Sponsoring a car in the Mid Missouri Soap Box Derby helps make memories for a lifetime for some young boy or girl. While the Derby has evolved over the years, this is still one of the finest "family-oriented" activities available here in Mid Missouri. The days of cars nailed together from old pieces of wood like in the Little Rascals is long gone; today, safety is in the forefront, and all the cars come in a standardized kit from the national soap box derby supplier. And with good reason: locally, our racers will reach a top speed of about 25 mph at the finish line, but at the national and international race in Akron, OH, the cars go substantially faster than here when on the dedicated track at Derby Downs.

For the young racer, the National charges a registration fee of $ 45.00. In addition, each participant must wear an official soap box derby racing helmet bearing the national SBD logo, which insures a minimum safety standard for the headgear as well. These helmets cost $ 15.00. Thus, a first time racer will pay a total of $ 60.00. Your sponsorship of a car at $ 100.00 allow you to place your company logos on the sides of the car, and it also includes the racer's registration fee and helmet cost, making this opportunity available to many more young boys and girls. If you need to have adhesive logos made for your car, we have a supplier who can make logos from your artwork for $25.00.

One of the national derby rules requires that once a car has won its division at the local level, that car cannot compete in the race at the local level again. However, it is eligible to participate in what are known as rallie races held at various locations around the country. One of the Mid Missouri Soap box Derby's long term goals is to build a dedicated derby race track right here in central Missouri to attract rallie racers to our community. A typical rallie race might attract 50 families to our community for two nights, having a meaningful positive economic impact for our community, and we might be able to host as many as four or five each year.

Because we have to replace two or three cars (depending on whether we run Stock, Super Stock, and Masters divisions) each year, buying replacement cars is a major ongoing expense. Purchasing a complete car, including its wheels, all the related hardware, and with shipping to Columbia, costs $ 750.00. We are always looking for Derby Benefactors who help us maintain our fleet of cars. When you purchase a car, that car will bear your company's name for the lifetime of the car, i.e. until it wins here and goes on to compete at the National Soap Box Derby in Akron.

On behalf of the many young men and women who have participated in the Soap Box Derby, a special thanks to those individuals and businesses that made it possible.