2007 OFFICIAL PINEWOOD DERBY RULES

MISSION STATEMENT

It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people and in other ways prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.

In an effort to provide uniformity among the Cub Scout Packs of the Ojibwa District for holding Pinewood Derby Races, the following set of guidelines and specifications have been adopted. Since these rules and specifications will be enforced at the DISTRICT PINEWOOD DERBY RACE it is Strongly Suggested that they be implemented and adhered to at the Pack’s Pinewood Derby Races. The Inspection Committee holds the right to disqualify any car not meeting these rules and specifications. THE DECISION OF THE INSPECTION COMMITTEE IS FINAL. Since this race is a fun event, the Cub Scout should be given the satisfaction of building his own car from the kit with guidance and minimal assistance from the parent or other responsible party. Additional information can be obtained by using the specification guidelines enclosed in the OFFICIAL GRAND PRIX PINEWOOD DERBY CAR KIT, the Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Guidebook, the Cub Scout How-To Book and the Cub Scout Leader Book.

CAUTION: Please read over all of the attached instructions and rules before you begin. The rules will be uniformly enforced regardless of knowledge of them.

EVENT CHARIMAN’S NOTE

The purpose of this event is to provide our Cub Scouts with an opportunity to do three things: 1) To design their own racing vehicle to meet certain specifications. 2) To build that same race vehicle from the resources provided in the standard kit. 3) To race that vehicle against other Cub Scouts who have followed the same rules. Any abuse of these basic rules is considered unworthy of a Cub Scout with regards to fairness and honesty. Please participate in this spirit.

1. DISTRICT QUALIFYING SPECIFICATIONS

v Participants must wear the official Cub Scout shirt and neckerchief in order to participate- Each Pack is asked to help qualifying Scouts in meeting this uniform requirement.

v Each Cub Scout must register his own car – in person. Parents will not be allowed to register any cars.

v A Cub Scout may race his car and only his car. Cars must be a newly constructed car for this year. Pinewood cars constructed in previous years or raced in other years are not allowed in this race.

2. BUILDING SPECIFICATIONS

PROTESTS: Only Cub Scouts may protest an inspection committee’s decision. Any protest must be to the chairman prior to the start of the first race. Protests will not be allowed after racing starts.

v Only the official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit, BSA Catalog # 517006, and parts in it may be used. This includes: the WOOD BLOCK, the WHEELS, and the NAILS. NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

v WIDTH: Overall width of the car, including wheels, shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.

v LENGTH: Overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches. (It may be necessary to remove some wood from the stock)

v SPECIAL: The front end of the car needs to be flat at least ¼” wide in the center of the vehicle to accommodate track starter mechanism.

v WEIGHT: Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces. No loose material or liquid of any kind is permitted in the car. The car may be hollowed out and built up to the maximum weight by the addition of wood or metal provided it is securely built into the body (not taped on). NO WEIGHT may be added after the car is registered.

v WHEEL BEARINGS: Wheel bearings, washers, bushings and hubcaps are prohibited. THESE WILL BE INSPECTED PRIOR TO RACE.

v SPRINGS: The car shall not ride on any type of springs.

v DETAILS: Details such as steering wheel, driver, decals, painting and interior design are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum weight, length and width of the car and are permanently attached.

v ATTACHMENTS: The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices [magnets, motors, etc.]

v WHEELS: Do not turn down or machine the wheels narrower than they are now. Wheels may be lightly sanded to remove the glaze and the thin ring around the outside of the wheel. The basic appearance of the face of the wheel may not be changed. The raised letters “BSA PINEWOOD DERBY” must be seen. The contact area of the wheel must be at least 5/16” wide and flat. All four wheels must be in contact with the track at the same time. Excessive wobble of the wheels is not acceptable if it changes racing contact area.

v AXLES: Use only the nails in the official kits for the axles. Axles must not be canted. THEY MUST BE LEVEL. In order to fit the wheel on the nail and have it spin smoothly, all burrs should be removed from the nail. Sandpaper, emery cloth or a small file will do this. Dry graphite is the only type of lubrication allowed between the nails and the wheels.

v WHEELBASE: Use the grooves in the wood block as received in the OFFICIAL GRAND PRIX PINEWEED DERBY CAR KIT, #517006. Wheelbase dimension is 4 1/8” minimum to 4 7/8” maximum.

v HEIGHT: The construction of a Pinewood Derby Track is made so that the cars are kept in lanes by a lane strip, which measures ¼” high and 1 5/8” wide. It is necessary that the wood axle guides on the wood block be used for they are furnished and that the chassis is not lower than 3/8” clearance. Failure to follow these guidelines will cause the car to drag or stop on the line strips.

3: RACING SPECIFICATIONS

v LUBE IN SHINE: Any and all repairs, alterations, graphite application, etc., must be completed in the designated area identified as “Lube IN Shine”. Any cars needing repairs after the race has started [wheel replacement] must use this same area. An adult and a Rules Committee Member must accompany the Scout to this area and help with the repairs. Note: Adding graphite to wheels can only be done in this area.

v INSPECTION: An Official Rules Committee Member will inspect each car before it may qualify. The inspection will include weigh-in, measurement of length of car and axle spacing and an overall look at the car. The Rules Committee has the right to disqualify any car that fails to meet the building specifications. Cars that have problems can correct he situation in the Lube IN Shine” area until they can register.

v LUBRICATION: Lubrication will not be allowed after inspection or during the races.

v PIT AREA: Cars will go directly from the registration to the pit area and be held there until the race begins. After each race, the Cub Scout must return his car to the pit area until called to race again. ****Failure to do so will disqualify him from the race.

v DERBY RACE: Only those Cub Scouts who have been called to race and the race officials will be allowed in the race area during the race. When a Cub Scout has finished a heat he is to return to the finish area until he is called again.

v TRACK JUMPING: If any particular car jumps the track during a race, it will be rerun one time.

v LOST WHEEL: If a car loses a wheel during the races, one responsible adult and a member of the Rules Committee will accompany the Cub Scout to the repair area to replace the wheel for later races.

4: OPEN CLASS

v We are having this Open Class for all siblings and adults wishing to race. We ask that you follow the same rules as listed above.