Teams

The Donut Holes

Garage Headquarters: Santa Rosa, CA

Driver: York Soccomanno

Mechanics: Eric Glass, Richard Kirby, Alex Peterson

Nuts and Bolts:

An hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Rosa, California, is known for many things: home of the late Charles M. Schulz, the cityscape is dotted with sculptures of “Peanuts” characters and hosts the popular Charles M. Schulz Museum. The town center boasts a remarkable garden created by master horticulturist Luther Burbank. And Santa Rosa is the gateway to the Sonoma County wine country. But thanks to Eric Glass, Richard Kirby, Alex Peterson, and York Saccomanno, Santa Rosa could soon have a new claim to fame: headquarters for the winners of the 2008 Red Bull Soapbox Race in San Francisco.

The irresistible smell of fresh pastry wafts incongruously from an industrial garage. Inside, the teammates are laboring over their racer. “We’re basing our entry on the snack food of champions – and of a few cops we know,” says York, the team captain, between bites of a scale model. Of course, he’s talking about donuts. The teammates – two construction contractors and an architect among them – can’t quite remember why they applied for the race. (Alex, a neuropsychologist, suspects their donut theme may have subconsciously been inspired by their collective interest in open-wheel racing.) Nonetheless, they’re working hard to create a tasty ride. “To be honest, we’re just looking to make something fun and fast,” York comments. “If we win, that’ll be icing on the donut!”