Teams

Don't Drop The Soap

Garage Headquarters: Littleton, CO

Driver: Matt Somerville

Mechanics: Nick Renecle, Dan Frost, Adam McGuckin, Alex Dill

Nuts and Bolts:

Thinking outside the box is so overrated. When Alex Dill, Dan Frost, Adam McGuckin, Nick Renecle, and Matt Somerville needed to come up with a soapbox design, they didn’t waste time brainstorming crazy ideas. They simply took the name of the contest literally and got to work creating a soapbox racer that looks like a box of soap. (Irish Spring, to be specific.)

The teammates, who range in age from 22 to 29, are as straightforward as their vehicle. They all pay the rent by working at the Sports Authority in Littleton, Colorado, where they ring up purchases, manage the warehouse, and generally help people get the gear they need. Meanwhile, Alex is finishing paramedic school, Matt is studying to become a physiotherapist, and Nick is enrolled at Arapahoe Community College. (Dan and Adam are already graduates – they both attended the Art Institute of Colorado.) “The Soapbox Race gives us average guys a chance to become entertainers for a day,” says Nick, the team’s captain, “and, of course, to fly down a hill at break-neck speed.” Originally from South Africa, Nick was a spectator at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Durban a couple of years ago (“a blast”), and he claims that his team is all lathered up about participating at Red Rocks Park, noting, “We really appreciate the opportunity to act like a bunch of 12-year-olds.”