Teams

Prom Night

Garage Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA

Driver: Dan Mancina

Mechanics: Ryan Bonvouloir, Tim Maharg, Noah Lew Kow, Sean Mcnaulty

Nuts and Bolts:

Our crew is composed of OCD crazy men who act like boys,” says Dan Mancina, captain of Team Prom Night. Dan and his teammates – Ryan B., Noah L., and Tim Marharg – work for ZJ Boarding House, just steps from the beach in Santa Monica, California. From the day ZJ Boarding House opened, its employees have been sharing their passion for surfing with customers. Before long, skateboarding and snowboarding became additions to their inventory (as well as their lifestyle), and over the years the store has grown to include an online presence. Until recently, the only thing that hadn’t changed about ZJ Boarding House was the staff’s enthusiasm for riding boards – but now they’ve got something new to be obsessive-compulsive about: the Red Bull Soapbox Race.

“We’re a tight-knit crew with a hunger to win,” notes Dan. “We’re going to bring a new vibe and energy to the sport.” While they’ve never built a gravity-powered car, they do have lots of experience working with the finest products in board sports, and they’ve got access to the full-service technical shop on site at ZJ Boarding House. In keeping with their “Prom Night” theme, when it’s finished the vehicle will look like the world’s smallest stretch limousine, with a stoked Dan popping his head out of the “sun roof” as he navigates the course. “We entered for the thrill of the race, and the thrill of speed,” he comments. “This soapbox car can take off faster then a prom dress.”