That was the advice of children and adults Monday who competed in the third annual Bayfield 3000 Soapbox Racer Classic.

"The faster you go, the better chance you have of winning," said Kaleb Koerner, 9, the son of Wayne and Christine Koerner.

About 21 racers and 16 derby cars competed in the Labor Day race. The course, called Dove Ranch Speedway - which is really just a residential road in north Bayfield - is mostly straight with a few turns. It is 3,000 feet long and has about 600 feet of descent.

For his first race, Koerner completed the course in 1 minute and 34 seconds. He was clocked crossing the finish line going 28 mph.

"I thought it was real cool," he said.

Koerner did better on his second run, beating a fellow racer to the finish line.

"I didn't get into the front until after the middle," Koerner said. "I knew I passed him, and then I never saw him get in front of me again."

Adults participated in their own category of races.

Eric Herting, 47, raced a car he built from scratch three years ago for First National Bank. It has a steel frame, wood and fiberglass skin, and four-wheel disc brakes. To drive, Herting crawls into a small opening and lies down.

"It's like a coffin," he said, with only his head sticking up. He steers and brakes by using cross bars inside the casket.

The car usually reaches 55 mph to 56 mph on Dove Ranch Speedway, he said.

"You get an extreme sense of speed being that low to the ground," Herting said. "It feels like you're going 100 miles per hour."

For parents, the event presents a good chance to bond with their children, but it can also be a terrifying experience to watch a youngster speed down the street in a wobbly box with wheels.

Karin Rhodes, a mother of two racers, stood at the top of the hill when a child crashed. She ran down the hill fearing the worse, but she soon learned it was not her son, and the other racer was OK.

"I have five kids that will be involved next year," Rhodes said of the race. "It's a great family project. You can't go wrong with something like this."

Between races, spectators enjoyed concessions, live music and a beer garden. One of the live acts was Psychedelic Mojo, a group of junior high school students, including one of Rhodes' sons, Ian Sandrey, 14, on vocals.

Dove Ranch developer Bradley Elder, who started the Bayfield 3000 in 2006, said it costs about $20,000 to hold the event once a year.

About $15,000 of that comes from local sponsors such as BP America.

"We lose a little money every year, but I'm hoping we can break even next year," Elder said.

Organizers considered becoming a sanctioned Soapbox Derby event, but there were too many restrictions and guidelines to follow, Elder said.

"That didn't seem like nearly as much fun as getting in something and going downhill and letting it rip," he said.

Next year, Elder wants anyone with a four-wheel creation to participate.

Several hundred residents turned out for Monday's race, but spectator numbers were down from previous years, Elder said - possibly because thunder clouds were in the air and people feared rain. It was a dry day and temperatures were pleasant, however.

Colorado State Patrol Julia Kohlerschmidt stood at the finish line with a radar gun to clock racers' speeds. But instead of trying to slow down drivers, she was cheering for them to go fast.

"We're out here encouraging speed, for once," she said.

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