Soapbox Derby contestants take over Menifee Road for Saturday morning of racing fun

Young racers prepare to take off at the starting block during the annual Valley-Wide Recreation Soap Box Derby in Menifee, Saturday, Sept. 14. Shane Gibson photo
At first, looking at the top of the hill at the corner of Menifee and Craig roads half a mile up, it was difficult to tell anything was moving.Then, in no time, the racers were whizzing by, gravity yanking the vehicles down the slope, their drivers piloting in calm silence despite the ever-increasing speeds.This scene wasn’t just any type of motor vehicle race, though. These were soap box cars racing in Saturday morning’s Soap Box Derby in Menifee, which the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District has put on annually since 2012. The race took place on Menifee Road between Holland and Craig roads – what organizers described as “the perfect racing hill.”Most of the race
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