Overview

Pack 31 will hold the 1998 Pinewood Derby Model Car Race in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church at 820 Colonial Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia on Monday, January 26, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. Every Pack 31 Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos Scout is invited to participate in the Pinewood Derby.

The Pinewood Derby is one of the most popular events in Cub Scouting! Every year more than one million boys team up with a parent or other adult helper to design, carve, decorate, weigh, adjust, fret over, and finally race a Pinewood Derby car. The primary objective of the Derby is to have fun, of course. But along the way, the Derby helps each scout to build a team relationship with his parent or helper and fosters in him the sense of accomplishment and excitement that only comes from competition. Like any sporting event, the Derby also teaches the importance of sportsmanship and playing by the rules, and about winning and losing with dignity.

A Little Bit of History

Derbies of one kind or another have always been a part of Cub Scouting. As early as 1939, the BSA Supply Division listed kits for model planes, boats, and airplanes. The derbies have been viewed as a good way to get parents and sons to work in partnership on a project.

The Pinewood Derby probably began in 1953, in Manhattan Beach, California. That year, the members of Cub Scout Pack 280C built model cars from wood blocks and raced them down an inclined track. They called their race a Pinewood Derby. The next year, the October issue of Boy's Life (published by the Boy Scouts of America) referred to the Pinewood Derby. The year after that, the BSA leadership materials included instructions for running a Pinewood Derby, and the BSA Supply Division began selling model car kits.

The rules of the very first race stated:

"The derby is run in heats ­ two to four cars starting by gravity from a standstill on a track and run down a ramp to a finish line unaided. The track is an inclined ramp with wood strips down the center to guide the cars."

They still roll that way, almost 45 years later, accompanied by shouts of excitement and grins of delight!

A number of other youth organizations hold similar derbies, usually changing very little about them, other than their names. For example, Scouts Canada have the Kub Kar Rally and the Christian Service Brigade have the Shape N Race Derby.

Pack 31's Derby

Pack 31's 1998 Pinewood Derby will be held on Monday, January 26, 1998. Weigh-in and inspection will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Racing will begin at 7:00 p.m.

The rules and regulations for the Pinewood Derby are set forth in the enclosure entitled 1998 Pinewood Derby Rules. It is very important that each team read and follow the Rules closely.

A Preliminary Registration Form and Questionnaire is attached and should be completed by each team and returned to your Den Leader. In addition to helping the Pinewood Derby Commissioner to predict how many contestants to expect on Derby night, the Preliminary Registration Form allows us to gauge your interest in certain optional events, like the Derby Car Workshop and the Oldsters' Roadsters Race. PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN A PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION FORM AND QUESTIONNAIRE TO YOUR DEN LEADER BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1997.

Making a Derby Car

Each member of Pack 31 will receive one Official BSA Pinewood Derby Kit from his Den Leader. Extra kits will be available for purchase for $3.00/kit. Contestants are urged to review the Rules carefully before beginning. Here are a few general tips and suggestions:

The scout and his parent or other adult helper should design and build the car together as a project! It is not the Pack's intent that Mom or Dad show their son the garage door and then walk away. Neither is it our intent that the scout play video games while Mom or Dad cuts and sands. The parent or other adult helper should shape the wooden block with power tools, but then simply direct the rest of the action by showing the boy each step in building a car.

Draw the car design on paper then cut it out and use it as a template. For best results, use graph paper (the paper with the little squares on it) to make it easier. Draw a side view and a top view on the paper by tracing around the block of wood.

Keep the car a full seven inches in length. Don't ask why, but it has to do with the physics of velocity and length of travel of the weights!

Use the full 2-3/4 inches (outside wheel to outside wheel) that the Rules allow. This will allow the wheels to travel further before hitting the center strip.

Leave a lot of wood in the back to put in the weights. And don't forget about the weights. They are available for purchase at the Scout Store and at many other craft shops. A typically designed car without weights may weigh as little as 60% or less of the maximum allowable weight. All other things being equal, a heavier car will run faster.

Don't wait until the last minute!!! For the best results, plan your work in stages over several weeks.

Use your imagination. Be creative. Shape has the least to do with winning. A beaver driving a log or even a pickup truck is more interesting than a simple wedge and will be just as fast. The aerodynamics of a small block of wood doesn't mean that much on a 32 foot track. Consider these shapes:

Hot Dog

Banana

Shark

Watermelon Wedge

Swiss Cheese Wedge with a Mouse Driver

Ice Cream Bar

Batmobile

Carrot Driven By a Rabbit

Pencil

Tow Truck

Coffin Driven By Skeleton

Fire Truck

Train Engine

Ambulance with Lights

There is a wealth of information on the Internet about building and racing Pinewood Derby Cars. For starters, go to your favorite search engine (e.g., Yahoo!) and search for "Pinewood Mania."

Additional Information

For additional information, contact this year's Pinewood Derby Commissioner:

Michael Cole

622-2686 (home after 7:00 p.m.)

MHC1594@aol.com (email)

Part A: The Cars

1. Length, Width, and Clearance

(a) Cars must be built using the materials in the Official Pinewood Derby Racing Car Kit. This includes the pinewood block, axles, and wheels. Separately purchased items (contoured pinewood bodies, machined wheels, polished axles) are specifically prohibited. The body of the car may be shaped, hollowed out, or built up from the original block, so long as it meets all other specifications. All additions to the original block (steering wheels, drivers, decals, paint, weights, etc.) must be firmly attached.

(b) A car must be built after November 1, 1997 for entry in the 1998 Pack 31 Pinewood Derby. No car made for a previous race will be allowed.

(c) The maximum overall width of a car (including wheels and axles) is 2-3/4 inches.

(d) The minimum distance between the left and right wheels (front and back) is 1-3/4 inches so the car will clear the race track's center guide strip.

(e) The minimum clearance (the distance from the bottom of the car to the bottom of the wheels) is 3/8 of an inch so the car will clear the center guide strip.

(f) The maximum length of the car is 7 inches.

(g) The maximum height of the car is 5-1/2 inches.

(h) The wheel base (the distance between front and rear axles) may not be changed from the body kit distance of 4-1/4 inches.

(i) Cars may not protrude beyond the starting post.

2. Weight and Appearance

(a) The weight of the car may not exceed 5.0 ounces (141.7 grams). The readings of the Official Race Scale will be considered final. The car may be hollowed out or built up to the maximum weight by the addition of wood or metal only, provided it is securely built into the body or firmly affixed to it. No loose materials of any kind are permitted in or on the car.

(b) Details such as steering wheel, driver, spoiler, decals, painting, and interior details are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width, and weight specifications.

(c) Cars with wet paint will not be accepted.

3. Wheels and Axles

(a) Only the official Scout Grand Prix wheels and axles can be used. Axles may be polished. Wheels may be lightly sanded to remove the mold projection on the tread. This light sanding is the only wheel modification allowed. Beveling, tapering, thin sanding, wafering or lathe turning of the wheels is prohibited.

(b) Wheel bearings, washers, or bushings are prohibited.

(c) Car shall not ride on any type of springs.

(d) Cars must be free wheeling with no starting device, spring, rubber band, stored energy or other propulsion.

4. Lubrication

(a) Only dry powdered lubricants, such as graphite, may be used. Regular oils and silicon sprays are expressly prohibited.

(b) Cars may be lubricated before inspection and impoundment only. No other lubrication will be permitted.

Part B: Inspection and Impoundment

1. Inspection

(a) At the time of registration, each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspection Team before it may compete in the Pinewood Derby. The Inspection Team has the right to disqualify any car that does not meet the specifications described in these Rules. Car owners will be informed of any violations and given an opportunity to modify the car to meet these Rules.

(b) Cars can be reinspected at any time. If the car does not meet specifications, it must be brought into compliance before the last heat of that race or be disqualified.

2. Impoundment. Upon registration, each car will be impounded. After being impounded, repairs will be limited to replacement of axles/wheels that are broken/lost during the race.

3. Appeals and Sportsmanship

(a) Any participant (including a parent of a participant) has the right to appeal to the Judging Committee for an interpretation of these rules. The Judging Committee, by majority vote, will be the final interpreter of these rules. In case of a tie vote, the decision of the Race Committee Chairperson will be final.

(b) Ungentlemanly or unsportsmanlike conduct by any participant or member of the audience will be grounds for expulsion from the competition and/or the race area.

Part C: The Race

1. Four Divisions. Racers will be divided into TIGER, WOLF, BEAR, and WEBELOS divisions.

2. Double Elimination. Racing will be conducted in head-to-head heats with double elimination. Each car will race in a minimum of two heats and continue thereafter until the car has lost twice. First, second and third place awards will be given for each division.

3. One Car Per Team. A scout may only enter one car in the race event. No back-up car may be substituted once the race begins. The scout may enter additional cars in the competition for the style awards described in Paragraph 5 below.

4. Finalists. The first place cars from each division will compete in a finalists' runoff to determine the finishing order for the entire Pack. Each finalist will receive a trophy.

5. Other Awards. During the race, there will be judging for additional awards in various style categories, including BEST PAINT JOB, MOST ORIGINAL DESIGN, FUNNIEST CAR, MOST UNUSUAL CAR, and many others. Every contestant will receive a participation ribbon.

Please enter me in the 1998 Pinewood Derby Model Car Race to be held in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church at 820 Colonial Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia on Monday, January 26, 1998 at 7:00 p.m.

Scout's

Name: ______________________________________________

Division

(please

check one): TIGER WOLF BEAR WEBELOS

Oldsters'

Roadster

Division: If enough adults are interested, we will hold an Oldsters' Roadster Division race at the end of the night. Any parent or other adult helper who would like to enter his own model car may participate. The official Derby Rules will apply and the winner will receive the honorary title of 1998 Pinewood King. Please indicate below whether the parent or adult helper of the scout named above will participate in the Oldsters' Division race: YES NO

If yes, please give the adult's name:__________________________________

Derby

Car

Workshop: If enough scouts are interested (and if a suitable location can be found), we will hold a Derby Car Workshop in late December or early January to help scouts get started on their cars. Attendance would be optional, but any scout who attends must come with his adult team member. Power tools and some good and not-so-good advice would be provided. Please indicate below whether your team would like to participate in a Derby Car Workshop: YES NO

PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN

TO YOUR DEN LEADER BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1997

1998 Pinewood Derby

Information Packet