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Mountain View resident Alison Parman took fifth place among hundreds of drivers at the 2008 All American Soap Box Derby, the largest soap box race in the world, held last weekend in Akron, Ohio.

Racing her pink car in the stock class, the Saint Simons student won race after race before being eliminated in the final rounds.

The Akron event was the largest such gathering in the 71-year history of the sport, with 608 drivers, according to local organizer Joe Sparaco.

"We had five cars representing the Silicon Valley Soap Box Derby Club there, and we truly made our mark," Sparaco said in an e-mail.

— Daniel DeBolt

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