Pack 222 Pinewood Derby Information

General Information

The Pinewood Derby will be held in January 2001. Please make a note of the following dates:

• Weigh-in will be held on Wednesday, January 10^th from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM in the Maple East Auditorium. This is the only time to officially qualify cars. (there will be limited tools available to make final weight adjustments to the cars.)
• The Pinewood Derby will be held on Friday, January 12^th from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM in the Maple East Cafeteria. Please note the following times for heats:

  Tigers	6:45-7:15 p.m.
  Wolves	7:15-7:45 p.m.
  Bears	7:45-8:15 p.m.
  Webelos I	8:15-8:45 p.m.
  Webelos II	8:45-9:15 p.m.

Trophies will be awarded (in each rank) to the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place cars and to one additional car voted "Best Car" by the Scouts. Please come 15 minutes before your start time to vote. Awards will be distributed after each heat, so you are free to leave after your awards have been presented.

A Leader or designated Leader from each Den should be present at the Pinewood Derby, in case decisions have to be made regarding Scouts in their Den. An example would be an absent Scout, where a decision would have to be made regarding a substitute racer.

Car Rules:

• Wheel bearings, washers and bushings are prohibited. The car shall not ride on springs.
• The wheels and axles provided in the Pack-distributed Pinewood Derby car kits are the only ones permitted. The wheels are not to be modified in any way, shape or form, with the exception of removing the injection molding ridge on the wheels (wheels may not be tapered or narrowed; Cars will be disqualified, at the discretion of the Car Qualification Committee, if the wheels are excessively modified).
• The original slots in the car body should be used for the axles.
• Dry graphite is the only lubricant permitted.
• Any details may be added to the car as long as they do not exceed the maximum length, width and weight specifications.
• The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices.
• All cars will become the property of the Pinewood Derby Race Committee after they are qualified, and no modifications will be allowed after they are qualified (this includes graphite lubrication).

The following car specifications will be inspected during qualifications:

• Width: 2-3/4 inches
• Length: 7 inches
• Weight: Not over 5 ounces
• Width between wheels: 1-3/4 inches
• Bottom clearance between car and track: 3/8 inches

Building Your Car

Please see the insert in the Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit for additional helpful hints on building your car. Weights, decals, graphite lubricant, and other supplies are available at most hobby stores and at the GNFC Scout Shop.

We strongly discourage the use of pre-cut car bodies, and would prefer that the Scouts use the wood bodies provided.

The Post Office has scales available for public use, which can be used prior to Weigh-In to weigh your car.

Remember, the Pinewood Derby is about sportsmanship, having fun, and individual achievement, not winning at any cost. It's designed for the Scouts, and we sincerely hope that as much of the work as possible in designing and building the cars is done by them. Competing against parent-built cars is unfair to the boys who want to do it themselves; if there are parents who want to build cars, we will consider having a parents' version of the Derby (there are other packs that do this). A great story on this subject can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9152/thesmellofvictory.html.

There are many Pinewood Derby-related web sites on the Internet. Here are a few good ones:

• The Ultimate Pinewood Derby Site:
  http://hometown.aol.com/randywoo/pine/index.htm
• Jay's PineWood Derby Page:
  http://www.3n.net/people/jjenkin/pwd.htm
• Pinewood Derby Mania!:
  http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9152/pinewood.html

Race Day

• On race day, each Scout will handle his own car, giving it to the Starter for placement on the track, and retrieving the car at the end of each race (each car should race 6 times). Parents, siblings or friends will not be allowed to assist the Scouts during the race, or handle the cars for any reason.
• Any needed repairs will be determined and made by the Race Committee members only. Non-functional parts that fall off during the race as a result of them going down the track or hitting the stop block shall remain off for the duration of the race. The only exception will be if the cars go off the track or crash as a result of operator error, such as the starting gate coming back up too quickly.
• Only trophies and awards sanctioned by the Pinewood Derby Committee and the Cubmaster shall be awarded at the Pinewood Derby. No other ceremonies or presentations shall be allowed.
• When voting for "Best Car", no one can vote for their own car.
• In the event that a boy wins multiple trophies (i.e. a place trophy plus the "Best Car" trophy), they shall decide which one they want to keep, and the other shall be given to the boy finishing in the next place in that category.

Let's have fun!!! See you on January 10^th.