Sayings at the Downhill Derby

The Plain Blue Racer

1Kiara and her best friend Hamid had six weeks to build a car for the Hillcrest Downhill Derby. A derby car has no motor. It rolls down a steep street using only the pull of gravity. Kiara's grandmother, Nana Bea, had raced in the same derby when she was a girl. She agreed to help, and she brought along her favorite old sayings.

2On the first afternoon, Kiara grabbed a hammer and a pile of boards. "Let's start building right now!" she said. "Hold your horses," Nana Bea said with a laugh. "First we need a plan. Measure twice, cut once." So the three of them sketched the car on paper. They checked every measurement two times before Hamid made a single cut with the saw.

3The work was harder than they expected. The steering stuck, and the back left wheel wobbled. After a long Saturday of tightening bolts, Hamid dropped his wrench in the grass. "I'm ready to throw in the towel," he groaned. "This car will never roll straight." Nana Bea patted his shoulder. "Rome wasn't built in a day," she said. "Come back tomorrow with fresh eyes."

4The next morning, Hamid figured out how to loosen the stiff steering. Then Kiara spotted a bent bolt behind the wobbly wheel. Replacing it took only five minutes. "After all that worry, the fix was a piece of cake," Hamid said, spinning the wheel. It turned smoothly without a single wobble.

5On race day, twelve cars waited in a row at the top of the hill. Kiara stared at them and had butterflies in her stomach. Hamid pointed at a shiny red car covered with silver stripes. "Ours looks so plain next to that one," he whispered. "Don't judge a book by its cover," Nana Bea told him.

6When the starter waved the flag, the red car zoomed into the lead. Halfway down, though, it began to drift toward the hay bales along the curb. Kiara held the steering wheel steady, and the plain blue car rolled straight past it. They crossed the finish line in second place.

7Kiara and Hamid were on cloud nine. They jumped up and down and cheered until their voices were hoarse. Nana Bea hugged them both. "Hamid fixed the steering, and Kiara found that bent bolt," she said. "Two heads are better than one."