‘Once in a lifetime thing.’ SC racers survive Red Bull Soapbox Race in Iowa

It took months to plan and build a motorless soapbox car, but the fun was over in less than 30 seconds for a Beaufort-based team that raced in a national competition in Iowa last Saturday, June 18.

Reaching speeds of nearly 30 mph, Beaufort resident Kody Wilson and his childhood friend Justin Mankita from Maryland steered “Gator Bait” down East Walnut Street, the gold dome of the Iowa state capital glistening in the background, as they competed against 44 teams in the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Des Moines.

Their alligator-themed air boat did not win, but Gator Bait wasn’t chewed up by the course like some cars were and finished the obstacle-laden course in one piece.

“We had no issues steering, our brakes worked (although) they were definitely one-time brakes,” Wilson said in a phone interview.

Wilson drove, and Mankita was the co-pilot, honking a horn and drinking a Red Bull as they flew down the course.

The curvy course had two jumps and what Red Bull calls a “split-decision” where hay bales force a driver to choose one of two sides.

The left lane featured three stair steps.

The right lane had four ramps that had alternating high and low sides that would make cars bounce side to side.

The team with no suspension chose the left side.

“After our first drop we went up into the air pretty high.” Wilson said when talking about the course.

As they made it to the finish line, they pushed on their brake, a piece of lumber they pushed to apply pressure to the front wheels.

While it slowed them, the hay bales stopped them.

The award for top speed went to the Slippery Sockeyes from Corvallis, Oregon, with a fish-themed car, according to the Des Moines Register.

Trouble in River City from Mason City, Iowa, a trombone-shaped car, a nod to the song “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man,” took home the event’s “People’s Choice Award.”

Stealing first place overall was the team Moonshine Macgyvers from Plymouth, Minnesota, whose soapbox truck came complete with moonshine, the Register reported.

Before they ran the course, teams had to perform a skit to music.

Teams were judged for their car design, the skit and the fastest time.

Jesse and J.T. Albright, also team members, sponsored the South Carolina team, helping on the financial end.

The four decided the race would be a great way to reconnect.

“It seemed like a once in a lifetime thing,” says Justin.

Building the car occurred in Beaufort, Wilson said, “because I have a garage.”

Gator Bait was hauled to Iowa from Beaufort, said Wilson, a Beaufort High School teacher, which was an 18-hour journey.

Pre-race, all of the funky-looking vehicles were on display. To simulate alligator scales, team Gator Bait placed hundreds of green sticky notes, which fans had signed, on the car.

At noon, the real fun began with screaming fans lining the course cheering every two-wheeled swerve, airborne moment and epic crash of the unusual rides.

The skit consisted of Wilson and Mankita, dressed in safari gear, tackling an Albright brother wearing an alligator costume while a snippet of “Born On The Bayou” by the ‘70s band Creedence Clearwater Revival played over the speakers.

As the hunters attempt to tie him up, another alligator — the other Albright — chased them to their air boat-designed car.

The five judges each held up sevens, giving the team 35 out of 50 points.

The Albright brothers gave the car a push, and the airboat’s fan began spinning as they dropped down a ramp to the course.

With no suspension on the 7½-foot-long, 4-foot-wide car, the fan was the first thing to go.

“Our fan starts spinning as we go down the ramp but when we hit (the street) it rattled the cage back and forth and it actually broke the cast iron rod in half,” Wilson said. He knew immediately that no suspension and their un-padded seats were going to make the jumps uncomfortable. “Yea, it was rough.”

Wheels buckled on the cars of some of the 45 competitors. Others careened into hay bale walls. Gator Bait survived relatively unscathed.

As of Friday, Gator Bate team members still had not received word of their standings in the race.

Des Moines “was not as bad as you would have expected,” Wilson said about the experience. “We definitely explored everything the city had to offer.”

That included visiting a tattoo shop.

While the Albright brothers and Wilson had previous tattoos, it was Mankita’s first.

He chose to have the quarter-sized toothy alligator head inked on the bottom of his foot.

This story was originally published June 25, 2022 at 5:00 AM.