The 35th Annual Kiwanis Kar Derby races are this Saturday with up to 90 kids aiming their homemade rides down the steepest hill in Brandon, that being Rideaux Street east of 1st Street!

Kar Derby Chair, Darren Wright, says the day makes for great fun for the kids who are racing, as well as the families and sponsors watching!

"They get a lot of joy in the racing, but also the work they put into creating these cars," explains Wright. "We sell the kit which is basically the wheels, the mechanism for the steering and the brake, and then they put their own creativity into the soap box. There's a lot of enjoyment in getting families together to creating these ideas and bringing them to fruition ready for race day."

To gain extra momentum right from the get-go the cars take off from a ramp, two cars at a time, then aim straight down the hill hoping to reach the finish line at the bottom the quickest.

"And there's a lot of theory about where we need weight to give some good momentum," he adds, "or if you have too much weight you start to slow down just before you hit the finish line."

Wright says they have up to 80 drivers in a typical year, and each driver gets a minimum of two races.  "It gets quite competitive towards the end when you've got the same drivers coming up against each other for the prize, because we do have trophies not only for the winners of each age group, and then there are three additional trophies for decorating and design."

An Annual Trophy is awarded to the winners and runners up in each age class and may be kept for a period not exceeding one year and must be surrendered on request of the Kiwanis Club of Brandon. Medals are awarded to Race Winners and Runners Up in the three age classifications: 8-9, 10-11 and 12, 13 to 14. Keeper trophies for Best Design, Most Original and Best Decorated will also be awarded to the sponsor. Winners will be determined by the appointed judges who will judge all entries before the races commence.  All children receive medals for participating and will be given a printed photo of them with their car at the end of the day. 

For more on this Saturday's Kiwanis Kar Derby visit their website or click HERE!

All money raised goes back into the community.

Please listen to more with Darren Wright as he shares more on the soap box derby races this weekend!

The event takes place at the north end of Rideau Park, Rideau Street and Lorne Avenue.   Drivers register 7am, Inspection takes place at 8 am.  Practice runs start at 9 am. And the races begin at 10:00 am!

(Photo credits Brandon Kiwanis Kar Derby website)