Conshohocken Soap Box Derby 1980’s

Conshohocken Soap Box Derby
Welcome to the late 1980’s
By Jack Coll
July 4, 2016

Welcome to this year’s Conshohocken’s Soap Box Derby, I see a few old family names in this year’s racing line-up.  I see a Donovan and a Bowe, names long affiliated with this event, certainly the Maxwell’s and McGrath’s are also names that have appeared over the years as part of the soap box derby event.

Charlotte and Graciene Gale are back, forcing dad to sweat-up a storm in the pits once again, I’d love to know how they grew-up so fast.  There’s a picture of Vincent Quintillano in the Norristown Times Herald Soap Box Derby supplement this year, “YO VINNIE,” good luck.  And I think one of the Maxwell girls are due to win a trip to Akron to participate in the All American Race. Flipping through the supplement I see the smiling face of Rian Reed, it seems like just a year or two ago her father Robbie and her Aunt Stephanie were racing on Fayette Street.  Stephanie drove a beautiful gloss black car with a pink rose painted on it, I’m thinking that was just a year or two ago, or ten.

A few of the names in the supplement I don’t recognize, Thomas Horn, Noah Polter, Jenna Smith, Elijah Neal, Caitlyn Farrell and I’m guessing that Shannon would be her sister.  I recognize the Monteleone name, there’s a Taylor Monteleone so good luck to her. I also recognize the McCarthy name, Jack, whom I’m sure was named after me, just kidding, and then I see a familiar looking face, Shamus Messenger, I never met him but I met a number of guys who look just like him and I also recognize the Pergine name, Nicole, I’m not sure what strand of Pergine’s she’s with but the Pergine’s are a large well known family in the area.

I can tell you Conshohocken had some very talented soap box derby drivers throughout the 1980’s like Donna Manderacchi, Amy Tomczak, Andy Nicilai, Isabel Monaghan, Charlene Bruno, Alissa DiCicco, Kelly Monacella and I gotta tell you the Racich girls both Leah and Vanessa were superb drivers.

Perhaps the best driver in the early 1980’s was Dave Borzelleca, he won back-to-back championships in the junior and senior divisions in 1984 and 1985, and never lost a race, not one.

In 1986 Alissa DiCicco won the Senior Division and Leah Racich completed the all-female championship run that year.

In 1987 it was interesting in that both champions, Kelly Monacella and Scott Gianninni had not raced the previous year in 1986, and both champions never lost a heat on their way to the winners circle.  In 1987 the race track was packed with thousands of viewers cheering the drivers-on.

Competition was tough that year as experienced drivers including Billy “Bo” Donovan, A. J. Bruno, Kim Manderacchi, Bobby Pasquarello, Michael McGrath and Josh Dugas all put the pressure on in the Senior Division and Jimmy Harper, Adam Moore, Billy Kelly, Joey and Johnny Porecca, Robbie Reed, Michael Ricci and Lori Tomaczak all pushed Scott Giannini to the finals.

A number of the race sponsors nearly thirty years ago included Nicolai Landscaping, Schank Printing, Acme Saw Company, Plymouth Hardware, Baldwin Flowers, Flowers by Cheryl Anne, McClements Pharmacy, DeStolfo’s Tae Kwon Do, Whitemarsh Jewelers, Benny’s Barber Shop, Donald Granieri Hair Studio, Jem’s Deli, Fayette Meats, Gus Butera’s Barber Shop, Fred Kelly, a certified Sales Consultant at E. F. Moore Chevrolet-Olds Dealership, Zeock’s Pharmacy, Conshohocken Hardware, Bob Wilson’s Gulf Station, Bowe’s Exxon Service Center, Town Valet Cleaners, Wally’s Glass, Frank and Eddie’s Deli, Pat’s Bar, Jack’s Tavern, Wally’s Bar and Grill, Cool Breeze Café, Pete’s Deli, Julia’s Market, Jim’s Cold Cuts, Dennis’ Place, The Chemical Exterminating Co. Penn Jersey, Nick DiRenzo Roofing and Siding Co., McGuire’s Tavern, Bolero’s Pizzeria, Tony and Joe’s Pizza, the Fayette Grille and many other businesses of the time sponsored the 1987 race.

The 1988 race belonged to Bo Donovan, whose uncle Dennis had stood in the winner’s circle just fifteen years earlier in 1972, Jessica Frost was the 1988 champ in the junior division.  Bo was on his final run to glory as he had tried winning for six straight years and it wasn’t until he beat out Leah Racich by less than a second in the final heat, Leah was the junior champ in 1986 and the Senior Champ a year later in 1989.

Jessica Frost had to beat a talented driver in Billy Kelly as she represented the winners bracket but lost to Billy in the first heat but she came back to win the runoff beating Kelly by also less than a second.  Jessica’s brother Robert took fourth place and Tara Gally was the third place finisher in the junior division.

In 1989 it was an exciting race, Joey Pfanders won the Junior Division but then the rains came and following a three hour delay the race was called before the senior division could determine a champion with just one race to go.  The Senior division final came down to two champions, Scott Giannini who won the Junior division in 1987 and Leah Racich who was a Junior champion in 1986.

Three days later on a Sunday afternoon Fayette Street was shut-down, the track and fence were installed for one race.  In a matter of minutes Leah had won the race becoming only the fourth time in Conshohocken’s Soap Box Derby history to win both the Junior and Senior divisions, Jessica Frost placed third that year.

1990 featured yet two more very close races as Junior Division Champ David Donovan beat out second place finisher Mike Lenczewski by .069 of a second.  Jackie Coll won the Senior Division race over Scott Giannini by .001, perhaps the closest race in Conshohocken’s Soap Box Derby history.

The late 1980’s were very exciting times for Conshohocken’s racers, in 1989 the Conshohocken Ambucs sponsored and arranged for all the participants in the race to travel to Akron, Ohio on an all-expense paid trip to view the national race at Derby Downs.

The racers brought home a lifetime of memories, the adults who traveled with them brought back memories of a lifetime of a different sort, a story for me to tell sometime in the future.  The Ambucs also sent the Conshy contingent back in 1990, and when one of the Conshy guests spiked the fountain at Akron University with red dye, the same night we traveled to the Akron Hospital Emergency room, well that’s when the decision was made at Akron University to not  invite us back.

Good luck to all the 2016 racers, may the family memories of a lifetime be made this July Fourth!