Malia Barber has won some 70 trophies during her Soap Box Derby racing career.
That’s a lot of hardware for a 13-year-old, but ask anyone who knows the University Place girl, and it doesn’t come as a surprise.
What started as a hobby for Malia and her grandfather has turned into a passion. Over the past six years, she has competed in derbies from Silverdale to Salem, Ore., and from Mount Vernon and Spokane to Hood River, Ore.
Recently, Malia was one of 600 racers from around the country who competed in the 71st All-American Soap Box Derby championship in Akron, Ohio. It markets itself as the greatest amateur racing event in the world, consisting only of non-motorized cars that rely on gravity to move.
Still, Malia says the losses didn’t deter her love of Soap Box Derby racing, and she’s inspired to make it back to Akron in a couple of years. To qualify for the national championship, she has to win in local races, and she’s a member of the Kitsap Soap Box Derby Association.
But Malia admits, however, her first love is Soap Box Derby racing.
“You can’t drive at my age, so this is a way to drive,” she said.
She says the sport of Soap Box Derby racing has evolved even since she started, particularly that there seems to be more female competitors.
So could Malia be the next Danica Patrick, a popular female race car driver, when she starts driving cars with motors? She thinks it’s possible.
“Sometimes the girls kick the boys’ butts, so it’s cool,” Malia said.
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