Teams

Man's Best Friend

Garage Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA

Driver: Frank Sake

Mechanics: Keith Allison, Todd Schulberger, Matt Everitt

Nuts and Bolts:

“We all graduated from Quakertown High School in 1998, where we grew close in the intense atmosphere of the Glee Club,” confides Frank Sake, captain of the Man’s Best Friend entry. “Now we plan to take our competitors to school – not only in speed, but mostly in style.” As a part-time model (as well as a youth counselor), Frank knows something about style, and his teammates won’t let him live it down. Not only have they nicknamed him “Zoolander,” but they’ve elected him to pilot their soapbox racer, which depicts a dog peeing on a fire hydrant…and, by extension, on Frank.

“While drifting through the streets of Manayunk, we stumbled upon a dog urinating on a fire hydrant. We immediately studied film from previous races and didn’t see any designs that included fire hydrants and dogs,” says Keith Allison, a safety engineer by trade. Graphic designer Matt Everitt chimes in, “We also always wanted a dog to urinate on Frank, and this is the closest we can get.” The team’s vehicle will be made up of two bicycles enclosed by industrial cardboard and wood. Todd Schulberger, a salesman who rounds out the team, shares, “The dog will probably be a stuffed animal, and the fire hydrant will probably be cardboard and Frank.” Their long-suffering driver advises, “Just be prepared to laugh, and maybe be a little embarrassed for us.”