With the trained eye required of a chief referee, Michael Aaker approached the starting line and knelt down for a closer examination of a suspicious-looking, blue, pumpkin racecar. [Pumpkin Race Photos]
“The skin looks awfully smooth for a pumpkin,” he said to the pumpkin’s young owner. Then Aaker reached into his tool belt, whipped out a pocket knife and plunged it deep into the body of the pumpkin.
The pumpkin bled red – watermelon red.
“Cheater, cheater. Smash it, smash it!” chanted appalled race fans.
Aaker ripped the illegal melon from its ashen owner’s hands and rolled it out to the center of the race track. Then, after donning protective goggles from chief Pumpkin Race medical officer Dr. Idris Al-Oboudi, Aaker lifted the Mallet of Justice high over his head and splattered the melon into the front row of fans. It took track officials nearly 20 minutes to sweep up the rind and slippery black seeds so racing could safely resume. But the integrity of the 21st Annual World Famous Manhattan Beach Pumpkin Race had been preserved.
A record 814 pumpkin racecars participated in Sunday’s event.
The fastest time of the day was recorded by “Samava,” a cutting-edge pumpkin racecar from the garage of Team Zislis. “Samava,” which is named after Michael Zislis’ young twins Sam and Ava,  also elicited suspicion and the cries of “Cheater, cheater. Smash it, smash it!” from fans and competitors. But after a lengthy review of the rule book, focusing on rule two, officials declared “Samava” the winner.
What sparked the Zislis controversy was “Samava’s” wheel alignment, which incorporated in-line skates technology.
Rule two requires pumpkin race builders to “insert two independent axles through your pumpkin and attach wheels to the axles.”
Team Zislis’ axles weren’t “inserted” in the pumpkin, competitors protested. Instead, the axles and the wheels were secured to “wheel frames.” A single, non rotating shaft was inserted into the pumpkin to secure the wheel frames.
“This is like Dennis Connor entering a catamaran in theAmerica’s Cup. Or the FIVB allowing net serves. It bastardizes the sport,” one old school pumpkin racer complained.
But race director Karl Rogers upheld the officials’ finding. Rogersacknowledged that every year there is controversy surrounding rule two, but he rejected murmured accusations that his decision was influenced by the Team Zislis’ sponsorship of the prestigious race.
Team LA Car Guy, another major sponsor, entered two pumpkin racecars and neither made it past the first round, Rogers pointed out during a press conference following the race.
“Sometime’s it’s luck,”Rogerssaid. “Sometimes it’s design. This year’s winner had an innovative design.”
Zislis pointed out that this was his first win in three years of racing pumpkins with in-line wheels.
“The race is always 90 percent luck because even if you have the fastest pumpkin, you can be taken out by a crash,” Zislis said.
The team owner did acknowledge sparing no effort to bring home the coveted trophy.
He said pit boss Jeff Neu fine-tuned the pumpkin when it reached pit row with a rolling tool chest equipped with drills, Allen wrenches and saws. Special attention was also given to the in-line wheel assembly.
“I had a friend Clark Drake machine threads on the inside of the axles and mount the wheels with German skateboard bearings to the axle with an Allen wrench,” Zislis said.
“I have been a proponent of all events in the downtown and feel I was shown absolutely no favoritism. I waited in line for over an hour and a half to race four pumpkins with our four children,” he added.
Zislis suggested that in future years organizers require pumpkin racecar builders to use only officially sanctioned axles and wheels.
“It would put everyone on an even playing field. It would be more like stock car racing,” he said.
Rogersfounded the World Famous Pumpkin Race in 1990 when he invited friends to celebrate his 28th birthday by racing pumpkins downLongfellow Avenue. The following year, the number of entries doubled. By 2006, over 1,000 fans were attending the event, which had been moved to the Holliday residence inManhattan Beach. The growing popularity of the race promptedRogersto ask the city’s permission to move the race downtown, to lowerManhattan Beach Boulevard.
Sunday was the final production of the race by Rogers, Steve Hunter and other founding members.
Next year, it will become an official City of Manhattan Beach event. The race founders will continue to serve on the steering committee.
“It’s a cross between the [Boy Scouts] Pinewood Derby, which was founded inManhattan Beach, and theManhattan Beachsix-man volleyball tournament,”Rogerssaid. “If you can visualize the two of those meeting and having offspring, this would be it.”
Sunday’s race was sponsored by the Manhattan BeachParksand Recreation Department, LA Car Guy, Skechers, Dealer.com, Zislis Group, Grow and other local merchants. For more information, visit PumpkinRace.com. To see more photos, visit easyreadernews.com. ER
