Bird Key Yacht Club holds annual potato car races

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Having a background in aviation doesn't hurt when it comes to crafting a lightweight, streamlined racing vessel in one of the most highly anticipated games for the Fourth of July. David Hillmyer put that knowledge to good use to pull off his first win at Bird Key Yacht Club's holiday potato races on Friday.

Hillmyer is no stranger to receiving awards at the yacht club. He has taken first place in the spinnaker division of the Sarasota Bay Cup, but he said he may be even slightly more proud of this commendation.

"We've seen the debate over the years between the heavier cars and the lighter cars," he said. "On a longer track, with more momentum to build, you want a heavier car. But on this track, the lightweight design paid off. Next year, I might even shave more off."

The potato races are a fixture of the Fourth of July festivities at Bird Key, which were largely planned to take place indoors.

Circuit Judge Jay Plager, Judge Lynne Pettigrew, Irene Britt and Commodore Tony Britt spend the Fourth of July together at Bird Key Yacht Club.

This bracket-based competition pitted individuals and small groups in one-on-one races that frequently came down to a photo finish. Contestants got creative in their bids to make a vehicle with precisely aligned wheels and carefully calibrated tonnage — even if that meant biting off a bit of carrot at the last second before sending the tuber careening down the track.

New Commodore Tony Britt and his wife, Irene, closely monitored the results, even going frame by frame in the closest contests.

Lynne Pettigrew and Longboat Commissioner Gary Coffin play cornhole before preparing for the potato race at Bird Key Yacht Club on July 4.

There were a few rules for the race. Contestants could only use the given potato, carrot, wheels, and toothpicks to craft their race cars. Though they could include as little or as much as they wanted, both tubers had to be included, and potato had to be the first material to cross the finish line.

A collective team of yacht club staff members made a solid bid for the title, coming in second place this year.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.