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Proper Scout sportsmanship is expected at
all times.
All cars must pass inspection to qualify for the race and adhere to
the following specifications:
Specifications:
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The car must be made during the current Scouting year with the official Cub Scout Pinewood Derby kit.
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Cars used during previous
years are strictly prohibited.
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One kit will be provided to
each scout, contact your den
leader if you did not receive one.
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Additional kits are available
at the Scout Shop.
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Other kits, such as those available at local hardware stores may
not function properly on the track.
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The overall width of the car shall not exceed 2.75 inches
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The length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches
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The height is limited by the
finish timing gate at approximately 4 inches
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The weight of the car shall not exceed 5 ounces as determined by the scale used by the pack on the night of the Derby.
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All parts must be securely
fastened, no loose materials of any kind are allowed on or inside the
car.
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Use only axles and wheels provided in the kit.
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Wheel bearings, washers and bushings are prohibited.
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Liquid lubricants are
prohibited.
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The car shall not ride on any kind or type of springs.
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Any details added must be within length, width,
height, and weight limits.
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The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices.
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The front edge of the car must be straight
across from side to side insure that no part of the car starts in front of the starting line.
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No modifications or lubrication is permitted during the race.
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Minor repairs may be made if damaged during a race.
- Scout name should be written on the bottom of the car
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Indicate direction of travel
with an arrow under the front of the car
Check-in and Inspection:
- Scouts must present their car for inspection and final weigh-in
prior to the start of racing.
- Each car will be assigned a unique number for identification.
This number may be inked on the bottom of the car by officials.
- After inspection the car is placed on the staging table and can not be handled
further by the Scout.
- Cars will be placed on the track and started by a race official.
- Cars will be retrieved and returned to the staging table by a
race official.
Den Races:
- Den Races may be held by age/Scout rank (Tigers race against Tigers, Wolves against Wolves, etc.) Large groups may be split at the discretion of the Pack Committee.
- Den races are conducted the same as pack races by using
only the ping pong balls assigned to the scouts of the den. These
numbers need not be (and will likely not be) sequential.
Pack Races:
- At check-in, each car is assigned a number matching a numbered
ping pong ball, which is then placed in a tumbler.
- A run will consist of three racers chosen at random by selecting
ping pong balls from the well mixed tumbler.
- Each run will consist of three racers (except when all but two
racers have been eliminated, i.e. 1st and 2nd place).
- Lane selection will be random, but consistent. That is, if
the first car selected is placed on the left lane, second in the
middle, and third on the right, then that order shall remain
throughout the event.
- After each run, the used ping pong balls are placed in a
separate bin until a new round starts.
- A round ends when all active racers have raced once through.
In the event that less than three racers are left to complete a round,
additional selections (to get three racers) are made after reloading
and mixing the tumbler. In this case, the run is both the last run
of the previous round and the first run of the new round. This
does not affect the racers' advancement because of the nature of the
elimination process.
- An electronic finish gate will display 1, 2, and 3 indicating
place of finish. In the event of a tie, a run-off will be
conducted.
- A tally is kept for the racer who finishes the run in last place
(3rd).
- Once a racer has tallied four (or a number specified by
officials based on time available and number of participants) last
place finishes, the ping pong ball with his number is set aside and
not reused and the car is returned to the scout.
- Rounds are repeated in this manner until two
scouts remain with less than four last place finishes.
- When two racers remain, runs will be completed until one of the
racers has tallied four losses. Lanes should be switched for
each run.
- If a car leaves the track, runs out of its lane, interferes with another car, loses an axle, etc., the heat will be rerun
if possible.
Design Awards:
- An award for Judges Choice will selected at the end of the
official check-in period, prior to the start of racing.
- Wheel Alignment & Balance is critical – insure axle grooves are 90 degrees to the car body and that axles are inserted straight which in turn aligns the wheels straight. Place the car on a flat service and check that all wheels touch the surface and roll freely.
- Wheel Axles – Check each axle for burrs under the head of the nail. Place the axle in a drill and smooth burrs with emery cloth or a file.
- Paint car before weighing. Weigh car to determine the amount of additional weight required (if any). The Post office is a good lace to do this. Use additional wood or metal to bring the weight up to 5 ounces or slightly under (additional weight may be added at the time of the derby based upon official weigh-in). Insure that added weight does not cause the cars dimensions to exceed specifications. It is important to have your car weigh as close to 5 oz. As possible.
- Lubricate the axles and inside each wheel with powder graphite (available at hardware stores).
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