Teams

War Child

Garage Headquarters: Seattle, WA

Driver: Logan Neitzel

Mechanics: Blayne Walsh, Steve Gilbert, G. Alan Nicholson, Grace Hoffman

Nuts and Bolts:

If there’s one team in Seattle that equates “soapbox” with “spirituality,” it’s War Child. Logan Neitzel, Steve Gilbert, G. Alan Nicholson and Blayne Walsh had a self-described obscure childhood, coming together as the orphans of parents killed during federal nuclear testing and raised by an underground guerilla faction. Taught a combination of Christian and Buddhist principles by their leader Gilbertino growing up, the boys reunited as adults to mourn their guardian after he was killed and discuss their own future plans. First up? Red Bull Soapbox Seattle.

This peculiarly pious group is up for the challenge of constructing a winning car – as Neitzel states, “Team War Child is multi-faceted. Our essence is spiritual, logical, artistic, extreme and creative.” Currently meeting at an undisclosed underground location in Pioneer Square and building their masterpiece at a nameless garage in the SODO industrial district of the city, the foursome will draw on their experience in snowboard design. “War Child is inspired by industry and the Zen of all things,” he explains. No word yet on the Zen factor of a steep race track, but one can always pray.