Teams

Grandma's Hillbilly Deluxe

Garage Headquarters: Jewitt City, CT

Driver: Dany Bureau

Mechanics: Mike Robotham , Joe Dilillo , Nick Novea

Nuts and Bolts:

It has all the hallmarks of a sensational media story: maximum velocity, a huge crowd, and a senior citizen behind the wheel. But spectators at the Red Bull Soapbox Race needn’t fear for their safety. Even though “Grandma’s Hillbilly Deluxe” will be driven by, well, Granny, that old bird has the reflexes of an athlete, and the support team behind her is helping to ensure that she’ll stay on course and off the barricades. She might even be first across the finish line.

The captain of Granny’s team is Dany Bureau, a Connecticut carpenter who has extensive experience racing gravity-powered machines. Not only is Bureau a veteran of the World Shovel Racing Championships (that’s right – downhill, on a modified shovel, at highway speeds), but he’s a two-time X Games competitor in street luge. Joining him in the garage are electrical technician Joe Dilillo, fireman Nick Novea, and home builder Mike Robotham, who, when they’re not tweaking Granny’s ride, perform as part of the New York City bluegrass band Big Apple’achia. Their old-time harmonies and jam-band sensibilities get Granny pumped. The crew’s soapbox racer is tricked out with every accoutrement their driver could want, from fine-tuned suspension to a washboard with a clothesline. “There ain’t nothin’ faster, nothin’ slicker,” Granny declares with satisfaction. “She’s a beauty.”