Teams

Banana Hammock

Garage Headquarters: Long Beach, CA

Driver: Chance Decker

Mechanics: Teresa Ruiz, Kimmie Tang, Chad Pittman, Rachel Sanchez

Nuts and Bolts:

Let’s get this out of the way: the Banana Hammock isn’t what you might think. “Our inspiration was the amazing pairing of the banana and the hammock in that countertop product that’s supposed to protect produce,” says Chance Decker, “and not the awful other image that comes to mind when you hear those words combined.” Awful other image? Gee, Chance, we can’t imagine what you’re talking about, but we’re glad to know that your team will have a peel. Chance has always dreamed of risking his life for fame and glory, and when he heard about the Red Bull Soapbox Race, he decided the time was ripe. He shares, “I actually created the entry and didn’t tell Teresa till we were selected that she would have to be part of my madness – she’s the hammock to my banana…Uh, by that I mean my support and the love of my life!”

And while Chance may be out of his tree, he has also recruited a bunch of friends who are equally bananas, including Kim Tang, Chad Pittman, and Rachel Sanchez. “We all have abnormally high potassium levels,” Chance jokes. No bananas were harmed in the making of their soapbox racer, but it’s hard to say just what will happen when this crew exports themselves from Long Beach (where three of them are swallowing 10-percent pay cuts as employees of the California State University system) to the Los Angeles race course. As a college activities advisor, Chance is so accustomed to seeing mascots that he thought nothing of volunteering to steer the unwieldy hammock in a head-to-toe banana costume. He’s risking more than his share of bruises; but if he can swing it, his efforts might bear fruit.

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