Teams

Chick Magnet

Garage Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA

Driver: Ryan Sanderson

Mechanics: Andy Janzen, Julia Hughes, Ashly Whorf, Wyatt Vandergeiss

Nuts and Bolts:

Why would five seemingly normal Californians drive three thousand miles to be in Providence in October? You can bet it’s not just for the fall colors. “It’s the appeal of a venue where acting outrageous and foolish is encouraged,” says Hollywood’s Ryan Sanderson. Then, after contemplating the plethora of such opportunities in his own hometown, he adds, “I mean, in a racing environment.”

Sanderson is an artist who, as the proprietor of a company called Heroic Props & Scenery, has been making a living in the service of the film industry since he graduated from art school over a decade ago. “I have a shop stuffed with enough tools and materials to build just about anything,” he comments. In 2006, Sanderson brought a team called “Torpedo One” to the Red Bull Soapbox Race in St. Louis, and although it didn’t obliterate the competition, he’s keen to try again with his “Chick Magnet” racer in Providence. Accompanying Sanderson will be Julia Hughes, Andy Janzen, Wyatt Vandergeest, and Ashby Whorf, who share Sanderson’s try-anything-once (or twice) mindset. For example, Janzen, a hot rod and custom bike fabricator, was on Sanderson’s original soapbox team, while Whorf has experience with an entirely different adventure: he went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.