Teams

Roadkill Revenge

Garage Headquarters: Fall River, MA

Driver: Jim Dowd

Mechanics: Declan Halpin, Derek Harding, Peter Nassoit

Nuts and Bolts:

“The main inspiration for our soapbox racer is a visual trick,” says Jim Dowd, captain of a Massachusetts team of artists who will use trompe l’oeil to trump their competition. “The car is meant to look like an extension of the road instead of an actual vehicle. We’ve hidden the wheels and the driver’s body inside the vehicle, and construction will employ a handmade steel frame with a lightweight skin of plywood and Astroturf. Oh, and don’t forget the fake fur and antlers!” The name of the team snaps it all into focus: Roadkill Revenge.

Dowd, 38, is a metalsmith, while Declan Halpin, 32, is a painter and CAD designer; Derek Harding, 36, is a teacher and ceramic artist; and Peter Nassoit, 33, is a metalsmith and web designer. Their racer workshop is located in an old mill building in Fall River, where they have all of the equipment they could possibly need, like welders, a milling machine, a lathe, and a drill press. “Taking part in this event serves to remind us of the carefree days of our youth,” Dowd notes, “when life wasn’t so much about how much money we have and how productive we are, but how much fun we’ve had on any given day.”