NEWS!  NEWS!  NEWS!

• First, Kansas City Soap Box Derby has a NEW TRACK!  The asphalt is down.  The stripes are painted and the guardrail is going up.

• Second, to celebrate our new track we are holding an additional race on July 3rd & 4th and inviting all our friends to come try it out!

• Third, we have changed the date for our All-American Local Race to June 12th!

KC ALL-AMERICAN LOCAL RACE

JUNE 12TH

   The All-American Local Race on June 12th will be the first time soap box cars will race on our newly re-surfaced track.  Brady Pollington, executive assistant to Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, will perform the ribbon cutting ceremony prior to the race.  We also plan to have a celebrity race event.  Kansas City's All-American Local Race is the most important race of the year for area racers.  The winner in each division will represent Kansas City at the All-American World Championship Race in Akron, Ohio on July 24th.  Only cars from the Kansas City area can compete.  After the race, we will hold our Annual Awards Banquet the First Baptist Church of Raytown.  Each winner will receive a huge trophy and substantial prize money to help pay the cost of bringing his/her family to Akron for the week-long event.  Additionally, there will be prizes for the first through fourth places in each division. Everyone will receive a participation plaque and assorted goodies.  Special awards will be given for sportsmanship, driving, car decoration, and more.

   We need to know how many cars will be racing in each division before the race, so we are asking you to pre-register for this race.  The registration fee will be $35 per entrant and $25 for siblings.  You may pre-register by filling out the pre-registration form below and mailing it along with a check made out to the ‘KC Soap Box Derby’ to Jon Edwards, 14268 W 124th St, Olathe, KS 66062.  You may also turn in your registration during your inspection.

INSPECTIONS

Sat. June 5th - 10am to 5pm

Sun. June 6th - noon to 5pm

   Because the stakes are so high in this race every car must be thoroughly inspected beforehand.  This is to make sure each car is safe and conforms to All-American rules.

   NOTE: The inspector may use a wrench to turn both the front and rear axle kingpins to verify they turn freely.

   If you can't make it during the above times, you will need to make an appointment to have your car inspected during the week of June 7-11.  Contact Chief Inspector Steve Yonker (email: a_yonker@yahoo.com) or Derby Director Jon Edwards, 913-634-1221 (email: jonedw1967@aol.com).

   At the conclusion of the race, the Chief Inspector and the Derby Director will inspect the winning cars in the designated repair and inspection area.  This inspection may include removal of the front and rear axle kingpins and other inspection items at the discretion of the Derby Director and the Chief Inspector.

RACE PROCEDURES

· Arrive early--7:00 would be good, 7:30 at the latest. Come ready to race.  Align spindles, check weights and brake pads before the race.

· Pictures will be taken of each driver as well as a group picture of each division before the race--another reason why it's important to arrive early!

· In conformance with All-American rules, no tools, rags, lubricants, wax, abrasives, etc. will be allowed in the pit area once the race is underway.  Alterations of any kind, including changing tightness of components, polishing of spindles, or lubing of wheels will not be permitted at any time during the race.  Should a car be damaged or need emergency repairs or a new brake pad, you must notify the Derby Director (Jon Edwards) before starting repairs.  These repairs will take place in a designated area under the supervision of the Chief Inspector (Steve Yonker).

Awards Banquet

June 12th, 7pm (following the race)

First Baptist Church of Raytown

10500 350 Highway,

Raytown, MO  64138

SEE MAP

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5-16, race entrants free!

Participation plaques and Goody Bags for all!

 Special awards for:

Best Decoration

Best Steering

Sportsmanship

Rookie of the Year

FIRST ANNUAL COWTOWN SHOWDOWN

JULY 3RD & 4TH!

We will be holding our first annual Cowtown Showdown (NDR Rally) on July 3rd and 4th!  We want EVERYONE to come and try out our new track.  We will hold a double and single elimination race each day.  The registration fee for this race will be $35 per entrant and $25 for siblings.  However, if you register and pay by June 26th, the registration fee will be $30 per entrant and $20 for siblings.  (Click here for registration form.)  We will hold practice runs on Friday, July 2nd from 5:30 to dusk. 

A DREAM COME TRUE!

KCSBD TRACK RE-SURFACED

On May 5-7 we saw a dream come true at our soap box derby track at 4600 Eastern Ave.  The track was repaved!  Over the last few years over 30 significant horizontal cracks had opened up at various points down the track.  There was a large patch of crumbling pavement in Lane One.  Kids were reporting teeth-rattling and bone-jarring trips down the hill and some people were even refusing to come to our track altogether to avoid possible damage to their cars.  The KCSBD board discussed many options including moving the track to Blue Springs.  But over the last year it became clear that we should repave the existing track and we needed to repave it NOW!  The March Fundraiser provided just enough additional funds to do the job this spring.  So rather than holding two spring rallies, we opted to repave the track before the All-American Local Race. 

We received 3 bids from asphalt companies and we went with a company that was known by one of our members and reputed to be trustworthy--Thorne & Son Asphalt Paving.  The company began work almost immediately, On May 5th they covered the cracks with Petrotac and placed a layer of oil over the surface.  They also needed to mill off the area just past the starting ramps so there would be a smooth transition between the ramps and the new asphalt.  Unfortunately, the heavy milling equipment broke through the subsurface and they had to lay a new foundation before repaving.  The asphalt truck was too tall to fit under the bridge at the finish line so the asphalt had to be carted up to the top with front-loaders.  Thorne & Son were very careful to make sure that the pavement was as level as possible across the width of the track, so they actually had to build up the pavement in a lot of places especially at the edges.  They were able to repave the entire track and topside on May 6th.  On Friday, May 7th, they completed the job by striping the track and topside area.

There is still a lot of work to be done.  We need to get the guardrail back up (this is a little over half way done as of this writing) and replace the canopy over the scales.  If you can help, contact Bryan Stephens at 816-796-0536 or Jon Edwards at 913-634-1221 to find out when crews will be there.

The track has been at its current location since 1976.  It was resurfaced in 1995 and, believe it or not, the track was in much worse shape before that resurfacing.  This is the first time the topside has been resurfaced.

INTRODUCING KCSBD's NEW COWTOWN CAR....