Teams

Darn Near Dead

Garage Headquarters: Atlanta, GA

Driver: TBD

Mechanics: Page Burch, Sead Ludwig, Duncan Shirah, Chris Wright, Melanie Bobbitt

Nuts and Bolts:

The Sculpture Studio at the Savannah College of Art and Design is rockin’ this summer, thanks to four students from the school’s Sculpture Program who have decided to build a soapbox racer. Graduate students Page Burch and Sead Ludwig, as well as seniors Duncan Shirah and Chris Wright, are typically into foundry and metal fabrication. At present, however, they’re topping a hollow steel frame with a fiberglass shell to create “a sex-panther of a car” for the race down Tenth Street in Atlanta.

The incredibly sleek vehicle will be the star of a skit that involves “rockabilly scientists” who resurrect a “dead zombie” and send him down the track to “soapbox hell.” Taking the role of spokesperson, Duncan says, “The greatest challenges will be trying to restrain our adoring fans and keeping our car from setting the streets on fire.” He ponders a moment, then amends, “Also, engineering the steering column well enough to negotiate the turns without eating hay!” Negotiating the course without getting distracted by attractive spectators may be a bigger problem – the teammates have declared their intent to “win the heart of every pretty lady in the crowd.” But as for winning the race itself? “Despite all our buffoonery, we really do give a damn,” admits 21-year-old Duncan. “We see this as an opportunity to make our competitors seem like prepubescent school children.”