Teams

The Recyclers

Garage Headquarters: Livermore, CA

Driver: Dustin Moore

Mechanics: William Bireley, John Lewis, Dan McGevna, Ben Wilgus

Nuts and Bolts:

Livermore High School must be so proud. A designated California Distinguished institution, the “Home of the Cowboys” has produced many remarkable alumni since it was established in 1891, but only now can it boast of spawning a Red Bull Soapbox Race team. And what a team they are: “Three of the six of us are complete morons,” says 24-year-old Dustin Moore, waving vaguely in the direction of teammates who are furiously putting finishing touches on the group’s racer. “But we’ve all got great sex appeal.”

Dustin’s fellow stud-muffins are William Bireley (27), John Lewis (32), Dan McGevna (27), Jon McGevna (24), and Ben Wilgus (25) – each of whom is a Livermore alum, and none of whom thinks that he personally is one of the “morons” in the effort. Taking unlikely inspiration from San Francisco’s transient population for their theme, the teammates are building their recycled racer at William’s place, with one overriding goal in mind. “We just wanna go fast!” exclaims Dustin, noting that the crew fully expects to be swarmed by paparazzi and groupies when the contest is over. “We’ve barely mastered the English language, but that hasn’t stopped some of our country’s most popular celebrities, so it shouldn’t stop us.” Throwing in a dazzling statistic, Dustin adds, “Besides, we’ve been keeping track of our various shenanigans through the years, and 63 percent of the time, we win every time!”