Bobby Nickoli

Bobby Nickoli, 71, started racing in the Cleveland Soap Box Derby in 1960, winning the local race and competing in the All-American Soap Box Derby in 1964. As a teenager, he helped promote the Soap Box Debry through presentations at Boy Scout meetings. In the late 1960s, he helped launch the Soap Box Derby in Amherst, Ohio, and later became active in the Cleveland race, where he has served as an inspector and race director. Nickoli helped plan and build the permanent Cleveland racetrack. He joined the A-Team at the All-American Soap Box Derby in 2003 and served as a member of the Racing Commission from 2015 through 2019. Nickoli helped set up the Ultimate Speed division in the early 2000s and continued as an Ultimate Speed official through 2018. He also helped launch the Legacy division in 2019. Nickoli is a member of the competition committee and is an honorary member of the Soap Box Derby board of directors. He is a retired accountant.