The PDX Adult Soapbox Derby was held Saturday, Aug. 15.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Crowds piled along the hillside to watch the event. Event organizers attempted to keep them at least 10 feet away from the track.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Portland's 19th annual Adult Soapbox Derby took place on Saturday August 15. Here, the Duffy machine went flying down Mt. Tabor's infamous "Blood Alley" in front of hundreds of spectators.
Christina Belasco / OPB
The Ghostbusters posed with their vehicle. They said there was a heavy presence of ghosts they had to take care of during the race.
Christina Belasco / OPB
The Ghostbusters' machine sprayed the crowd with water as they flew down Mt. Tabor.
Christina Belasco / OPB
A look up at a treacherous segment of the course.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Racers with a low center of gravity finished the course the fastest. The event was split between racers competing for speed and style.
Christina Belasco / OPB
A group at the Yakima tent posed with their Star Wars themed machine. They made it down the mountain twice without crashing. The ship was designed to squirt water at the crowd.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Chris Malone posed with his hand crafted R2D2 interpretation. It was a crowd favorite, many families stopped by to pose for pictures with it.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Racers prepared for the descent down Mt. Tabor at the starting line during qualification rounds. Each round consisted of two or three racers at a time.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Large pathways were available for pedestrians to use in attempts to keep people a safe distance away from the track.
Christina BElasco / OPB
Portland's 19th annual Adult Soapbox Derby took place Saturday, August 15. Racers donned their craziest apparel and flew down Mt. Tabor in front of thousands of people. Organizers said anywhere between 7,000 and 10,000 spectators have shown up in past years.
More than 100 volunteers helped make the event possible this year. Racers registered months in advance and spent long hours constructing their soapboxes.
Chris Malone constructed what he described as a "steampunk R2D2" because he wanted to build something totally original that would wow the crowd. "I love seeing people smile and having fun," Malone said.
The crowd laughed and cheered as a gigantic gold robot flew down the mountain in style.
The event is traditionally held the third week of August every year.
