Soaped Up

Hitting the Wall at the Red Bull Soapbox Race

by Lori Hill

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We're guessing Patrick McCann never dreamed he'd be piloting a pastry. But that's just how it turned out for the Temple broadcasting student, who will get behind the wheel of a Butterscotch Krimpet this weekend in Manayunk. In order to compete in the Red Bull Soapbox Race, McCann's team, The Baker's Men, has been designing and building a car in the shape of the Tastykake treat. "I wanted to do something Philly-based, but I knew somebody was going to do a cheesesteak, and someone was going to do the Eagles," says McCann of his decision. "And Krimpets are the most aerodynamic of the Tastykakes."

The soapbox car is perhaps the greenest vehicle on the market. Gravity is its fuel — supplemented, some might say, with a fair dose of insanity. There are no motors, no batteries, just pure adrenaline assisted by a steep hill. For its first Philly race, Red Bull found a doozy in the Manayunk Wall, a terrifying stretch of downhill zoom otherwise only tackled by even crazier cyclists.

Red Bull, famous for overcaffeinating teenagers as well its Flugtag makeshift-airplane contests, started the soapbox races in 2006 and has organized them all over the world. Judged on speed, creativity and showmanship, teams are asked to create cars with specific guidelines

Academy of Natural Sciences: Family Four-Pack of Tickets | Mango Moon | Prive | Bliss | Raw Dawgs Saloon | Cream and Sugar | S & H Kebab House | Cafe Nola | Copabanana | Hollywood Tans: $50 for $25

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Pop culture references abound in the Manayunk race, from Jiffy Pop to Scooby-Doo to the Ambiguously Gay Duo. And of course, there are homages to local culture: the aforementioned cheesesteaks and Eagles, and an Amish-style horse-and-buggy construction. Among the Philly-area teams competing, designs include the DeLorean, the Ecto-1 and a flower box driven by garden gnomes. Making no secret of their People's Choice Award hopes is Philly Pride. They've managed to incorporate every city chestnut imaginable into their design: the Art Museum steps, the Liberty Bell, the Love sculpture, hubcaps bearing team logos, and, yes, the Mummers. Other entries include Big Bertha (a pregnant woman about to give birth — we'll let you guess where the driver's head is), Gotta Go! (a port-a-potty), and a car in the shape of a roller skate. (Check out all the competitors' sketches at redbullsoapboxusa.com.)

An e-mail snafu left La Salle student Patrick Dougherty thinking Red Bull had rejected his Cool Runnings-inspired design. Then he saw his sketch on the Web site in early July, and decided he'd better get cracking. He quickly enlisted his uncle, a carpenter, to help and within 48 hours started to build. He and the rest of the team, Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Rhyme, have been toiling in the shop ever since and preparing their Jamaican bobsled craft and skit. Dougherty says it was a combination of the movie's backstory and the Olympics that sparked the idea. Plus, "bobsleds are sick-aerodynamic."

Design prowess aside, will anything curb the drivers' fears when confronted with The Wall? McCann, for his part, hasn't even seen the route yet. Maybe the less he knows, the better.

Red Bull Soapbox Race Sat., Sept. 6, gates open at 11 a.m., first race starts at 1 p.m., free, Lyceum Ave., Manayunk, redbullsoapboxusa.com