Soap box derby will suds through Sharon July 25

SHARON — It looks like 2010 will be another good year for speed, Yankee ingenuity and fun as the second annual Sharon No Guts, No Glory Adult Soap Box Derby gets underway on Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m. The race benefits the Sharon Fire Department.

The race will be held on the steep downhill road that runs from Sharon Ridge to Veterans Field.

Skateboards aren’t allowed, but neither are soap box derby kit cars.Which means that, just like last year, there will be some very creative entries on the field.

Eugene Aakjar, the organizer of the event and a volunteer firefighter, said this year he estimates a minimum of 50 entries  — twice as many as last year’s field of 25 soap box racers.

And while last year’s event attracted an estimated 800 spectators, Aakjar is anticipating even more than that this year. Not only is the action exciting and enticing, he said, but “we’re keeping our prices low. There’s no charge to come watch, and it’s  also cheap to enter the race, only $25.

“Plus, we’ll be selling food, with nothing costing more than two dollars. We will have cheeseburgers, homemade onion rings and pulled pork sandwiches. You’re going to be seeing a pretty good race and you will be eating an excellent and inexpensive lunch.�

Aakjar said the race is being held in a perfect location and will give everyone, from spectators to racers, a unique experience.

“No one else in this area is doing this event,� he said. “The closest similar event is in Pennsylvania. Racers will be going down a fast hill with nice corners. Last year’s winner [Greg Kilmer from Sharon Mountain] is an electrician and he set a speed record of 43 mph. But you don’t need an engineering or construction degree to make your soap box work. Anybody can do this.�

Aakjar will be racing his own homemade vehicle on Saturday.

“I found parts in my father’s barn from a 1932 Roadster,� he said. “I took it all apart and reshaped it.�

Vintage book dealer and race enthusiast Darren Winston will be sponsoring Ray Aakjar’s car (Ray is the brother of Eugene).

Winston said the car was put together with a mishmash of materials.

“It’s composed of two 40-gallon plastic drums, back to back,� Winston said. “The nose and the rear are made out of barbecue grill lids. It has a steering wheel from an old Volkswagen and it will run on recycled tires.�

Winston, who also sponsored Ray Aakjar’s car in last year’s event, said he is very excited to be part of the race again.

But probably no one is more excited about this weekend than Eugene Aakjar.

“The crowd will see soap box cars and they will yell, ‘Oh my gosh! I can’t believe that’s coming down the road!’� Aakjar said. “In this race, the imagination is the limit. This year, we’ll stretch the imagination even further.�

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