2009 Pinewood Derby
Timucua District – Gulf Ridge Council
Valrico, FL /
2009 Pinewood Derby
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Burns Middle School
· The top 4 Tigers, 4 Cubs (Wolves and Bears), and 4 Webelos (1st and 2nd year) from the speed race will have the opportunity to represent Pack 61 at the Timucua District Pinewood Derby on Saturday, March 22, 2009.
· The top 18 design contest winners will be based 6 categories. Pack 61 can submit 18 design cars to the District Pinewood Derby. These will be one winner from Tigers, Cubs, and Webelos in each of the design categories.
o Historic Car/Truck, Military, Scout Theme, Sports/Games, Movie/TV Character, Space
· All cars must past the same registration inspection
· Design cars can race for speed in the Pack races. If the car wins for speed, it will not be judged for design. All design cars will be entered into the speed race, unless the scout requests it not be included.
· Design Cars must register Friday night if they are to be judged002E
All scouts must be in full ‘class A’ uniform
Pinewood Derby Schedule
Food will be available for purchase
Friday, January 30, 2009
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM / Track and Race Setup6:30 PM – 8:30 PM / Registration for Design Cars / Speed Cars
Saturday, January 31, 2009
08:00 AM – 09:00 AM / Registration for Speed Only Cars08:00 AM – 09:00 AM / Design Category Judging
09:00 AM – 11:30 AM / Racing
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM / Award Ceremony
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM / Cleanup
Awards
1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place trophies for speed race for Tigers, Cubs, and Webelos
18 trophies for the design categories. One trophy per category per rank.
Questions?
http://www.pack61.com
2009 PINEWOOD DERBY RULES
GENERAL RULES
1. Each boy should build his car with adult supervision. Adults should not build cars while boys watch.
2. Each car should be built new this Scouting season, from new materials. Do not recycle last year’s fast car, best wheels, etc.
3. Each car must be the same car that qualified at the pack and district derbies: no substitutions will be allowed.
4. Only one car per Scout will be allowed to register. No Scout will enter the speed event and the design event.
5. Scouts should be in Class A uniform and must be present to compete/win.
DESIGN CARS
Each district will be eligible to select 18 cars to send to the council event as design cars. They can submit 3 for each of the 6 design categories: one Tiger, one Cub and one Webelos car for each category. These cars will not compete in the speed race at district and council. Remember: we should be rewarding the boys’ modeling skills, not the parents’ skills!
DESIGN CAR CATEGORIES
1. Historic Car/Truck Cars should resemble a historic classic car or truck
2. Military Cars must represent the US Armed forces
3. Scout Theme Cars should represent some aspect of Cub Scouting
4. Sports/Games Cars should relate to some aspect of a sport or game
5. Movie/TV Character Cars should represent a character from TV or movie
6. Space Cars should relate to space travel or alien life
Design cars must meet all the same criteria as the speed cars and be able to race. Only the car itself will be allowed on the judging table. Add-ons and displays are great for showing off your car at home or at a pack meeting, but will not be permitted at the derby.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Cars will be judged on:
· Originality: How much creative thought went into the design?
· Craftsmanship: How much work actually went into making the car?
· Category: How well does it fit the design category?
· Scout participation: Does the craftsmanship represent the Scout’s work, or the parents?
SPEED RACE RULES
1. Maximum width including tires and axles must not exceed 2 3/4".
2. Minimum width of the body at the axles should be 1 3/4".
3. Maximum length must not exceed 7".
4. Maximum height must not exceed 6”
5. Some Pinewood Derby Tracks have a ¼” high guide rail. Low hanging weights will often drag on the track. Bottom clearance should be 3/8” but will NOT be cause for disqualification.
6. The wheelbase (distance between the axles) must not exceed the distance between the precut axle slots on the standard pinewood block, i.e. 4 3/8". Shortening the wheelbase will be permitted.
7. All four wheels must be used, and all four must touch the track. No wheel shall ride upon the center guide strip. No extra guide pins, rollers or wheels designed to ride on or against the center guide strip will be allowed.
8. The car may not exceed 5 ounces as determined by the scale at the race.
9. Axles, wheels and body must be made from the official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit, #17006. No store-bought preformed bodies.
10. The wheels may be lightly sanded or polished to remove bumps and blemishes. They must not be ground down, grooved, hollowed out, carved, cut, shaved or otherwise redesigned. Original ridges and raised letters must still be visible.
11. No magnet of any type will be allowed on any speed car
12. The race car may not be constructed or treated in such a way that the track's starting mechanism imparts momentum to the car. (For instance, this provision disqualifies cars with sticky substances on the front of the car and protrusions which may catch on the starting pin.) No part of the car may extend forward of the point where the car touches the starting post.
13. The wheels should be lubricated with graphite or powdered silicone. Oil and other liquid lubricants are prohibited.
14. Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
15. The car must not ride on any kind of springs or suspension system, other than a suspension system that is actually carved from the pinewood block.
16. Loose materials are not allowed on the cars.
17. No moving or liquid weights are allowed.
The Derby officials reserve the right to determine a cars eligibility or ineligibility to race if an unfair practice is discovered that is not covered in these rules. The officials’ objective is to hold a race that is fair to all boys. Boys whose cars are in violation of the rules will be given the chance (time permitting) to make their cars
legal. Any cars found to be in violation of the rules will be offered the opportunity to register for the Outlaw Class if they can meet those requirements.
Scouting encourages good sportsmanship. Cars will be disqualified if the Scout or his parents display unsportsmanlike conduct on the race site. Remember, the object is for all Scouts to have a great time!
Thoughts and Purpose of the Derby
As we approach our Pinewood derby in January, please keep in mind that this is a golden opportunity for a scout and adult to work together in the work shop. It is unfair for the adult to make the scout’s car (against the rules), but it is also unfair to make the scout do all aspects himself. This is a learning and skill building experience. Like learning to do math, or spelling, guidance is needed. The scout should come up with the idea for the design, pick the paint colors, cut out as much of the wood as is safe, sand and paint the car. And polish and attach axles and wheels if possible. It is the adult’s job to help the child with planning, with learning to use new tools, introduce power tools (where appropriate), check the weight of the car (just under 5 oz.) and in general, empower the scout with the ability to succeed! The longer you spend in the ‘work shop’ together, the greater the true success. True Winning in the Pinewood Derby can be measured in quality time with your Scout.
How Do we Find the Fastest Cars?
The Pack 61 track has 4 lanes. Each car will run a single heat on each of the 4 lanes. A computer is used to time each car on the track. The computer then drops the slowest time for a car, and calculates its average for the other three heats. The winners are ranked based on their average speed across their three best heats. You are not competing directly with the other cars on the track with you.
Cool Looking Cars Win Too!
While there are twelve trophies awarded for speed, there are eighteen trophies awarded for design. Please remember this when your scout designs his car. Cars entered in the design category can also be entered in the speed race. If a car wins for speed, it will not be eligible for the design category for the Pack, but can be entered in either for the District.
Have fun this year in the workshop with your scout!
Chartered by the Brandon ’86 Rotary Club
PO Box 718
Brandon, FL 33509
http://www.pack61.com