Please help yourself to any of the resources provided here. This is where we will place any photos and timing results during the course of the year.
Mike has been doing the soapbox with Meadowbank school for 6 years now and new team manager Holly is just starting out. Mike has been involved in lots of race type events mostly motorcycles and we use some of the lessons from the track when teaching the kids.
Q. When is the Derby this year.
A. This year (2017) the Eastern event is on at Sunday 2nd April 2017.
The Eastern event usually starts early in the morning 8am and last till about 4pm. It is hosted at Stonefields along Stonefields Ave . On the Sunday we have to share the venue with other events that take place in the National Netball Centre so it can get a bit busy.
During our preparation we may attend some of the other local events and will let everyone involved know if that is going to happen closer to the time.
Q.Where else can I find resources about the Derbys
A. There are a lot of websites about the soapbox derby. In NZ the Rotary organise and host and sponsor much of the event (THANKS ROTARY!!). They host www.soapboxderby.co.nz and the international pages are at www.aasbd.org , http://aaraceweek.com/
There is plenty of footage on youtube and of course we will be adding to the information we have here over the year.
Q.What are the goals of the Meadowbank Soapbox Derby Team?
A.The primary aim is to teach kids about racing in a soapbox derby and to provide an insight into all of the things involved in making a soapbox derby car go fast.
We also hope to encourage parents and kids to spend quality time together and participate in a competitive race team. Most of all this is a chance to also have a lot of FUN!
Q.What is a soapbox Derby Car
A.Soapbox cars are different to other trolley's such as the Redbull trolley competitions. They are designed primarily to go fast!!They are very Aerodynamic and have many settings to help them get down a hill as fast as possible. The biggest influence is of course the driver.
Q.How fast do the cars go?
A.It depends on the hill and the driver.We start slower with the kids and then move up to a faster practice track as the year progresses. The first runs at Purewa are @ around 30-35kmh with those speeds getting up to @ 40-45kmh with weights and using the ramp.
On the faster practice tracks later in the year the trolley could get up to speeds of @ 60kmh for the faster drivers.
Q.Does everyone get to drive
A.Yes..if they want to. During the Area competitions we have to put forward our 4 fastest drivers and they race. All the other members in the team are pit crew, and are very busy during the day. The 6 fastest drivers from the area competition goes onto the National competition if we make it that far. During the training sessions on Sundays everyone gets an equal chance to drive as much as time allows.
Q.When do we train?
A.We train on Sundays at 7.00 am at the pre selected training location. Usually this is sent out via email or tweets during the week.
Q.Where do we train?
A.We currently are training outside school and will move on to One Tree Hill and parts of the Ellerslie Racecourse at appropriate times.
Q.When are the Area Competitions
A. The area competitions are normally around mid to late March. The dates for all of the Area meetings are here http://www.rotarywaitakere.org.nz/our-fundraisers/soapbox-derby-2014
Q.When are the Nationals
A. The Nationals this year are on Sunday 9th April 2017 at Whangaparoa.
Q.Can the drivers crash?
A. Yep. We have helmets for them and lots of instruction on how to stay safe but ultimately it is up to them to stay on the road.
Q.What safety gear do they need?
A. We supply helmets and a soapbox car but the drivers will need some personal safety equipment.
Drivers will however require..Shoes, Long trousers, Long sleeved shirt, Sun glasses (close fitting), their own helmet for practice, and a mouth guard (optional but recommended).
Q.What other roles are needed on the Team
A.We have roles in the team for Pit crew (mechanical) video crew (Promo and documentary) and timers (electronics,radio and IT).
Q.What does tuning the car mean
A.The finer details involved in tuning the car are included in the Tech folder in the resources section. There are a lot of concepts and we tend to only train the basics. (some concepts are just a bit to much for primary school age) We do however train the kids on how to fully disassemble and reassemble the car, in fact this is a basic requirement for the drivers to be able to race.
Q.What is the launch Ramp for?
A.Simply to get the kids used to the launch system used during the area and national competitions. It basically makes the car go faster. we discuss potential energy and where the best weight positions are with the drivers.
Q.What are the weights for and how do they make the car faster?
A.The weights are used to increase the amount of potential energy that is able to be converted into kinetic energy (aka speed) We weigh the kids and weight the car so everyone is driving with the same amount of total weight on board. The total weight currently allowed is 108kg.
Q.Why all the timing fuss?
A.That is how we measure speed, and performance. All going well everyone will have a personal time that they are aiming to improve.
Q.What happens if we win?
A.The derby is surprisingly entertaining for everyone. If we win the Nationals the driver and their support person goes to Akron Ohio for the International derby. This is sponsored by Rotary NZ.
Q.What's with the Math/Physics/Engineering hoohar?
A.It's not all just about driving the Derby car and hoping it wins. We are trying to help the kids understand what forces are at play and how they can be used to make a derby car go faster. We also show race lines and racing positions and help the kids deal with the challenges of speed.
Q.Why do we the parents need to be involved?
A.Because we need your help. We need help driving shuttles, Loading cars, helping with safety, encouraging the kids, helping with coordination, and providing masses of praise for effort.
Q.How much does it cost?
A.Basically nothing except for your time. The car is provided by Rotary and we use sponsors to fund the entry fee to the competition ($1000). while there may be some costs at the end of the year for a small celebration (usually a go-carting afternoon) and awards contribution we are lucky enough that all that is required is participation.
Mike has been doing the soapbox with Meadowbank school for 6 years now and new team manager Holly is just starting out. Mike has been involved in lots of race type events mostly motorcycles and we use some of the lessons from the track when teaching the kids.
Q. When is the Derby this year.
A. This year (2017) the Eastern event is on at Sunday 2nd April 2017.
The Eastern event usually starts early in the morning 8am and last till about 4pm. It is hosted at Stonefields along Stonefields Ave . On the Sunday we have to share the venue with other events that take place in the National Netball Centre so it can get a bit busy.
During our preparation we may attend some of the other local events and will let everyone involved know if that is going to happen closer to the time.
Q.Where else can I find resources about the Derbys
A. There are a lot of websites about the soapbox derby. In NZ the Rotary organise and host and sponsor much of the event (THANKS ROTARY!!). They host www.soapboxderby.co.nz and the international pages are at www.aasbd.org , http://aaraceweek.com/
There is plenty of footage on youtube and of course we will be adding to the information we have here over the year.
Q.What are the goals of the Meadowbank Soapbox Derby Team?
A.The primary aim is to teach kids about racing in a soapbox derby and to provide an insight into all of the things involved in making a soapbox derby car go fast.
We also hope to encourage parents and kids to spend quality time together and participate in a competitive race team. Most of all this is a chance to also have a lot of FUN!
Q.What is a soapbox Derby Car
A.Soapbox cars are different to other trolley's such as the Redbull trolley competitions. They are designed primarily to go fast!!They are very Aerodynamic and have many settings to help them get down a hill as fast as possible. The biggest influence is of course the driver.
Q.How fast do the cars go?
A.It depends on the hill and the driver.We start slower with the kids and then move up to a faster practice track as the year progresses. The first runs at Purewa are @ around 30-35kmh with those speeds getting up to @ 40-45kmh with weights and using the ramp.
On the faster practice tracks later in the year the trolley could get up to speeds of @ 60kmh for the faster drivers.
Q.Does everyone get to drive
A.Yes..if they want to. During the Area competitions we have to put forward our 4 fastest drivers and they race. All the other members in the team are pit crew, and are very busy during the day. The 6 fastest drivers from the area competition goes onto the National competition if we make it that far. During the training sessions on Sundays everyone gets an equal chance to drive as much as time allows.
Q.When do we train?
A.We train on Sundays at 7.00 am at the pre selected training location. Usually this is sent out via email or tweets during the week.
Q.Where do we train?
A.We currently are training outside school and will move on to One Tree Hill and parts of the Ellerslie Racecourse at appropriate times.
Q.When are the Area Competitions
A. The area competitions are normally around mid to late March. The dates for all of the Area meetings are here http://www.rotarywaitakere.org.nz/our-fundraisers/soapbox-derby-2014
Q.When are the Nationals
A. The Nationals this year are on Sunday 9th April 2017 at Whangaparoa.
Q.Can the drivers crash?
A. Yep. We have helmets for them and lots of instruction on how to stay safe but ultimately it is up to them to stay on the road.
Q.What safety gear do they need?
A. We supply helmets and a soapbox car but the drivers will need some personal safety equipment.
Drivers will however require..Shoes, Long trousers, Long sleeved shirt, Sun glasses (close fitting), their own helmet for practice, and a mouth guard (optional but recommended).
Q.What other roles are needed on the Team
A.We have roles in the team for Pit crew (mechanical) video crew (Promo and documentary) and timers (electronics,radio and IT).
Q.What does tuning the car mean
A.The finer details involved in tuning the car are included in the Tech folder in the resources section. There are a lot of concepts and we tend to only train the basics. (some concepts are just a bit to much for primary school age) We do however train the kids on how to fully disassemble and reassemble the car, in fact this is a basic requirement for the drivers to be able to race.
Q.What is the launch Ramp for?
A.Simply to get the kids used to the launch system used during the area and national competitions. It basically makes the car go faster. we discuss potential energy and where the best weight positions are with the drivers.
Q.What are the weights for and how do they make the car faster?
A.The weights are used to increase the amount of potential energy that is able to be converted into kinetic energy (aka speed) We weigh the kids and weight the car so everyone is driving with the same amount of total weight on board. The total weight currently allowed is 108kg.
Q.Why all the timing fuss?
A.That is how we measure speed, and performance. All going well everyone will have a personal time that they are aiming to improve.
Q.What happens if we win?
A.The derby is surprisingly entertaining for everyone. If we win the Nationals the driver and their support person goes to Akron Ohio for the International derby. This is sponsored by Rotary NZ.
Q.What's with the Math/Physics/Engineering hoohar?
A.It's not all just about driving the Derby car and hoping it wins. We are trying to help the kids understand what forces are at play and how they can be used to make a derby car go faster. We also show race lines and racing positions and help the kids deal with the challenges of speed.
Q.Why do we the parents need to be involved?
A.Because we need your help. We need help driving shuttles, Loading cars, helping with safety, encouraging the kids, helping with coordination, and providing masses of praise for effort.
Q.How much does it cost?
A.Basically nothing except for your time. The car is provided by Rotary and we use sponsors to fund the entry fee to the competition ($1000). while there may be some costs at the end of the year for a small celebration (usually a go-carting afternoon) and awards contribution we are lucky enough that all that is required is participation.