Champion's Journey Ep 4 2019 USDR Invitational - Soap Box Derby Racing

Lots of top-level Soap Box Derby racing action in Episode 4 of Champion’s Journey! The Johnson family race team Scuderia Veloce travels cross-country to the inaugural USDR Invitational. This Championship held in Chattanooga,Tennessee over Thanksgiving Weekend 2019 attracted over 50 of the finest Gravity Racing Champions from across the United States. The Invitational field was hand-selected by a Committee of Derby Experts and Race Organizers, based on competitive results and other factors in Regional and National level events over the last several years. Despite the holiday weekend, an acceptance rate of over 90% resulted in one of the strongest Derby fields assembled in recent memory. There were simply no easy draws at this race! The racers were fortunate to compete on a bank of specially constructed wheels, designed and donated by Paul Gale, of Los Angeles, CA. These wheels feature injection-molded nylon wheels, with sealed bearing, and over-molded urethane tires, and will be used at future USDR events as well. As a result, there were very few if any “wheel races” evident during the entire event. Mr. Gale also helped to initiate and sponsor this first USDR Invitational. Anyone seriously involved with Soap Box Derby Racing, has no doubt benefitted from Paul’s decades of selfless contribution to the sport, and we all own him a great debt of gratitude. This video also highlights the challenges, fun, and unique reward of putting together these cross-country journeys to compete at the big events. Viewers will learn how these trips are as much about exciting and memorable experiences off the track as they are about the racing. That said, the racing at this event certainly lived up to the hype, and we feel we represented well. Ultimately, this story highlights one of the key themes that will run tough our Champion’s Journey Channel. To be an extra-ordinary Champion, you must be willing to make the investments and sacrifices that 99.9% of the ordinary population view as crazy or impossible. Champions find a way to position themselves for meaningful accomplishment. This video would not have been possible without the fine still photography from my friend Kevin Boyd. He captured so many outstanding images, I just wish we could have shared more. There are links to his photo collections, as well as additional coverage of this event on the United States Derby Racing Facebook page. Finally, BIG THANKS to Paul Gale, the Hayes and Stewart families, the Chattanooga Soap Box Derby Club, Larry Galimore, Joe Markowski, the Chattanooga Holiday Inn Staff, and all the other great volunteers and sponsors that made this outstanding event a huge success!