It’s that time again. Pinewood Derby is being held at almost every elementary school right around now. Our local races were last night, and technology has definitely had an impact since our oldest son was racing some 15 years ago!

These days, as you are probably already aware, the races are judged with a laser beam and digital count. It’s pretty neat. The track we saw last night was a four lane with a high slope at the start, and laser read digital display at the bottom. Not only does the digital display allow more than one placer (2 second place, for instance), but the information is also captured on a laptop for final judging.

Each den used to be allowed to write their own rules and guidelines, taking into consideration that the more wins, the higher the level of competition, and ultimately there are guidelines to those races. Usually the differences had to do with what the younger dens getting some wiggle room, not anything big.  You wouldn’t want to win, for example, on flimsy rules where you would be out of the running in the higher levels. Bearing that in mind, the rules outlined for Pack 871, our local Cub Scout Pack, were the Boy Scouts of America Official Grand Pix Derby Rules, using the official kit only. Most are done that way for obvious reasons.

Axle Placement Update

The official rules don’t allow your own grooves for the axle placement. That’s contrary to the advice given earlier. While the dens may get away with that, the packs won’t. Now that the tracks have individual lanes, it just doesn’t matter. That car will run straight, no matter what speed! If the pre-cut grooves aren’t square and parallel, the car will just be slower. The BSA rules say there are NO exceptions to the factory cut grooves, so if it isn’t square, it probably needs to be returned and swapped out.

Rocket Scientist Pinewood Derby

Picture by Katie H

It’s great to see what these kids are up to now. The coolest thing I’ve seen so far is the Rocket Scientist competition. WOW.  Only a handful of rules similar to the Pinewood Derby rules. The difference is in the propulsion methods.  With the exclusion of explosives or anything that might harm the track, anything goes!

My daughter took these pictures. I see photojournalism in her future!

When did all the technology start seeping into the Pinewood Derby? I like it.

picture by Pinecar

Pinewood Derby cars are a lot of fun, but it takes a little know how to get the most out of your experience. Whether you got your kit from your scout leader or picked it up yourself at a Boy Scout Store, you probably opened it up and went, “Now what do I do with this wood?” I remember the first time we opened our son’s kit. We had no idea how to make a car out of it, or how to make it competitive!

My husband and I were talking about Pinewood racing the other day, and it brought back some great memories. Here’s what got us from block of wood to competition ready car.

Within Your Pinewood Derby Rules:

• The shape is yours to play with. Your car can have a cool shape, paint job, and even decals. Have your son draw it out a couple of different ways. Remember that length is critical to controlling your car, so go as long as you can.

• Within the weight limit, you should go as heavy as the rules allow. This will allow your car some speed. Weight increments start as low as 1 oz., but most are 2 oz, and are capable of breaking off at smaller increments. Positioning the weight is the fun part.

Weight Placement

You will have to purchase your own weights, but as long as you stay within the weight limit, you can use what you like. That said, after your son has given some decent input on where he thinks the weight should go, you may want to make sure you’ve guided him to weight placement in the rear of the car. Positioning is the key. The further towards the back, the faster your car will be. That’s tricky because you will sacrifice some front-end stability. You can regain control by placing your rear wheels as far to the back as possible.

Drilling out a place for the weight is a good idea because of the weight exchange. Wood displacement gives you a little more room. Some competitors have used fishing weights, closing the hole on the top with a wax plug.

These days the weights you can just purchase make the most sense, though. For around $4.00 you can get what you need and figure out how to adhere it without going over limit. You’ll be able to find selections at your local hobby retailer.

You don’t have to drill into the top, either. You can turn it over and completely conceal from the topside where you’ve decided to put the weight. Keep a close eye on the scale because you will become disqualified if you go over limit.

We’ll go over the axles and lubrication in my next submission.