It’s an all-girl duo from Greater Williamsport headed this weekend to the 84th FirstEnergy All American Soap Box Derby at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio.
Two 9-year-olds who are Superstock and Stock champions of the Williamsport Soap Box Derby are leaving with their parents to drive derby cars in the FirstEnergy All American Soap Box Derby World Championship in Akron, Ohio.
The big send-off for Alivia Lukowsky, Superstock champion and Grace Stoltz, Stock champion, of Montoursville, was at the storage facility for the derby cars at 110 Reynolds St. in South Williamsport on Wednesday.
Lukowsky, the daughter of Joe and Shannon Lukowsky of Loyalsock Township, got into the driver’s seat of the pink superstock car surrounded by her sponsors from Ciocca Toyota of Williamsport.
Earlier, Stoltz posed for photographs in front of her car sponsored by Overhead Door. Her parents, John-Mark Stoltz and Morgan, along with three siblings, left for Akron on Sunday.
The girls told the Sun-Gazette they want to win, of course, but are already filled with pride and are eager to be representing Greater Williamsport as Superstock and Stock champions. They also are ready for a week-long of fun and family-friendly activities at the international campus.
“Making the mini-car,” Lukowsky said, to a question of what she most wanted to do when she arrived.
“The contestants make miniature derby cars, and then paint them,” her mother said.
The participants also get to be a part of a parade, which the schedule lists as taking place today.
Lukowsky said she would leave Saturday and get to do practice runs on Sunday.
She said she trained or practiced on Choate Circle. That hill is steeper than Market Street.
Lukowsky said she was told by her father to keep her head down and keep the car straight as possible, looking straight ahead and not to the driver next to her.
Jim Stugart of the Williamsport Soap Box Derby said 60 to 70% of the drivers are girls and they often are the local Superstock or Stock champions.
The pink colored car glistened with the wax shine as Ciocca Toyota of Williamsport, including John Broome, general manager, and Matt Marchiori, fixed operator director, expressed their pride in their driver as were all Ciocca Family Dealership employees.
Next year, Lukowsky said she would race in Stock because she can’t compete in Superstock again because she won that title.
Meanwhile, Stoltz said she trained by going down her front hill. “My dad pushed me up and told me to stop at the mailbox,” Stoltz said.
She was supported by Matt Blair of Overhead Door and all of the Overhead Door employees.
Stoltz said she understood well how the car starts off slow and picks up speed and she knows how to get to the finish line and apply the brakes.
She planned to go on a rock climbing tower and take part in other activities, including meeting drivers from around the nation and world.
Racers will spend the week working on their race cars at Derby Downs and opt to take trial runs on the track and compete in preliminary challenge races.
About 80 communities are expected to stage races this year, the derby said, sending about 300 young people to the world championships scheduled for Saturday.
Racers will compete for a share of $36,000 in Bill Speeg Memorial Scholarships, awarded to the top three finishers in the Local and Rally divisions of the world championship race, the derby said.
For the first time since 2019, the Akron community, race participants and their families will be able to come together for about a week of traditional festivities, celebrating the girls and boys who compete for the world championship title.
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