Maineiacs stand for soapbox safety

BREWER – Most of the time Danny Moore is one of those guys who make you feel safe when you sleep at night as a senior master sergeant for the Maine Air National Guard in Bangor.

In his free time, he has made children and parents feel safe the last eight years in his role as head of the inspection team of the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby.

“He makes us all want to work,” said Ken Hanscom, director of the Brewer Parks and Recreation Department. “When Danny Moore asks for something, we all give him 100 percent. He’s just that type of person.”

Moore became involved in the soapbox derby races on the recommendation of one of the first co-chairmen of the race, Phillip Lander, who was a pilot for the Air Guard. Lander had seen Moore in action in his job as manager of the ground safety program at the Air Guard base, and thought he would be an asset for the soapbox derby.

“The recommendation to get Danny involved was probably one of the best calls ever made,” said Hanscom, whose department has helped host the eight derby races.

Moore, with his corps of volunteers of the Maine Air National Guard, or Maineiacs, numbering from 40 to 70 each year, has been an ideal match to work at the races and the busy days of inspections.

“The critical safety concerns have to be addressed with the vehicles, and our background is one that we understand the critical nature of technical data,” said Moore who has been a full-time Guardsman for 16 years. “We’re used to following instructions to the letter, and I think that contributes to the safety of the race.”

The derby races consist of competitors ranging in age from 9 to 16 in two divisions, stock and super stock, with the cars racing down a track some 1,000 feet long on State Street in front of the Brewer Auditorium. In the stock division, the child and car can weigh no more than 200 pounds combined. The car without weights must weigh 70 pounds. The super stock division, which usually has older participants, allows a combined weight of up to 230 pounds.

While Moore and his team are busy on race day, much of their pre-race duties help ensure that the cars are assembled correctly and safely. They inspect all of the cars about a month and a half before the race and do the same a day before each race.

During the inspections, they’ll advise the racers of any deficiencies in the cars and what should be corrected.

“We go over each and every vehicle from top to bottom,” Moore said.

On race day, Moore’s crew of Maineiacs performs various crucial duties from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“You’ll find Maineiacs from the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill,” Moore said. “At the bottom they handle recovery of vehicles and the wheel swaps. At the top they’re involved with recovery of the pit area and lining the vehicles up again for the upcoming races.”

They also handle the computerized race results and cook lunch.

During race day, Moore and his crew enjoy their interaction with the racers. While their professionalism and attention to detail are never absent, they also take the time to encourage and congratulate the competitors. It’s that interaction and the Air Guard’s commitment to community involvement that have kept the Maineiacs tied to the event, Moore said.

“We were very impressed with the way this community came together to support its young folks,” said Moore, who lives in Orrington. “One of the things we work at as a wing is to ensure to the maximum extent that we are out supporting the community events from which we draw our work force.”

One of the pivotal components of soapbox racing is the mandatory requirement that the cars are built and maintained by the racers. That aspect, Moore said, is a major confidence builder for the kids and is one his crew has nurtured.

“I’ve been very proud of our people that they talk to the kids on their level. They don’t condescend. They try to strike a rapport,” Moore said. “It’s been really interesting the last few years to watch some of the returning racers. They know many of my inspection crew and they give them a hug and a high-five.”

Saturday’s race was the final one for Moore as inspection chief as his work commitment with the Air Guard will not allow him the time he needs for race organization. However, he said he will work to keep the Maineiacs involved in the race.

And, he just might be at the race next year. His oldest son, Cory, has expressed an interest in racing and will be eligible, as he will be 9 years old.