Sunday, April 29, 2001
[ LIKE TRY? ]
No horsepower, BIG DADDY Don Garlitz, drag racing legend, was wrong about one thing.
but it’s still a gas
Gravity levels the playing field
and brings families together,
making boxcars a winnerBy C.R. Dudley
Special to the Star-Bulletin"There's no substitute for horsepower," Garlitz once said.
Big Daddy's never been to the Pearl City box car track, where gravity rules.
Combustion-generated power plays no part at the box car races. Without the luxury of simply stomping on the gas, drivers compete using only their ability to carry speed through corners.
The uniformity of the cars and the lack of combusting parts distills the winning formula for would-be race heroes to an inexpensive combination of skill and luck.
Any overblown Chevelle owner can shove an accelerator to the floor and go fast in a straight line. Any Newton craving grease goon can pour a few years' salary into a racecar and rule the drag strip with sheer, nitrous-injected horsepower.
What: American Box Car Racing International. GETTING STARTED
BOX CAR RACING
Where: Pearl City, on Acacia Road, behind Sam's Club.
Cost: $6 per person for up to four hours
Phone: 947-3393
Web site: http://www.boxcarracing.org
But the money-makes-fast paradigm holds no truth when gravity is the only driving force. Unlike nature's other gifts of mysterious providence, gravity is handed out equally.
"For big guys, that same weight that speeds you downhill slows you in corners," said BC Cowling, American Box Car Racing International executive director.
"Small kids can race big kids equally with different design cars."
Suffice it to say, without returning to high school physics, after all the forces are compared, a 50-pound 7-year-old girl has as much chance to win a box car race -- from a purely physics point of view -- as Mario Andretti.
And she just might, if her parents let her drive.
The parents decide when the child is old enough to drive safely on the track.
Just in case the little one is too little to drive alone, the track provides large "sumo" cars capable of carrying 400 pounds so the wee little one can ride along with mom or dad.
"The focus is on families doing stuff together," Cowling said.
"It's about family fun and keeping kids out of trouble."
Prices are minimal. During public hours, admission for first timers is $6 per person for up to four hours, that includes use of the public cars and the course.
All families must sign a consent waiver. Track passes are available to reduce the daily cost to $4 for returnees.
Everyone must pay to attend and all children must have a parent or family friend in attendance.
The best way to get started is to show up during public hours. Public hours are Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and on holidays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The track is also available for private parties during the week as well as weekends.
Safety gear is also minimal. All children must wear long pants and everyone must wear tennis shoes. A helmet is required for racing.
There is also a teaching program available for educators who would like to bring the children out for a day of real world physics lessons.
In its sixth year on Oahu, ABCRI has grown to include a championship racing series as well as public races.
The championship race series includes season point accumulation and post-race awards ceremonies. The annual Mayor's race, a day-long event, is scheduled for Aug. 4.
With over 700 people showing up on weekends the box car track, parented by the non-profit ABCRI, has much to offer.Cowling is most proud of the volunteer program he has put together. Children and teen-agers help at the track. After a period of time they build their own box car in the extensive shop area.
Volunteers also put in a lot of time setting up the three race tracks. A fourth track is to be added in the coming months.
Differing from the more well-known soap box derby cars, which attempt to completely equalize the cars' and riders' weights, box cars used at the Pearl City track can be very unique to the owner, though they must conform to American Box Car Racing International rules.
Box cars are simple contraptions. Of necessity are a place to sit, pegs (for feet), a steering wheel, four tires, a brake lever and some framework to hold it all together.
Just, basically, a box with wheels, a fancy paint job and some custom tires.
"Because almost everyone can use the car, it opens up a process of a family building a box car together. And that leads to a lot of creative expression," Cowling said.
The average Joe doesn't even have to worry about building anything. Cowling's got all the box cars anyone could ever need and the public can use them whenever they get the inkling to go fast, well sort of fast. Weekend racers of sanctioned events get upwards of 18 mph.
Do not shrug that seeming snail's pace off. Tilting at 20 looks pretty dang fast three inches off the ground, facing a hairpin right-hander.
Gravity does more than get cars around the track. Gravity also brings families together to the box car races, where kids can compete on equal footing with their parents.
And that's Cowling's ultimate goal.