Virtual Pinewood Derby 2020 – Race Guide

Due to the current pandemic and social distancing rules we are unable to hold the Blackhawk Area Council (BAC) Pinewood in the same manner as we have done in the past. The large number of people, the closing of area schools, the fact that we are currently unable to hold even small meetings, and the potential of spreading illness are just some of the reasons we cannot hold a traditional Pinewood. The lockdown even made it impossible for some of our local units to hold their unit races.

In light of all of this the 2020 BAC Pinewood Committee has decided the only thing we can do is to scrap the event in the traditional manner. However, we still wanted to give the scouts a fun and exciting event to participate in. To that end we have organized our 1st ever virtual pinewood.

Rules & Regulations for participation in the BAC Virtual Pinewood.

1) All races will be virtual. a. Races will be posted to the Blackhawk Facebook page on July 18th b. Races will not be broadcasted live, but will be recorded as they are run. c. Races will be run by rank and posted by rank. d. Participants will not be allowed at the race venue. e. Spectators will not be allowed at the race venue. f. Only designated Pinewood Staff and sponsors will be allowed at the race venue. g. Racing participants will only be identified by participant 1st name, last initial and unit # (where applicable) to protect their safety. 2) Anyone may participate. a. Participants do not have to be the race or design winners from their unit. b. Any , Scouts BSA and youth, and non-Scout youth under age 18 is eligible to race. 3) All participants must be preregistered. a. Registration can be found on doubleknot b. There is a fee of $5 per racer c. Registration closes on June 26th d. The 1st 1,100 Cub Scouts registered will get a souvenir BAC 2020 Pinewood Patch 4) Races will be broken down by rank. a. Each rank/group; Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and AOL, Scouts BSA/Venturer, Non-Scouter, will all have their own race. b. Ranks are defined as follows; i. Lions – those scouts that were in kindergarten and Lion Scouts during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. ii. Tigers – those scouts that were in 1st grade and Tiger Scouts during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. iii. Wolves – those scouts that were in the 2nd grade and Wolf Scouts during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. iv. Bears – those scouts that were in the 3rd grade and Bear Scouts during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year.

v. Webelos – those scouts that were in the 4th grade and Bear Scouts during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. vi. Arrow of Light – those scouts that were in the 5th grade and Arrow of Light Scouts (even if they have since moved to the Scouts BSA lever) during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. vii. Scouts BSA/Venturers – all older scouts that were not registered in a Cub Scout unit during the 2019-2020 School/Scouting year. viii. Non-Scouters – Any relative, friend, or other person, ages 17 & under, that would like to participate that is not a currently registered scout in any level. c. Race level will be determined by what they were designated as during the 2019-2020 scouting year d. There will be one race for all Scouts BSA/Venturers e. There will be one race for non-scouting participants 17 & under. 5) Any pinewood car may be entered a. You can race the pinewood car you built this year. b. You can build a new pinewood car. – If you would like to build a new car kits can be ordered at www.scoutshop.org c. You can race an old pinewood car. d. Cars must be in safe race condition with all parts securely attached, e. Any cars in need of a repair during the race will be repaired by an experienced Pinewood Pit Crew Member. f. Cars deemed unsafe may be disqualified.

6) The car must meet the typical pinewood specifications: a. Width: not to exceed 2 3/4 inches b. Length: not to exceed 7 inches c. Weight: not to exceed 5.0 ounces d. Height: not to exceed 3 inches e. Clearance: The wheels are the only part of the car allowed to touch the track f. Center rail width: Wheels must clear center guide rails, no less than 1 ¾ inches minimum. g. DO NOT place weights underneath the car unless the wood is cut out and the weights are sunk flush into the surface. h. Front Edge: The front edge of the car must rest against the starting peg on the track so that the entire car is behind the peg. i. At least 4 wheels must be attached to the sides of the car body. Each wheel must be attached to the car’s wood chassis with a legal axle. Although at least 4 wheels are required, it is NOT required that all 4 wheels touch the track surface. j. Lubricants you may use include but are not limited to: Graphite, or other dry lubricants. Lubricants can be dusted on, sprayed, or brushed on provided they are dry k. DO NOT overuse graphite. Cars with graphite leaking out of the wheels when we open the box will not be run 7) All cars must be dropped off at a designated collection area. a. Cars may not be dropped off until after registration closes on June 26th. b. All cars must be dropped off at a designated drop off location no later than July 3rd. c. All racers must be preregistered in order to drop off a car. d. There will be more than one drop off location. e. Current drop off locations are; i. Crystal Lake Scout Office – 600 N. Rt. 31, Crystal Lake – June 26th to July 3rd from 3pm-6pm

ii. Rockford Scout Office – 2820 McFarland Rd, Rockford – June 26th to July 3rd from 3pm-6pm

f. More location and times for drop off will be announced on Facebook & emailed to Key 3 as soon as details are available. g. Cars may be dropped off at any collection area – but drop off location must be designated on the participant card. h. Cars must be packaged safely in a shoe box sized container. i. All containers should be securely taped. j. All containers must have a Pinewood 2020 ID card COMPLETELY filled out and securely taped to the outside top of the box (Blank ID Cards can be found on the registration page). 8) There will be a preliminary race and finals. a. Preliminary race i. All cars will race down a 6 lane track. ii. Each car will race 3 times against varying opponents. iii. All races will be bracketed, controlled, and scored by a computer timing system. iv. All races will have 2 line judges and a race official comparing the winners at the line to the race winners in the computer system at the end of each run. v. The top 4 racers, as determined by speed and points in the computer system, will advance to the finals. b. Finals Race i. The finals race will be run on a 4 lane track. ii. Each car will race down each lane once. iii. Each car will run 4 times. iv. All races will be bracketed, controlled, and scored by a computer timing system. v. All races will have 2 line judges and a race official comparing the winners at the line to the race winners in the computer system at the end of each run. vi. The top 4 finalist will be awarded.

9) There will be a design competition for all cub scouts a. The Design Competition will be broken into ranks; Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, & Arrow of Light. b. Scouts will participate in the design competition for the rank they were designated as during the 2019- 2020 scouting year. c. Design competitions will be virtual. d. All Cub Scout Cars will be photographed by a professional photographer after they have been transported to the race location. e. Best photo angle of the car will be determined by the Pinewood committee, f. Voting will take place on Facebook. i. Design competition voting will open on July 11th and will close on July 16th ii. Design Competition posts will be broken into rank. iii. Each Car will be identified on Facebook only by a Pinewood Committee assigned number. iv. Votes will be cast by “liking” the photo of the car you would like to win. v. Winners will be determined by the total number of likes on photos. vi. Each Facebook profile may only vote for ONE car in each rank. vii. Please allow your scouts to help you vote – We would like the Scouts’ input on this competition. viii. You are allowed to share the competition posts to your wall in order to promote more voting – however it should be noted in your post that there is only one vote allowed per rank. g. The top 3 winners in the design competition will be announced during the race broadcast for the corresponding rank. h. Top 3 winners will be awarded.

10) What happens after the race? a. All cars will be repackaged into the containers provided by you by the Pinewood staff. b. Cars will be returned to the location you dropped it off at and will be held for pickup by you. c. All cars must be picked up between July 14th & July 17th from 3-6pm. d. If you are unable to pick up by the deadline, please make arrangement with the BAC Pinewood Chairman Andrew Myshkowec – [email protected] 847-417-9663. e. Cars not picked up by deadlines will be donated to the Pinewood committee and will be disposed of, used as we see fit for play areas for future pinewoods, used for pinewood track tuning, or donated for use in the demo derby. 11) HAVE FUN!!! 12) BRING FRIENDS