Teams

THE SHORT BUS

Garage Headquarters: Flower Mound, TX

Driver: Ricky Ibarra

Mechanics: Madelyn Brand, Chris Hesson, Jade Hesson, Dug Ketterman

Nuts and Bolts:

"My friend Chris and I have the need for speed," says Ricky Ibarra. "We've always dreamed of entering a race like this and will put all efforts into having a jaw-dropping ride." Ibarra is a senior at the University of North Texas and also works in real estate part time. Despite his busy schedule, when he heard about Red Bull Soapbox Race, he dropped everything to call his old friend Chris Hesson, who had helped him build a soapbox car back when they were kids. Hesson was in, and his new bride Jade – herself a full-time student at Texas Women's University – signed on as well.

With space left for two more mechanics on the team, Ibarra turned to his girlfriend, Madelyn Brand, and contacted a recent client, Dug Ketterman. "Dug runs a skatepark and has had much experience building ramps and other woodwork," Ibarra notes. All they needed was a concept, and for that, Ibarra and Hesson harkened back to a shared childhood experience. The two used to sit through stop after stop riding "the short bus" to and from school; but now, with their own new human-powered Short Bus, they've got only one destination. Ibarra crows, "Next stop: St. Louie!"