It’s just one squeal of the wheels from the streets of Ballston Spa to the hot tracks of Watkins Glen International Raceway.
Underage drivers took to the streets Sunday morning in the annual Rolling Roadsters Race that pitted brothers, cousins and neighbors against one another for the coveted car-shaped trophies. The only signs of road rage were the squabbles between parents as they reminded one another of the primary rule: no running after your kids in their go-carts to give them a push down the hill.
With gravity as their only engine, kids edged their vehicles up to the 30-mile per hour speed limit during the one-fifth of a mile race from the wooden starting gate to the mound of sand at the foot of Bath Street. With its good-sized slope, the street was the perfect course for the downhill races, most of which clocked in at about a 20-second run.
Really, the only way to go faster is to lean forward, said veteran driver Sean Simmons, 13. `But you can’t hunch all the way down to the steering wheel, because that slows you right down.`
Blocked off to traditional vehicle traffic at 8 a.m. Sunday, racing fans carrying coffee cups, cameras and stopwatches lined the sidewalks by the Village municipal office. The course was lined with 125 bales of hay, and curbs and telephone poles were padded with foam and duct tape. At the finish line, a sand pit and a row of fearless fathers waited to halt any racers trying to make it all the way to the Kayaderosseras Creek.
Launched eight years ago by the village board, the race is growing in popularity and achieving its goal of bringing back memories of outside summer events that don’t include skateboards or high-tech equipment. The rules for the go-cart style cars are simple but mandatory; there must be foot-controlled brakes, all drivers need helmets, and both the cockpit and steering wheel must be properly padded.
Beyond that, kids and their parents were free to dream up any creative schemes to make their carts fast and unique. The Land Shark, a longtime entry which has had multiple drivers over the years, is painted with a great white baring its teeth. The Union Fire Company’s cart is decorated with red, white and blue stars and stripes. Thomas and Joey King’s red and black cart carries the warning `We brake for nobody,` on the side, and on the bottom, if the cart flips, it says, `If you can read this, call my dad.`
Drivers and their parents typically tinker with their carts during the weeks before the race to get them up to speed.
`The steering column ended up backward last year, so we had a lot of work to do,` said Dawson Hersh, 8. `The wheels were custom-made, so it runs good, but it always helps to grease the wheels.`
The finish line was the place for some great action photos, with a few minor spinouts and other tricky maneuvers. Village police clocked in speeds with their radar equipment, but weren’t handing out any tickets even when the kids nudged the speed limit. Then, the racers were hauled back up the street by adults on ATVs, who looked like they were enjoying the wind in their hair as much as the kids.
`There are actually skid marks down at the finish, but when they hit that dirt pile, they stop whether they’re braking or not,` said trustee Bob Cavanaugh. `This was the whole idea behind starting the races, to get parents involved with something fun for their kids.`
Since most local roads aren’t blessed with natural hills and no traffic, the race carts are usually stowed away in garages until the annual summer event. Many of the parents hoped other local municipalities would catch the racing fever.
`I wish more towns would get together and have races,` said Sue Brown. `There are some great hills down in Glenville and other places. It’s a shame the kids only get to race once a year.`
There were five cars and 14 racers in Sunday’s competition, with winners selected by a double elimination. Pit crews worked for the entire three hours, manned with hammers to bang out dents and screwdrivers for loose wheels.
After trophies were awarded and parents paid off their $5 bets to one another, Bath Street was cleaned up and re-opened to traffic. Then, it was back to the drawing board to draft plans for next year’s super speeders.
`Next year, we’ll have a car my kids can lie down; there will be a roof and it will pop open for them to climb inside,` schemed Mike Brown. `I can see it now.“
