Teams

The Good, The Bad, and The Nerdy

Garage Headquarters: Rapid City, SD

Driver: Anthony Johnson

Mechanics: Justin Williamson, Mark Chase, Charlie Murray, Brett Moorman

Nuts and Bolts:

Citizens of Denver, do you wear a pocket protector? Do your glasses have more tape than a 3M factory? Do you spend your evenings perusing a poster of Stephen Hawking while icing your overused “calculator finger”? If so, you’re going to connect with “The Good, the Bad, and the Nerdy,” a team of Red Bull Soapbox Race veterans based at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

“We met through our passion for numbers and problem solving,” says team captain Justin Williamson, a graduate student in mechanical engineering. “Red Bull Soapbox allows us nerds to get out and show the world that math and science can be fun and creative.” This proudly pasty-faced posse has participated in events like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, and after the team members got their feet wet at a Red Bull Soapbox Race in 2006, they came back to contend in Providence last year with “the fastest calculator in the world” – a number-pad racer that was indeed the speediest vehicle on the course, winning them the Grand Prize of “a most amazing NASCAR experience.” Contributing to the Denver effort are Mark Chase, Brett Moorman, and Charlie Murray, as well as driver Anthony Johnson, who steered the 2007 entry to the winner’s circle. “We’re racing a number-two pencil this time,” Justin shares, punning, “See ya later, calculator!”