$150,000 raised by Sand Hill Challenge

By BARBARA WOOD

There was a lot to see on Menlo Park's Sand Hill Road on Sunday - sleek, gravity-powered race cars reaching close to the road's 45 mph speed limit, more than 100 accordionists playing "Lady of Spain" in unison, a three-story dinosaur, the crash and recovery of a wheeless banana slug "car" -- and an estimated 15,000 people plus media from around the world to see it all.

It was the second annual Sand Hill Challenge soap box derby, brainchild of Buck's of Woodside restaurant owner Jamis MacNiven, who arrived dressed in fake fur shorts and solar-powered safari hat.

At least $150,000 was raised for youth-oriented charities by the event, which featured everything from a fluorescent-pink-feathered chicken car to a rolling space ship, a hill-of-sand car, and sleek computer-designed, professionally built, high-tech wonder cars.

While the idea of the race is based on old fashioned soap box derby race cars, these vehicles are far from toys. The winning car, which for the second year in a row was from Mohr Davidow Ventures and the industrial design firm IDEO, was clocked at 43 mph on the 0.4 mile downhill course. In second place was the Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe and Solar Motions car, with a speed of 40 mph.

It was probably a coincidence, but both cars were pushed off to the starting line by duos of Olympic bobsled team members.

A total of 33 cars entered the competition, each donating at least $2,500 as an entry fee, with another 13 cars entered by high schools.

Many of the racers worked until the last minute on their entries. At 2 a.m. the morning of the race, the fiberglass body of the car Wheelsmith was building for Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers cracked, partner Brook Byers said, leaving the company to pull its last year's entry out of mothballs. The car, which last year placed second, was third this year.

The car built by Imagine Designs for sp/3/Jim Herlinger was crashed Saturday during a test drive, sending its driver to the emergency room for stitches. Both the car, with fresh not-quite-dry paint, and driver were back for the race on Sunday. The car won the race's Worst Driver award.

A new category this year, Fastest Car Built for Under $1,000, was won by Baccharis Capital. Builder Fred Boos said the sleek-looking black car was made in his garage from a fiberglass car-top carrier and wheelchair wheels, and cost $940. The car was clocked at 34 mph.

High school teams had their own category. First place, with a $500 prize donated by Buck's, went to Plugged In, a computer center for youth in East Palo Alto. The Woodside High School car, driven by Mr. MacNiven's son Tyler, came in second and will receive a $250 prize from Buck's. Gunn High entries won both third place and "Most Creative," for a total of $500 in Buck's prizes.

Money raised by the race will go to youth-oriented charities through the Every Kid a Start-Up Fund, administered by the Peninsula Community Foundation. The race beneficiaries include SafeRides, Clean and Sober Graduation Events, Friends for Youth, Compass, Plugged In and Reading Readiness.

Chairman of the race was Jayne Williams of Alain Pinel Realty in Woodside.

By the way, Mr. MacNiven is heading for Fiji on Thursday, where he plans to relax on the beach and study watercolor painting.



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