Teams

Team Cephalopod

Garage Headquarters: Santa Cruz, CA

Driver: Lindsey Herrema

Mechanics: Garth Herrema, Shannon Schultz, Stephanie Hipps, Ali Martinez

Nuts and Bolts:

The dictionary tells us that a cephalopod is a marine mollusk that moves by expelling water, like an octopus or a squid. A recent addition to the cephalopod family is the giant squid, captured on film for the first time only two years ago. But a giant squid soapbox racer? That’s unheard of – until now. If you want to see the rare creature, head for San Francisco on October 18, where a cephalopod with wheels is expected to surface at the Red Bull Soapbox Race.

“For a long time, giant squids were only mythical creatures like dragons and ligers,” says Lindsey Herrema, 23, captain of Team Cephalopod. “I see them as a reminder that there is still so much that is unexplored.” Lindsey and her teammates Garth Herrema (20), Stephanie Hipps (23), Ali Martinez (23), and Shannon Schultz (27) are constructing their racer in the seaside town of Santa Cruz. They aren’t allowed to use a water-based propulsion system, but in all other ways they’re making their mysterious mollusk as authentic as bicycle parts, hardware cloth, felt, “buckets” of sealer, and “sheer ingenuity” will allow. Lindsey and her brother Garth have fifteen years’ experience in building (and crashing) traditional soapbox vehicles. “The Red Bull race gives us a legitimate reason to still be making soapbox cars,” Lindsey says, “even though we are now supposed to be acting like adults!”