Extremely sleep-deprived but pumped with plenty of Red Bull, the members of Rubik’s Projects are greeting spectators at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Dolores Park. They stand dressed to win in their nerdy attire and taped-up Steve Urkel-style glasses with their pride and joy–a six-foot-tall, 175-pound Rubik’s Cube—behind them. San Francisco State students and close friends Chris Foley, Brett First and Brian Rasmussen are the brains, creativity and manpower behind the giant Rubik’s Cube soapbox racer. Foley, a cinematography major and the driver for the event, thought of the idea of the Rubik’s Cube because he’s loved the mind-teasing game since he was a kid and can solve a Rubik’s cube in less than a minute.

First, who is a business and hospitality management major and recreation minor, and French major Rasmussen helped Foley bring the giant Rubik’s Cube to life starting in mid-September. They dedicated about eight 14-hour days of work to the project. All the guys agree that this is the biggest project they’ve ever been a part of.

They built the cube inside Foley’s garage in Sacramento, where his curious neighbors stopped for a peek. They also became regulars at the local Home Depot after repeated parts-chasing missions, and the employees joined in the fun by helping them pick out supplies, which cost the team about $650 for the whole project.

The cube has a steel frame and plywood exterior, and representing the colored cubes are pieces of square-shaped Styrofoam insulation spray-painted to match the colors of a Rubik’s Cube. The front wheels are from Foley’s brother’s old BMX bike, and tractor wheels hold up the rear. The yellow side of the cube is the front, so they made two transparent yellow cellophane windows so Foley can see the road as he steers.

The cube is made to look perfectly solved, but Rasmussen will slide different colored sheets of paper on top of the Styrofoam prior to the race to make it look unsolved, and during the race he’ll be inside the cube pulling out the sheets of paper, giving the spectators the illusion that the cube is solving itself as it goes down the course. About one hundred thousand people showed up to the race with their lovers, children and dogs, and lined up along Dolores Street or gathered at the park to watch the race on the giant screen in the park.

“Because we’re so nerdy, we’re going to do a ‘tri-high-five,’ a high five with three people,” Rasmussen says of the plan if they win anything today.

The guys hear a wide range of praise as people walk by their cube, but also comments like, “I think it’ll go off its wheels,” “How is this going to handle the turns?” and “This is just going to slice and dice down the hill.” They stay composed and promise that the cube will solve itself by the end of the race, because that’s one of their main goals.

A sea of black and white checkered flags are waving, and cowbells are ringing, heightening the anticipation. Spectators shout like they all drank three cans of the free Red Bull. As the procession up the steep section of Dolores Street begins, Rasmussen and First push the cube, while the usually silly and energetic Foley becomes the most serious he’s been all morning.

Spectators and his friends ask Foley if they’re going off the jump, which is a wooden board placed where the steep part of Dolores Street begins, giving the soap boxes a one-foot drop.

“Go off the jump! You know you guys aren’t going to win anyway,” a spectator tells First.

Foley fights off the pressure and stands firm about not going off the drop, because he knows the likelihood of the wheels staying on after the jump is low. He’s hoping that the cube solving itself on the way down the hill will make up for not taking the jump.

A couple minutes before their turn, Foley makes the last-minute decision that he doesn’t want to be the only team that doesn’t go off the jump. He gives the crowd the thrill they want and decides to take the plunge. As they get closer and closer to the stage, their faces get more serious. Rasmussen is fidgeting with his hands, and Foley has his arms crossed and wants a Rubik’s Cube to play with to get his mind off the race for a moment.

“I don’t know if it’s butterflies in my stomach or if I’m hungry, or if it’s the Red Bull,” First says.
They’re up next shaking off their nerves with their silliness.

“This is what we worked for, guys,” Foley says to pump his teammates up before they go on stage. The song from Revenge of the Nerds plays, and they reenact one of the scenes from the movie. First pretends to play a violin using a ukulele and a drumstick, as Rasmussen and Foley do the robot dance. The music continues as Rasmussen and Foley crawl into the cube to get into their designated positions. Then First finally pushes the cube with all his might as he watches the cube cruise off the ramp. Rasmussen immediately starts to shed off the colored sheets of paper from the inside, making the cube look like it’s solving itself to the spectators.

Foley yells “HOLD ON!” to Rasmussen, who only has bars to hold onto for dear life, as the jump approaches. Seat belts are not a part of the equation. The cube tips forward but survives the jump. Foley notices that the front wheels are weakened. Almost halfway down the hill, they hit a pothole, causing the steering bars to break through the cellophane window. Their front wheels completely push up, making the front of the cube skid on the pavement, and it comes to a complete stop. They are unable to reach the finish line as the timer continues on, now ticking past the one-minute mark.

Even after the low scores of four and seven from the judges, they receive compliments and handshakes from spectators.

“You guys took the jump like a champ. I was rooting for you guys one thousand percent,” says Mario Weaks, a member from the Master Blaster soapbox team.The team knows that if they didn’t go off the jump, the cube would’ve made it to the finish line, but say they have no regrets.

With time before the awards ceremony, they start telling people to text vote for them for the People’s Choice Award, because the team had never set their sights to win the race, but to charm the crowd. It’s finally time for the award ceremony, and the emcee announces that out of thirty-three teams and by six votes, “the winner for People’s Choice Award is….RUBIK’S PROJECTS!”

“It’s the revenge of the nerds, that’s all I have to say,” First says proudly with a wide smile. Foley says this is all they wanted and even though they didn’t finish the race, the people loved them.

The guys do their “tri-high-five” like they said they would, making being nerdy look cool as they pose for pictures with their trophy. The guys say that the giant Rubik’s Cube’s racing days aren’t over yet, and to watch the cube flaunt its stuff again at the upcoming Bay to Breakers marathon. The Rubik’s Projects team has realized their potential from the dedication and heart they put into this project. They now feel free to try bigger and better things in the future—with a huge dose of outrageousness.