Teams

Power Packed

Garage Headquarters: The Woodlands, TX

Driver: Koby Brand

Mechanics: Peter Van Dongen, Anthony Tortorice, Richie Rankel

Nuts and Bolts:

There have been some strange sightings in the Houston area lately. Rumor has it that four men have been seen towing a replica of the Space Shuttle behind a car. Their usual pattern is to cruise a street for several blocks, stop, confer intently, make adjustments to the “Shuttle,” and begin all over again. Occasionally a teenager will approach and can be heard to mutter phrases like, “Dad, you’re embarrassing me.” What can it mean?

It means that Koby Brand, Richie Rankel, Anthony Tortorice, and Peter Van Dongen – solid middle-class, almost middle-aged citizens – have decided to compete in Red Bull Soapbox Race Denver. “Since we’re from the Houston area, we felt we should honor NASA and our space program,” explains Koby, a financial consultant who is the team’s driver. “But since we’re building a downhill soapbox racing car in a city that has NO hills, when it comes to testing, we have to improvise.” The teammates, who also include an engineer (Peter), a U.S. Air Force tech sergeant (Richie), and a search-and-rescue task force member and retired fire captain (Anthony), became fast friends at their church, the Champion Life Centre. “We may be older, more out of shape, and possibly uglier than our competitors; but with age comes wisdom, so we think we can out-smart our younger competition,” Koby reasons. “More importantly, we’ll use prayer to propel us to victory!”