RUMFORD – Soap Box race drivers from western and southern Maine gathered Saturday under clear skies for the Southern Maine Soapbox Derby at Industrial Park in Rumford.

There were 12 drivers in the stock division and 11 in the Super Stock Division. Les Bell is the director of the annual derby, and the event boasted some 14 local sponsors.

John Blais, last year’s derby winner, was first to drive down the track. He competed in Akron, Ohio, last year and placed second place in the world. The Mountain Valley High School sophomore got started in racing when a demonstration was given at his school. He built his racer from a kit and had his first race at Old Orchard Beach.

This year’s Super Stock winner was Sarah Radmore, an eighth-grader at Mountain Valley Middle School. In the Super Stock Division the weight limit is 230 pounds including the driver. Erin Little, a fourth-grader from Windham, won in the stock division, which has a weight limit of 200 pounds.