Annual wooden car derby is fun for all

It was the Yankees versus the Mets at a wooden car derby race in Howard Beach. But the winner in the end was Pikachu, the cuddly sidekick to Japanese animation phenomenon Pokemon.
A 4.9-ounce black car, with a plastic Pikachu glued on as the driver, beat out 35 other racers - adorned with Yankees, Mets, Sponge Bob and even Army figurines and logos - as they raced down an 18-foot yellow track.
“Pikachu, he was on top [of the wooden derby car] like a lightning bolt. He was in attack mode,” said the excited first-place winner Christopher Moschitta, 8.
Moschitta said that his father, Benny, and mother, Kathy, helped build and decorate the car for the race, which included scouts from all levels of the Boy Scouts of America Pack 139. But Moschitta knew that his favorite Pokemon character would make the car complete.
“I picked him because he’s going to be lucky for me and he’s really fast,” Moschitta said after the four trials lasting about two hours.
Second-place winner Steven Bongiovanni went with a more streamlined design for his car - a sleek yellow and black model with silver “engine” at the back.
Bongiovanni, 8, explained that the metallic piece was needed to weigh the car down and was light enough to keep the car’s weight underneath the 5-ounce limit.
“Last year, I didn’t get into the finals,” Bongiovanni said, explaining that he has set his sights on the top prize in next year’s race.
Webelos Scouts Roberto Williams and Anthony Mercatante placed third and fourth respectively.
“It’s a really big event. The kids love it,” said Den Leader Guy Maltese, while parents and scouts feasted on pizza and popcorn in the auditorium of St. Helen’s School.
Assistant Cubmaster Tom Mercatante said that the annual wooden car derby is one of several races that the Howard Beach scouts hold - other events include a mini-regatta and space ship race, using zip cords.