Noah Krupp, an 8-year-old boy from Bellvue, will be racing a special soap box car on Saturday, June 29. Around two months ago, a group of people from the Carrousel in Mansfield found an old Soap Box Derby Car in the basement of the carrousel. The car was originally raced in 1993 by Devon M. Sayers, now a journalist for CNN in Atlanta, GA.
“I’m a little worried since I have never done this before,” said Krupp, “but I love speed.” Participating in the Mansfield Soapbox Derby will be a first for the eight-year-old. He hopes this vintage car will take him to the All-American race in Akron later this year. Krupp wants to continue racing in the derby in the coming years.
It has taken two months to refurbish the 20-year-old car. Rene Clark along with helpers from Toy Time in Mansfield helped Krupp update the car. He has experience in fixing 4-wheelers with his father, but never with something like this. Krupp will be sporting number 106 on the car on Saturday. Clark, a family friend, was an integral part in getting Krupp the car. A while back, she expressed interest in getting a soap box car to a friend who knows Brian Smith, one of the North Central Ohio Soap Box Derby directors. Four months later, the car from the Carrousel showed up.
“It was a blessing. Since Noah has never raced before, I didn’t want to buy a car for $500 if he didn’t like it,” said Clark. The car is sponsored by the Richland Carrousel Park, but independent donations were given toward the maintenance of the car. The family did not have to pay an entrance fee to the race or for parts because of this donation.
Some racers, including Krupp, will be there early morning to set up the track and prepare their cars. The race begins at 9 a.m. and runs through the afternoon until around 4 p.m. The Carrousel Grill will open at 9 a.m. with hotdogs, chips, soda, and popcorn for sale.
Directions to Main Street in Mansfield, which is where the race will be held, can be found by clicking here.
