Mad Dash for Trash,
Then Junkyard Derby Bash

May 20, 2008

By Daniel Kane

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 Contact: Daniel Kane, 858-534-3262