News Release

Mad Dash for Trash, Then Junkyard Derby Bash

 

San Diego, CA, May 30, 2008 -- Junkyard Derby came and went, but the memories are here to stay.  Check out Channel 10's news story here:

Junkyard derby tastes like chicken? It did for one of the UC San Diego teams that constructed a rolling chicken for competion in the 5th annual Junkyard Derby. Image credit: R J Schumacher

UPDATE May 30, 2008: Check out the post-junkyard-derby story at the UCSD campus-wide news site by clicking here. Below is the story that ran before Junkyard Derby 2008 kicked off.

 

About 50 teams of junk-loving boxcar builders will dive into a junk mountain on a UC San Diego parking lot on Wednesday May 21 at 7:30pm.

The junk jockeys will battle for the best parts for building rolling contraptions for racing at the 5^th Annual Junkyard Derby on Friday May 23.

A preview of some of the boxcar-bound junk at UCSD. The mad dash for trash kicks off on Wednesday May 21 at 7:30 pm and the Junkyard Derby races start on Friday May 23 at 11:30am.

At Junkyard Derby, UCSD students and alumni put their junk-derived cars through a series of races down Peterson Hill, next to Geisel Library from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.

At Wednesday night’s junk sort, each team’s “junker” or scavenger will frantically drag junk from the pile while the rest of the crowd screams suggestions and directions from the sidelines in Price-is-Right audience participation style.

Once the dust settles into the dumpsters ringing the mountain’s remains, teams will transform their junk selections into high flying – or maybe fast crashing – boxcars for Friday’s Junkyard Derby. Welders from a UCSD machine shop will be on hand Wednesday and Thursday to help students realize their junkyard dreams, such as air-duct-shopping-cart hybrid vehicles and bench-press-coat-rack convertibles.

The rusty wheel and cheesy sofa cushions are just a small part of the mountain of junk up for grabs on Wednesday at 7:30pm at the mad dash for trash. Junkyard Derby races start on Friday May 23 at 11:30am.

The boxcar building ends on Friday morning, in time for the races that start at 11:30 am and end with a grand finale at about 2:30 pm. The derby is not just about speed. Teams are competing for style points and adoration from the crowd. Expect wacky costumes, bloopers and boxcar mishaps.

Bring your appetite and lucky charms on Friday. Both the barbeque (veggie burgers included) and raffles are free.

The Junkyard Derby is run by the engineering undergrads who are part of the Triton Engineering Student Council (TESC). 

TESC thanks Yahoo! for their generous sponsorship of Junkyard Derby. 

Where and When:
Junkyard Opening / Mad Dash for Trash
When: 7:30 pm sharp on Wednesday May 21, 2008
Where: A parking lot on the eastern side of the UCSD campus. Lot P705

Junkyard Derby Race
When: 11:30 am to 3:00 pm on Friday May 23, 2008
Where: UCSD campus, in front of Geisel Library, on Peterson Hill

 

 

 

Media Contacts

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Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu