A clean victory
Williamson cleans up at Soap Box Derby
By MICHAEL AMES
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Eric Williamson, 10, of Hailey has raced his soap box derby car in two towns, in two states in two time zones and though he is not the national champion, he is looking forward to carrying on his legacy as Idaho?s best derby racer.
Along with his father, Chuck, Williamson worked on fine tuning his derby car since early May, when he geared up for the Elkhorn Derby race May 15-16?Idaho?s only such event.
After that all-day event, raced on the country?s only two-turn derby course, Williamson came out on top and earned the right to travel to Akron, Ohio to represent not only the Wood River Valley Soap Box Derby Association, but also the state of Idaho.
The 67th running of the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships took place July 26-31 at Derby Downs in Akron. And Eric Williamson was there.
Williamson?s car was donated by the Blaine County Sheriff Dept. and its Police Activities League or DARE/PAL program. Williamson?s was the first DARE/PAL car to win the Elkhorn event in the five years it has been raced. In the past, homebuilt kits have prevailed.
In Akron, Williamson raced in the Super-Stock class; the weight of car and driver in the class doesn?t exceed 230 lbs. Though he was eliminated in the early going, Williamson looks forward to returning next year, but hopefully with more teammates after ?everybody tries it out.?
The Wood River Valley SBD Assoc., directed by Rick Dressell of Hailey, holds races each spring for children ages 8-16.
The Elkhorn race, with its unusual two turns, is one of the most challenging courses in the country. With more racers in the coming years, hopefully Wil-liamson?s dreams will come true and he will earn a return trip to Akron, this time with Idaho teammates by his side.
For more information on Soap Box derby racing in the valley, contact Dressell at 788-6423.
