Teams

Spartan Ghosts

Garage Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA

Driver: Gian Steinhauser

Mechanics: Warner Siegle, Evan Cichelli, Elle Adler, Banafsheh Baharloo, Evan Cichelli

Nuts and Bolts:

The minute you start learning about the members of Team Spartan Ghosts, you know something special is afoot. For example, Elle Adler and Warner Siegle are avid rock-climbers of Spiderman-like capabilities, and their team driver, Gian Steinhauser, is an adrenaline junkie – not only has he flown around the world twice and ridden his bicycle from North Alaska to Seattle, but he’s currently planning on pedaling from Cairo to Capetown. Yet perhaps the most amazing thing about the five teammates, who also include Banafsheh Baharloo and Evan Cichelli, is that they’re all focused on feet: they’re students at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.

“We’re doing this race for fun,” says Gian. “To be honest, when we sent in our entry, we didn’t even know there was a first-place prize.” After much deliberation, the group honed in on two potential themes – either their favorite movie (the Spartan epic “300”) or their favorite video game (Halo 3) – and then they came up with the inspired idea of combining both as “Spartan Ghosts.” In the end, whether they win the race or suffer the agony of (you knew this was coming) da feet, this group will show the crowd a good time, and their efforts will offer benefits even after the race is through. They plan to auction off their stainless steel and fiberglass soapbox car on eBay, with the proceeds going to charity.