Young Duct Tape Derby racers sled to victory at Mount Brighton

Young racers with cardboard, duct tape and an eye for design took to the slopes on Saturday in the annual Duct Tape Derby in Mount Brighton.

From elaborate two-seaters to handheld sleds for one, children raced down the hill in homemade vehicles held together with the durable multipurpose tape.

Resort staff first imagined the Duct Tape Derby as a way to bring family activities back to Mount Brighton after pandemic restrictions eased, said Mike Giorgio, general manager.

“Nothing but excitement,” said Sydney Ryan, a senior administrator with the resort. “I’m seeing excitement and pride at the coolest creations. It’s so, so much fun.”

More than 20 competitors registered ahead of the event, and the hillside was bustling with crowds and music by the time the races kicked off at 1 p.m., Ryan said.

Joey Sifton and Preston MacGregor, two 9-year-old friends from Okemos, charged down the hill together in a custom green camouflage tank sled that took weeks to make, the pair told The News.

The two were brimming with excitement at the hilltop but had more time than they thought to reach the bottom, MacGregor said.

“We bumped into someone, and it was kind of slow,” he said.

The adults with them joked that they were just glad neither kid had to hit the eject button on their tank’s control panel, said Brian Sifton, 50.

Two cousins said they were inspired to enter this year’s race by modelling their sled after an Amazon delivery truck.

“We had an unlimited amount of boxes and it was a pretty simple shape,” said Josh Goettlicher, 12, of South Lyon.

Though simple, the design cost them a win when the cousins spun out on the downhill track, Goettlicher said.

“I’m proud of it, but last year’s was a lot better,” said Eli Davis, 14, of Dexter. The pair had entered the 2023 Duct Tape Derby with a hamburger-shaped sled that went way further, he said.

The cousins would go back to the drawing board for a better, faster design in 2025, he said.

Other racers, including Brighton sisters Camille and Marissa McBride, found themselves hurtling down at record speeds, they said.

The pair soared into a first-place victory in one race with their penguin-shaped sled, which they named Frost, Camille said. The speed was scary at first, but the win felt amazing, she said.

The sisters said they drew inspiration for the sled design from real penguins that descend icy slopes on their stomachs. It was a design well worth the week of work they put into crafting the sled, Camille said.

High speeds on the hill broke more than a few sleds down to bare bones, including a classic silver duct tape sled driven by brothers Max and Logan Phillips.

“It felt good until we sort of turned sideways and then the tape ripped,” said Max Phillips, 13, of Chelsea.

The pair and their parents built the silvery sled with just “a few days and desperation” ahead of the race, which was their first derby, said Aaron Phillips, 43.

Winner or not, every effort was met with sideline cheers and chants from children across the course as the race continued.

Site organizers also awarded prizes for the best design, best wipeout — in honor of more than one collision — and the top three racers of the grand finale.

An intricate Volkswagen van led by Team Girl Power took home the best design award, while the McBride sisters’ won best wipeout as Team Frostbite.

In third place, a National Ski Patrol-inspired sled won to cheers across the crowd, while the spunky Team Awesome Sauce came in second.

June and Joey Stein, two siblings from Bloomfield Township, took home first prize as reigning Duct Tape Derby champions for the second year in a row.

Their speedy sled, The Yeti Sledy, proved its worth again after securing a first-place win in last year’s competition, June, 8, told The News.

“It was pretty fast,” June said. “I was a little bit scared, but not that much.”