EMSBD

 Welcome to the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby web site! We hope that you find everything that you are looking for and if you don't please feel free to contact us directly.

Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby is the local organization affiliated with the All-American Soap Box Derby. We hold a race each year in the Bangor/Brewer area for children ages 8 to 17 who construct their own soap box derby racer from a kit in one of three racing divisions. The winners from this local race, being held on Saturday May, 30th on Buck Street in Bangor (next to the Bangor auditorium), will represent our community in the All-American Soap Box Derby held each year in Akron, Ohio, now in its 72th year. 

Participation

In order to participate in the local derby race you will need to obtain a car for the division you would like to race in. You can purchase a kit from the All-American Soap Box Derby or find a used car locally from another family or drive a car that is owned by a sponsor. A new kit (stock) costs approximately $515.00 with wheels. You will also have to buy weights to get the car to its maximum weight. The Super Stock and Masters car can be painted if you desire or left unpainted. The cars can have sponsor or other decorative decals added to them, and your name and car number if you would like.

It is required that the driver of the racer, to the best of their ability, constructs the car. If you use a car previously raced, the car will have to be disassembled, witnessed by an official that the car was taken apart (this can be accomplished by providing a picture of the driver with the car taken apart) and then rebuilt and updated to the 2009 car plans by the racer and an adult. It takes approximately 15 to 25 hours to construct a car and have it ready to race. Two weekends are normally required to put together a top-notch racer ready to compete in the local race, although with semi-experienced building skills it could be put together in one.