Geneva teen named world soap box derby champ

GENEVA – Melanie Kohout said she was in disbelief after being named the All American Soap Box Derby World Rally Masters Champion last weekend.

The 16-year-old Geneva racer said earning the championship title was a goal she’s had since she started racing soap box cars at age 8. She competed July 27 with nearly 500 other racers in Akron, Ohio, including more than 40 racers in the masters rally division.

“It’s kind of unbelievable because it’s so hard to win while you’re in Akron,” she said. “This was my seventh year [at Akron], and I kind of didn’t really expect to win.”

In 2011, Kohout placed seventh in the masters rally race in Akron. Racers work their way up from stock division to superstock, and finally to the masters rally division.

Kohout said soap box derbies involve vehicles without any engine power. Racers typically build their own cars, perch them on ramps and let gravity power them through a race. A racer steers the soap box car to the finish line.

Kohout’s purple soap box car helped her race to victory last weekend, and she walked away undefeated. She competed with her stepsister, Grace Iglehart, 16, who also raced in the masters rally division. Iglehart made it through the first round of racing, but was defeated in the second round.

Kohout said she initially got into soap box derby racing because her stepfather, Stan Iglehart, had done it when he was younger, and her siblings also were involved. She said she loves competing alongside her sister, who also has been racing in soap box derbies since age 8.

Kohout said part of the secret to winning a soap box derby championship is making sure the car is in the best shape possible, and drivers have to be able to concentrate.

“You have to be really focused because if you get distracted while racing, you’ll probably swerve, and you don’t want to swerve because it will slow you down,” she said. “When I first started out, I wasn’t very good because I wasn’t sure how to make my car go straight, and you have to maneuver the car properly. Racing for so many years has helped a lot.”

When she was named world champion, Kohout took home a trophy, a $2,000 scholarship, a gold ring and a rain jacket.

“I was really surprised when it happened,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable.”