Pinewood Derby

A primary purpose of the Pinewood Derby is to be a hands-on learning experience for each Cub Scout. Each scout is expected to fully participate in the design and preparation of a new car not previously raced in competition. Cub Scouts are expected to physically perform or assist to the best of their ability in all steps of preparing the car (within the limits of safety). This includes design, construction, painting, and finishing. Parents are asked to use restraint and avoid taking over or dominating the design process and construction of your Scout’s car. Parents AND SIBLINGS are welcome to build their own car for racing in the Open Class! 

If you need inspiration, cars from prior years can be viewed here: https://giphy.com/channel/devreed

Pack 1402 Pinewood Derby Rules

ELIGIBILITY

Cub Scout Class race is open to all registered Pack 1402 Cub Scouts and a pinewood derby race kit will be provided by the Pack.

Open Class race is open to any person affiliated with Pack 1402 and includes parents, siblings, relatives, family friends, leaders, etc. Participants in the Open Class are bound by the same rules as our Cub Scout Class. Open class racers will need to provide their own car kit. 


PREPARATION
Only the official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Car Kit (including wheels and axles) may be entered in the Derby Race.

Each scout is expected to fully participate in the design and preparation of a new car not previously raced in competition. Cars from races in previous years are not permitted in the Cub Scout class, but can be used for the Open Class.


SPECIFICATIONS
Length: The overall length of the car, including wheels, weights, and accessories, shall not exceed 7 inches.

Width: The maximum overall width of the car, including wheels, weights, and accessories, shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches. 

The minimum width between the wheels shall be 1 ¾ inches to allow the car to straddle the center guide strip.

Ground Clearance: The minimum ground clearance shall be 3/8 inch, including any accessories or weights, to allow clearance for the center guide strip. 

Note: Any weights attached to the bottom of the car should be countersunk into the body of the car to maintain the 3/8 inch ground clearance. Failing to do so  will cause the car to drag on the track resulting in poor performance. If this is caught during the impound and you will be given the opportunity to modify the design before being allowed to impound your car.

Weight: The total weight of the car and any accessories shall not exceed 5 ounces. 

Solid weight may be added to the car, provided the weight is securely attached to the car body. Weights may not be moveable, and may not be attached with tape or temporary adhesives. 

Wheels: Only Official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Car Kit wheels may be used – NO EXCEPTIONS. Wheels may be minimally sanded to remove surface imperfections but the diameter and tread width must remain at the factory dimensions of 1 3/16 inches and 3/8 inch respectively. 

Wheel tread must remain flat and parallel to the axle. The full tread must be preserved – wheels may not be rounded off. Minor sanding of surface imperfections will not get the wheel out of spec. 

No material other than dry lubricant and decorative paint may be added to the wheel. 

Additional wheel kits may be purchased at the Scout Shop if needed.

Wheelbase: Distance between front and rear axles may be altered provided the car stays within other specifications. Axles are not required to be positioned in the factory grooves.

Axles: Only Official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Car Kit axles may be used – NO EXCEPTIONS. The axle may be lightly sanded or filed to remove imperfections, but the diameter of the axle shall not be reduced or increased. 

Dry lubricant (i.e. graphite) may be used on the axles.  

Bearings, bushings, spacers, or washers are not permitted on the wheels or axles. 

Additional axles are included in the wheel kits available from the Scout Shop if needed.

**Do not intentionally angle the axles to try and run on the rims. This practice causes the wheels to stick out farther which can then rub or contact the adjacent car, ruining the race for both cars.

Lubrication: Axles and wheels may be lubricated with dry lubricant, such as graphite or white Teflon powder as sold at the Scout Shop. Excess lubricant should be removed before weigh-in at the time of Impound. You will not get your car back after Impound so you won’t be able to add lubricant just before the race.

liquid-based lubricants (e.g. oil or grease) are not permitted. 

Suspension: The car body shall have no moving parts. The axles must not be moveable relative to the body of the car. The car shall not ride on any type of springs or suspension. The body shall not be constructed in such a way as to provide shock absorption or dampening effects.

Accessories: Accessories such as steering wheels, drivers, exhaust pipes, stickers, etc. may be used provided they are securely attached to the car and the car stays within all specifications.

Numbers: All cars will be numbered at the time of weigh-in at the Impound. Any decorative numbers applied with paint or decals will be disregarded during the race.

Propulsion: The car must rely on gravity as its only means of propulsion. No magnets or other starting devices are permitted.


INSPECTION AND WEIGH-IN
Each car must pass inspection from the Pack 1402 Pinewood Derby Committee in order to be eligible to race. The inspection will be performed immediately prior to impound. The inspection consists of a:

All paint and glue must be completely dry at the time of inspection. All cars will be weighed on the same official scale. The official weigh-in will be final. 

Cars that fail inspection may be modified and re-inspected provided time allows during the Impound. We will have a separate area set up for last minute emergency modifications. Cars that cannot be modified to pass inspection before the Impound time frame closes will not be allowed to race. 

Once a car has passed inspection, it will be impounded. It will remain in the possession of the officials until the completion of the race. Your car must be complete and ready to race by the time it is handed over for inspection. 


RACE FORMAT

The Pack 1402 Pinewood Derby track has 3 lanes. 

Cub Scout Class: Each Cub Scout’s car will race 1 time as a warmup. This race may or may not be timed.  It will not count towards final scores.

Each Cub Scout’s car will race 1 time in each of the 3 lanes over 3 different “heats”. There will be 3 different cars at a time on the track racing for each “heat”.

Open Class: The Open Class will have the same format as the Cub Scout Class


RACE CONDUCT
Only adults assigned by the Pinewood Derby Committee will be allowed to handle the cars for the duration of the race. At no time will a scout or parent be allowed to handle their or any other cars during the racing period unless specifically approved by an official of the race committee.

Any car that is discovered to be illegal during the competition by a committee member will be disqualified from the competition.

If a car leaves its lane and/or interferes with another car, the heat will be re-run. If the same car interferes with another car in the re-run heat then it will be disqualified. 

If a car experiences mechanical trouble (for example, loses a wheel, axle, or weight), an assigned adult will attempt to repair the car for the next round of races. If the car cannot be repaired it will be removed from competition.

Unsportsmanlike conduct by any participant or spectator will be grounds for disqualification and expulsion from the competition and/or race area.

All decisions made by the Official Pinewood Derby Committee will be considered final and supported by the Cubmaster and Pack Committee.


TIMING

The Pinewood Derby track uses an electronic timer that is linked to a laser sensor at the start and finish lines of the track. This fairly precise data is recorded via race-specific software. The race software tracks each individual car’s times - you’ll be racing against the timer, not necessarily the cars on the track during that heat.

For both classes, all race data will be linked for download/review on the Pack 1402 website in the days following the race.


SCORING, AND AWARDS

The 3 cars with the best “average time” of the 3 heats will awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards


DESIGN AWARDS
After all cars are Impounded, Photos of each car will be taken from multiple angles to create a rotating .GIF file of each car. Thumbnail photos of all the cars will be posted to the Pack website and each thumbnail will pull up the rotating .GIF file. You’ll be able to vote online for the following categories