MeInMaine Blog

Tag: houlton maine soap box derby

  • Maine State Soap Box Derby Race 2024

    Maine State Soap Box Derby Race 2024

    Maine State Soap Box Derby Race 2024.

    Since 1996, every June the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby Race runs in the town of Houlton ME. This blog post is about this past weekend’s June 22nd 2024 race and with a little Maine soap box derby rich history mixed in for good measure.

    maine soap box derby
    Drivers Ready? Checked Your Brakes? Win Pins In? Helmet Feel Right? 3, 2, 1….(Metal Release Sound)

    The Houlton Maine / Aroostook County soap box derby race run in Houlton Maine was largest local in the entire nation for five years in a row.

    And the Northern Maine race is one and only venue for the state race held each June. To determine a winner in stock, superstock and sometimes master soap box derby race divisions. At one time, Maine had five local races held in Bangor / Brewer, Camden, Houlton, Rumford, South Portland.

    The top derby racers in each division class go on from Maine to represent the state out in the All America Soap Box Derby 3 lane track in Akron, Ohio.

    The big world series of soap box derby racing tradition started back in 1934.

    Maine Soap Box Derby Winner Akron Ohio
    Maine Soap Box Derby Racers Do Well Competing In Akron Ohio All American Race!

    With perfect sunshine summer weather, the 34 derby racers gathered to race on Derby Hill.

    This year’s derby race fielded 24 stock and 10 super stock racers. This specially engineered soap box derby racing hill constructed in Community Park in Houlton Maine makes set up and tear down a breeze.

    soap box derby track houlton maine
    Houlton Maine’s Derby Hill In Community Park! The Thrill Of The Hill in Northern Maine Happens Each June!

     

    all american soap box derby logo
    The World Series Of Soap Box Derby Racing Happens In Akron Ohio. Since 1934, Kids Compete In Local Races To Go On To Akron’s Big Race.

    Derby Hill has a garage storage building perched on top courtesy of the Houlton Rotary Club.

    The aviation grade pavement put down on the two lane soap box derby race track has lights, guardrails and is over 900′ long.

    One neat slick efficient hill to race on and no more setting up and tear down to make a public street your soap box derby course to compete.

    A paved derby side run keeps the supply of soap box derby cars steady. Specially built derby trailers are loaded with empty cars on back. Their car drivers riding in the front tow vehicles pulling these loaded soap box derby trailers.

    maine soap box derby race
    Helping Young Soap Box Derby Drivers, It Takes A Village, Your Family, Sponsors.

    Watch this year’s Maine soap box derby race highlights Facebook video.

    The stock derby car class winner this year was Aiden Cyr. Super stock derby car winner was Addyson Lynds. For more on the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby history, check out the images and information here. Visit the Northern Maine soap box derby website.

    soap box derby winners houlton maine
    Stock Racer Aiden Cyr And Super Stock Racer Addyson Lynds Win Houlton Maine Soap Box Derby 2024 Race!

    Always looking for new Maine soap box derby racers to catch the fever.

    Derby race, car sponsors and family support to help new drivers learn the “Thrill of the Hill” in Houlton Maine. Those folks all come together to create the small Maine town friendly, fair soap box derby racing experience for our youth.

    all repaired soap box derby race car
    Ready To Race After Loosing A Wheel Pin Cotter Key. No One Hurt, Safety First.

    Love to talk “derby” and figure why should a kid wait until they are sixteen to drive a car?

    Neat racing event and your entire family is involved in soap box derby. Each child can compete along with their big or little brother and sister. Lots learned about gravity, science of engineering, safety and competing fair and square on Derby Hill in Community Park, Houlton Maine.

    Since 1996, have been involved in the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby Racing program.

    Have helped lots of derby racers, including two of my own kids make the trip west to compete in the All American big race in Akron Ohio.

    houlton maine soap box derby
    Gather Round The Soap Box Derby Racing Exam Table. Like A Field Hospital For Repairs And Therapy.

    Maine soap box derby racing in Houlton Maine. Reach out, here for questions about everything soap box derby. The Northern ME soap box derby committee puts on the big state of Maine race event each June.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573  |  info@mooersrealty.com   | 

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730

  • Soap Box Derby Racing In Houlton ME

    Soap Box Derby Racing In Houlton ME

    Soap box derby racing in Houlton ME.

    June 24th, 2023 is the race date for the 27th running of the soap box derby race in Houlton ME. Today, if you want to derby race in Maine, “Derby Hill” in Houlton ME is the one state site for gravity racing. Once upon a time, there were five local derby racing site locals in Maine. The Northern Maine soap box derby built a two lane racing hill.

    I think the big reason Houlton ME survived the one by one closure of the other four local Maine soap box derby programs.

    amanda mooers maine soap box derby winner
    The Road To Race In Akron Ohio’s All America Downhill Event. First You Have To Win A Local.

    The Soap Box Derby youth car racing program began back in 1933. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio.

    Un-powered cars bit from a kit compete using only gravity for fuel. Kids between 7 to 20 years of age are eligible to race in the All American soap box derby program.

    Getting a car sponsor or buying a derby car to assemble is part of the education.

    Workers to set up a hill, tear it down after a derby race is one of the biggest cost in manpower and logistics. Someone needs to be on the top of the hill to load cars into the gates. To launch each heat from “Topside”.

    Other individuals at the bottom of the race course to help pull cotter pins, rotate wheels, load cars on trailers to head back to the top of the hill.

    To keep racers with their cars for quick pairing.

    So the day is no longer than it has to be to determine your winners in each division.

    So we can move on to have the big soap box derby party and lots to eat. While watching the awards presentation after all the fun winds up in this year’s local Maine soap box derby race.

    Timing the lane heats to determine who advances up the soap box derby racing brackets.

    Lots of jobs for volunteers to fill year after year. Weather is always an unknown but heck, we live in Maine. Get lots of different types of weather to work around all year long.

    Our Houlton Maine derby racing program trains drivers and their support teams to expect blistering hot, pouring rain, maybe even snow and gusty wind conditions on the track.

    If you live in Maine, if you want to sponsor a soap box derby car, visit this link for the costs involved buying a stock racer. For larger, older racers, this is the link for buying a super stock derby car.

    Soap Box Derby Race Cars
    All Colors, Styles Of Graphics Make Each Soap Box Derby Car Unique Like Their Drivers.

    There is a master division to keep the interest of the oldest derby racers.

    I helped one of my four kids who all soap box derby raced and can attest from experience. It takes way more than 30 hours to build a masters kit car. Here’s the link to the newest version to buy a soap box derby master kit car.

    soap box derby racing houlton me
    We Have A Green Light On Derby Hill! Heat 109, Drivers Ready..

    There are lots of existing soap box derby cars around the state of Maine.

    You see them for free and wearing layers of thick dust and rust from laying around the back or up over head a Maine garage.

    Sometimes you see them in sell swap trade guides. A Maine stock or super stock soap box derby car will be mingled in among the list of for sale item bargains. Most seem to be free to a good home.

    The only problem with old derby race cars is having to update floor boards, making sure the axles or other parts are not outdated.

    There is time, expense, dedication and a lot of gravity aerodynamic science that goes into building or maintaining a soap box derby car.

    Kids grow up and learn to drive real cars out into the big wild World. But they never forget what an allen wrench is for or an lock washer. How to adjust weights, tighten a steering cable or change a brake pad.

    The derby race cars that impress me the most are not the ones where one sponsor or someone’s parent bought the kit out of pocket.

    But rather the derby race cars passed down with many sponsors each contributing the money to buy them, splitting the cost of paint, updates, helmets, new brake pads, graphics, etc.

    Rather than read read read, let’s watch a couple Maine soap box derby race program videos.

    It’s all downhill, gravity racing where weight, alignment is your “engine” with the trick to get from top to bottom quicker than the other lane driver.

    Thank you for helping spread the word on the state of Maine soap box derby race held in Houlton ME’s on Derby Hill.

    The Houlton Maine local derby race was the largest five years in a row. It takes 66 volunteers, around 200 derby race car drivers. Lots of car sponsors, program advertisers to pull off that kind of accomplishment! Kids are king and queen and the whole village raises the youngsters in rural small town Maine! That’s why year after year, Maine soap box derby has kept rolling in “The County”, in “Vacationland”.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 |  info@mooersrealty.com  |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA