Evening star., 1941-08-18
Capital Youth
Takes Third in
Soap Box Derby
Gene Bean Makes
Best Mark of Any
DC. Boy at Akron
BY CHRIS A. MATHISEN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

BY CHRIS A. MATHISEN,
Star Staff Correspondent.
AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 18.-Thirteen'
year-old Gene C. Bean Of Washing
ton today Is near the pinnacle Of
Soap Box Derby racing success
There are only two better coaster
race combinations in the United
States than Gene and Baby Blitz.
krieg."
The Capital youngster flashed
down the course at Derby Downs
here yesterday creditable third
to Claude Smith. IA, of Akron, the
1941 national and international vic.
tor, and John D. McDaniels, jr, IA
of Charleston, w. Va. No previous
Washington entry had done as vel
in the national finals.
The good showing, which was
what Gene expected, meant midget
automobile (motorized, a bronze
medal studded with sapphires and
a gold-f1nished trophy. He was
called to the stage in Akron Armory
last night for the presentation. shar-
ing the spotlight with Claude and
Jack, who had proved themselves
only little more adept at building
and driving Soap box racers. Watch
ing the happy scene were his par
ents. Mr.. and Mrs. Preston c. Bean,
608 Rittenhouse street NV.
Won Four Races.
Gene had figured" to win his
first heat, on the basis of trial-run
timings, but his possible further
progress in the afternoons compe-
tition had been question mark.
He succeeded in bettering his time
for the course in the second and
third rounds, however. In all, he
flashed across the finish line first
in four successive races. His times,
established by elaborate photo
electric equipment, were: First
round, 27,31 seconds; second round,
27.06 seconds; third round, 27.O0 Sec
onds, and fourth round, 2712 Sec
onds. Wind currents and straight
ness of driving played important
parts in the races, as usual, and the
Akron boy was able to win the ma
tional finals in 2679 seconds, al
though the best time of the day
was 26 46 seconds, achieved by Dom
aid l.. Teghtmyer of Wichita, Kans.,
In the first round.
Washington'S best previous effort
here was that of Carl Cederstrand
jr.. the 1899 delegate, who won
mis- first two heats before being
eliminated.
1t was the first time an Akron
lite took the top award in the ma
tionaI finals in the eight-year his
tory of the event. Six of the seven
previous national meets had been
held here, five of them at Derby
Downs, the concrete strip built ex-
pressly for the annual show. The
first nationals were staged in Day.
ton, Ohio.
Won Internati0nals.
Claude also finished first in the
international championship race,
beating out Douglas Bone of Belle
vile, Ontario, and Eduardo Ben
ton of Mexico City, in that order.
At the champions banquet in the
armory, he was cheered by more
than 100 other city victors, their
parents and newspaper escorts. His
designing, building and driving skill
earned him a four-year scholarship
to the college or university of his
choice, diamond-studded gold
medal and a gold finished trophy.
When reporters, radio commen-
tators and newsreelmen crowded
around after the national cham
pionship race, Claude made forth
right comment:
This car was built to win; it
was built for this course"
He had won Akron's local Derby
over the same strip only a week
earlier.
Gene was ready with a comment,
too:
That Akron boy has a fine car,
but there's nothing wrong with
mine, either"
There was not. Gene had built
IN less than three months a coaster
car which had come down the hill
in the ultimate test only a short
distance behind the pride of the
Derby's home town, which had been
in designing and construction stages
about nine months.
Brother Finished Third.
Neither Gene nor any of the other
local champions begrudged the
rubber city its triumph. They con-
sidered it a justification of the
almost year-around derby activity
here Claude's brother, George,
finished third in the national finals
last year after participating in the
derby clinic" program, in which
prospective contestants are given
instruction in informal sessions
featuring the building of scale
models.
The second placer was not only
Charleston but also West Virginia
State champion. He had no excuses
after the championship race, but
he could have claimed one Jack
had crack-up after crossing the
finish line in the preceding round.
City champions already eliminated
offered them parts of their racers
to repair the damage, but pit me-
chanics were able to restore the
West Virginian's car to good run
ming order in less than 20 minutes.
He won a ruby studded silver medal,
gold-finished trophy and de luxe
sedan automobile, donated by Chev-
rolet, sponsor of the national and
international finals.
Like the Akron youngster, Gene
took his third-place finish in stride.
He had maintained consistently
that he had no reason to be in awe
Of the other champions, even be-
fore he left Washington. Shortly
after the Washington party arrived,
National Director j. p. Gormley
had classed his creation as "one Of
the 10 best"
Cheered by Official.
Excitement among the Capital
delegation was intense after Gene
won his first round race handily.
Zeb T. Hamilton, director of the
Washington Soap Box Derby,
whooped and yelled as Gene went on