05 Aug 2009
Father-and-son racing team from Tyler, Texas, competes at 2009 Blue Grass Nationals Pinewood Derby Race held at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY.

A father-and-son racing team did not let anything stop them from competing in the 2009 Blue Grass Nationals Pinewood Derby Race. Steve Robbins of Tyler, Texas, drove more than 800 miles and spent almost 13 hours on the road to get his 9-year-old son, Landry, to this national event, held for the second consecutive year at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. They brought with them one of their top performance cars in the Derby Monkey racing fleet-No. 335 Akela Express-to race against some of the fastest Pinewood Derby cars in the nation.

The Pinewood Derby, a racing event which originally got its start in the Boy Scouts with parents helping Cub Scouts build their own cars from a block of wood, plastic wheels, and metal axles, has exploded in popularity with fans of all ages catching the racing fever.

The 2009 Blue Grass Nationals Pinewood Derby Race drew more than 60 youth and adult competitors-from northeastern New England states to the Nevada desert-to race their prized, custom-built Pinewood Derby cars on a 42-foot track.

The event, held July 25 in the exhibit hall at The Center, was also broadcast live on the Internet.

Organizer Bob Hardwick (Lucky 13) said a total of 200 cars-some shipped to racing officials by league competitors who couldn’t make it to the site on race day-competed in all eight divisions.

In one of the early heats, Landry’s Akela Express came in third place. Overall, Steve Robbins posted on the Derby Monkey Web site that his son finished seventh at the nationals, only 0.05 seconds out of first place.

Robbins said the racing team travels to six or eight Pinewood Derby races per year and decided to combine this trip with a summer vacation to Lake Cumberland area.

The Center for Rural Development-the Center of Excellence for rural Kentucky and the nation-provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county primary service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com.

Photo Caption: Derby Monkey Racing Team Steve Robbins of Tyler, Texas, helps his 9-year-old son, Landry, get his Pinewood Derby car, No. 335 Akela Express, ready for the start of one of the heats in the 2009 Blue Grass Nationals Pinewood Derby. The national event, held July 25 at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, drew 60 youth and adult competitors from throughout the United States, and 200 custom-designed Pinewood Derby cars competed in all eight divisions. For more information on upcoming public events at The Center, visit www.centertech.com

Article Courtesy of The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY

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