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Cub Scout Pack 116
(Centerville, Ohio)
 
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Derby Format


The overall goal of our derby is to promote good sportsmanship and good craftsmanship in our scouts.  To that end we work to have the scouts build and race their own cars.  We focus quite a bit on having them race their own cars.  This is what drives us to run the race the way we do.

Our race is run as a series of double elimination tournaments with the scouts racing their own cars head to head.

The derby starts with time trials and check in on Friday and then race day on Saturday.

Check-in
Option 1 - Come to the Friday night time trials and check-in.  You can test out your car and make adjustment and then check your car in.  Once you check in your car it stays there for the night and your all ready for the race.

Option 2 - Check in on race day starting at 8:30 am.  Each den will be assigned a specific deadline for check-in.  In order to race you must be checked-in prior to your dens deadline.

At check-in we put your car through a series of checks to make sure it meets specifications.  All cars must pass this test in order to race.

Den Races
Each den has its own tournament.  We start racing Saturday morning at 9:00 am and work our way through the dens.  The den races should be over by noon.  Each den will be given a race time.  In order for a car to race it MUST be checked in by the deadline.

Once the check-in deadline has passed the race bracket will be LOCKED.

Each den races in a mini double elimination tournament -- this is not a timed race.  The boys race their cars head to head on two different tracks.  Each boy is guaranteed at least four races against two different racers. 

Each boy races his own car, by placing it on the track themselves.  Placement of the car on the track is a very important part of the race.  If the scout is not available then an impartial scout leader will place the car.  Races will not be held up while waiting on scouts and the parent of the scout is not allowed to place the car or help place the car.

For den races we award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies.

Special Category Judging
We break for lunch and judge the cars for subjective criteria and award 1st, 2nd and 3rd for categories such as: 

Best In Show, Most Original, Best Scout Theme, Most Patriotic, Best Primitive, Most Humorous, Best Sporting Theme.

Additionally, the Pack Cub Master will select the one car that he finds most deserving of recognition and award it the "Cub Master Award".

Open Race
We then have races which are open to: Pack Parents, Den Leaders and Siblings of current cubs.  Essentially this allows the siblings and parents to get involved yet still allow each scout to work on their own car.

Pack Championship Race
Around 4:00 we have the pack championship races.

Then award pack championship trophies 3rd place, 2nd place and… THE PACK CHAMPION!

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place pack championship cars plus the top placing tiger cub go on to the district championship race.


As you might expect it takes a LOT of work to run this event and thus a LOT of volunteer help.  We need volunteers for: check in, starters, finish Line, setup on Friday, and tear-down afterward.  All volunteers need to be set prior to race day so if your asked please make every effort to help out.

Rules


Pack 116 follows the same guidelines as the Wright Brothers District.

**Cars must be built with the BSA Official Grand Prix kit handed out by the pack. **

Here are the District Spec’s:

A. The car must have been made during the current year (the year in which the derby is held).

B. Width - overall width shall not exceed 2.75” (2-3/4 inches).

C. Length - overall length shall not exceed 7 inches.  (Note: check your length, cars out of the box are sometimes over 7 inches.)

D. Height - overall height shall not exceed 3.5 (3-1/2) inches.  (Note: the starting gate on the track is the reason for this limit. You can exceed this limit for judging, if the item can be removed when racing.)

E. Weight - Shall not exceed 5 ounces.

F. Wheel bearings, washers, bushings or hubcaps are prohibited.

G. No solid axles, only the official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby kits with nails for axles can be used.  Wheel base can not exceed 4.75” (4-3/4 inches) Center to Center of axle.

H. The car shall not ride on any kind of springs.

I. Dry Lubricant only. No Liquid Lubricant allowed.  [For more info, look for Hob-E-Lube or Tube-O-Lube graphite lubricant at your local hobby store or favorite on-line merchant]

J. Wheels can be sanded to remove surface imperfections, but the treads must be left flat. Wheels can not be any smaller than 1.170” diameter. Can not remove any significant amount of plastic - inside or outside of wheel. Only the official wheels supplied with the Grand Prix kit are acceptable. Car with modified wheels will be disqualified to run. No hubcaps of any sort are allowed.

K. Must have a .375” (3/8 inch) clearance under the car body. Low hanging weights must be moved to an other part of the car or recess into the bottom of the car to pass the .375” clearance.

L. Any details added must be within length, width, and weight limits.

M. No loose materials of any kind are allowed on the car. If anything falls off during or after a race, it stays off.

In addition to the district rules there are a few important specifications required for racing on the pack track:

Minimum Width Between wheels on both the front and the back is 1 and ¾ inches due to the design of the pack track.

No part of the car shall be allowed to extend past the starting gate.  Keep in mind the starting gate uses a single ¼ inch vertical pin that sticks up 1 and ½ inches above the track.  This should be kept in mind when designing the front end of your car.

As stated earlier all parts must be standard BSA parts from the Grand Prix Pinewood Derby kit.  NO special wheels or axels are PERMITTED.

The decisions made by the race committee  to resolve any conflict will be final.  Membership on the race committee is open to all those that are interested.

Attachments
Icon File Name Comment  
derby_car_cutouts.pdf  
how_to_use_a_coping_saw.pdf  
Pinewood_Derby_Construction_Manual.pdf  
Pinewood_Patterns_v2.pdf