars to join the ranks next year.

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