Teams

BAR BOX

Garage Headquarters: Washington University in St. Louis, MO

Driver: Jeff Roizen

Mechanics: Ben Kolber, Karen Lawrence, Mena Morales, Chrissy Rataczak

Nuts and Bolts:

There will be three teams representing Washington University at Red Bull Soapbox Race. But "Barbox" is the only entry from the St. Louis institution that includes women in its lineup. "We're co-ed, and we're scientists," notes Jeff Roizen, the group's driver. "But we still live hard." The crew's academic background breaks down like this: Ben Kolber, Karen Lawrence, and Mena Morales study neuroscience, while Roizen and Chrissy Rataczak specialize in cell biology. Are these scientific studies applicable to transforming a riding lawnmower, a few bicycle parts, some wheelchair wheels, and random scrap metal into a viable racer? Not so much. It looks like Team Barbox is going to have to rely on the resourcefulness they've acquired in living hard.

That, the teammates assert, is no problem. Kolber, for example, is the "cruise director" for his neuroscience class this year, organizing and hosting social activities and instigating a float trip, as well as participation in the Central West End Pub Crawl. Roizen worked as a vendor at Wrigley Field for four summers and is legendary for inventing the revolutionary call "ice-cold peanuts." Lawrence has a passion to push the envelope deep in her veins: she's a direct descendent of Wilbur Wright. And the only thing the entire quintet would like better than hanging out together would be to win together.