Racers turn out for 2012 Soap Box Derby on Saturday

Friends and family gathered in front of Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau on Saturday to cheer their favorite 2012 Soap Box Derby driver as they cruised down Sprigg Street, which had been closed for the event.

Forty five drivers participated in this year's derby, which was sponsored by Cape Girardeau Rotary Club No. 2396 and Plaza Tire Service.

Derby cars, which are built from kits, are engine-less and are ridden down a street with an incline to the finish line. Children from 7 to 17 participate, provided they can fit into the car. There are two categories: the stock, which are cars with round noses, and the super stock, which are cars with a wedge nose. Each category has a weight maximum, 200 pounds for stock cars and 240 pounds for super stock cars. Since they are gravity propelled, the crews work hard to get as close to the maximum as possible to increase speed.

Everyone who participated in the race received a small trophy, a T-shirt and a helmet, with the first- through third-place winners also receiving larger trophies. The first-place winners in both divisions are also eligible to compete in the national event in Akron, Ohio, this summer.

Jeston Dewrock, 11, took first place for super stock last year and went on to the national event in July. He said his favorite part is the racing.

"It feels good, I want to go again," Dewrock said with a huge grin on his face. "I don't know how to explain it."

He and his pit crew spent three weeks sanding rust, polishing axles and adjusting steering to prepare for Saturday's race. This is his fourth year in the competition.

Amelia Shemonic, 9, from Chester, Ill., drove a white stock car with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon decal and pink peace sign. This was her second year competing.

"It's kinda scary. Goes really fast," Amelia said. "You have to hit your brakes really hard at the bottom of the hill so you don't hit the hay bales."

Amelia said she and her twin brother, Camdyn, 9, noticed some old stock derby cars at their grandmother's. The cars belonged to some relatives who used to race, and the children decided it was something they wanted to try.

"I like everything about it," Camdyn said. "It's fun and awesome. I'm going to keep racing until I'm 17."

It is a family affair said their mother, Dee. She said she calculates the weights, the children help put the cars together and their father, John, does the mechanics.

"It is a lot of fun," Dee

Shemonic said. "It is something we can all do together as a family."

Camdyn said he would tell anyone considering racing "You should. It's really fun."

Bob Montgomery, who won the race in 1948, recently returned to Cape Girardeau from Long Beach, Calif. He said he and his brother built their cars from scratch. From concept to race was one full year, the construction of the car taking six months with the rest of the year spent refining, fixing and making adjustments, Montgomery said.

"To drive a soap box derby car is a Norman Rockwell iconic experience," said Robin Cole, a member of the Rotary Club. "Life starts downhill from there."

Winners from this year's stock car race were: first place, Reyt Middleton; second place, Melinda Taullie; and third place, Gunnar Cox. In the super stock car category, winners were: first place, Brianne Randol; second place, Ally McHughs; and third place, Katelyn Rinehart.

Pertinent address:

1829 N. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO