Qualification:
All registered Cub Scouts, Parents and Siblings may design, build and enter
cars.
Essential
Materials: All
cars entered shall be constructed from the "Official Grand Prix Pinewood
Derby Kit" as distributed at the December Pack meeting. Additional kits may be purchased from the
Pack.
Attendance: The Cub Scout MUST
enter his own car. This means that the Cub Scout must be present at
"Inspection and Registration" to enter his car into competition.
"New
Work": Construction
of ALL entries MUST have been constructed this year.
Single
Entry per Person: Only
one car may be registered by any person in the Pinewood Derby.
Inspection
and Registration: Each
car must pass an inspection before it may compete. Inspection and registration
of cars will occur from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Friday evening and before the race
from 9:00 am to 10:00 am the day of the race.
Impound: No car may be altered
in any way after it has been registered.
After a car passes registration, it will be placed in an impound area
until the car races.
Weight: Racecars may weigh no
more than five (5) ounces (total weight) as determined on the official scale
during the pre-race check-in. Note: The
official scale will be available during the pit stop on 18 January.
Wheels
and Axles: The
car shall roll on the wheels from the kit. The wheels shall turn about the axle
nails from the kit. The axle nails shall be firmly affixed to the wood of the
car body. It must be obvious to the
judges that the wheels and the nails from the kit are being used.
Size: Racecars may be no
longer than 7 inches, nor wider than 2-3/4 (2.75) inches, as determined by the
official gages during the Registration and Inspection. Underside clearance of
at least 3/8 (0.375) inches and inside wheel-to-wheel clearance of at least
1-3/4 (1.75) inches is recommended, so that the car will run on the
racetrack. Adequate clearance is the
responsibility of the racecar builder.
Weights
and Attachment: Weight
may be added to the car and will be considered part of the car for purposes of
all measurements. "Weight" is considered to be any material on the
car that is not provided in the kit. All weight must be securely fastened to
the car, e.g. by permanent glue, nails or screws, but not by "sticky
substances", e.g. tape, or tack spray. Weights shall be passive, i.e.
non-moveable, non-magnetic, non-electric, non-sticky, etc.
Wheel
Treatment: Wheel
treatment (hub and tread smoothing and polishing) may not result in substantial
removal of mass or in reducing the wheel width from the original kit
wheels. Wheels may not be machined to a
beveled condition and the portion of the wheel surface that contacts the track
must remain parallel to the axle.
Unacceptable
Construction: The
following may NOT be used in conjunction with the wheels or axles: washers,
inserts, sleeves, or bearings.
Lubricants: Only dry lubricants such as graphite or
powdered Teflon "white lube" will be allowed for lubricating the
wheels. Lubricants may not foul the track.
There will be a lubrication table set up at the race. In the interest of fairness, NO lubrication
will be allowed after a car has been registered and impounded.
Car
Leaves Lane or Track: If a car leaves its lane or track, the
track will be inspected and the race will be re-staged and re-run. If the same car again leaves its lane or
track, that car will be judged last place.
Car
Repair: If,
during the race, a wheel falls off or the car becomes otherwise damaged, then
the SCOUT may, to the best of his ability perform repairs with the assistance
of his adult partner or Pit Crewmember.
No
Finishers: If,
during a race heat, no car reaches the finish line on the track, the car that
went the farthest in its lane shall be declared as the heat winner.
The
Race Area: Only
race officials may enter the track area. This rule will be strictly enforced.
Unlimited Race: The
purpose of the unlimited Race is for the siblings and parents to have a little
fun. All parents and siblings are
encouraged to build their own cars. The unlimited race will be held after we
have an overall winner of the scout’s race.
The same rules apply for the unlimited race as the scout’s race.
This project is
a parent and son event, and is recommended as such by the National Boy Scouts
of America. The Pinewood Derby Committee STRONGLY SUGGESTS that each parent
emphasize this idea with your son. In all of the events, we require that the
cars be built this year.
Sportsmanship:
Two things the
Pinewood Derby requires each participant to learn are 1) the craft skills
necessary to build a car, and 2) the rules that must be followed. Even more
important, though, is how we act and behave while participating in the Pinewood
Derby or any other group activity. This is called sportsmanship.
The first thing
to remember about sportsmanship is that everyone's skills are a little
different. You may be good at something like singing or drawing, but not as
good at something else like basketball or computers. Parents have different
skill levels, too. This doesn't mean that you are a good person one time and
not good another time. You can always be a good person, whether or not you have
good car-building skills. Remember, you and your friends are individuals first and
racers second. This idea is often called having respect for others.
The second thing
to remember is to follow the rules. Without rules, there would be no Pinewood
Derby. You will never know if you are really good at doing something unless you
follow the rules. This is often called being honest.
The third thing
to remember about good sportsmanship is that there are winners and losers in
every competition. You accept this when you choose to compete. There may be
times when you win and feel happy, and times when you lose and feel unhappy.
Being a winner is easy, and losing is sometimes hard. If you win, you must not
brag or gloat. If you lose, you must not feel jealous or bitter. To be a
good sportsman, you must be able to say, "I did my best" and be satisfied
with the results. You must also be able to appreciate and feel happy for
someone else when they run a good race or build a neat car.