Cars must be checked in on Friday night before the races inside the gym at Holy Spirit. Once your car is checked in, it will be held until after the races Saturday. If you absolutely cannot attend the check-in meeting on Friday evening, please contact the race organizers to make an appointment for Saturday morning. Voting for best design will happen before the races on Saturday morning. The Pinewood Derby will begin with the first race usually around 10:00 AM, the races will take approximately 60 minutes. The design award trophies will be awarded by the votes received. The awards will be handed out immediately after the races. Outlaw racing will happen shortly after the official races end.

Rules

To run in official den and pack races, scouts must build a car (themselves or contributing as much as possible with adult help) from the official BSA car kit and follow the rules below. No purchased or borrowed cars. No using kits other than the official BSA kit. No using car bodies, wheels or axles other than official BSA kit parts. Basic car bodies must be cut from the wood block in the official kit. Wheels and axles (i.e., nails) must come from the official kit. Additional items can be added to the car to augment the shape/style of the car such as but not limited to fenders, bumpers, hood scoops, spoilers, grills and drivers. In no case shall the added parts exceed the maximum dimensions or weight permitted. Cars from previous years should not be re-entered. Cars that do not comply with the rules WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

All cars must follow these rules, which are derived from the rules in the BSA Kit:

• Car Weight: Not over 5 ounces. All cars must weigh no more than 5 ounces on the official scale we will have at the gym.
• Car Wheels: Four wheels must be used but not all need to touch the track. Only official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby wheels and axles are permitted. Wheels may not be milled down (or have holes drilled) for the purpose of reducing the mass of the wheel. Slight adjustments may be made in order to take off any high spots in the wheel as well as to balance the wheel. Wheel bearings, washers and bushings are prohibited. The car shall not ride on springs.
• Details, such as steering wheel and driver are allowed as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width and weight specifications. The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices.

Check-In

Each car must pass inspection before it may compete. If, at registration, a car does not pass inspection, the owner will be informed of the reason for failure, and will be given time within the official weigh-in time period to make the adjustment. After final approval, cars will not be re-inspected unless the car has an obvious rule violation or is damaged in handling or in the race. All cars will be checked in and kept in a “pit area” in the gym. Only race officials will have access to the cars once they are checked in to move them from pit area to starting line, and then retrieve them from the finish. No adjustments may be made to the cars once they are checked in. This helps ensure timely and smooth running of the races, as well as fairness. In case a car is dropped or there is some other major problem (e.g., a wheel falling off), an exception may be made to allow a scout to fix his car.

Official Race Format

We will be using a dynamic scheduling formula supported by GrandPrix Race Manager . Each car will be assigned to six random heats amongst all cars in the pack. Every car will race a heat on each lane of the track. Cars will be ranked based on the cumulative time of all six heats. The top 3 finishers in each rank of scouts (Tigers, Wolves, Bears, WBI and WBII) based on the fastest times will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place rank awards. Additionally, the fastest cars overall will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place pack awards.

Awards

• There will be two categories of prizes: Fastest Cars and Best Design
• Awards fastest car will be given for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place at both the Rank and Pack level.
• Awards for best design, as voted on by pack members participating in the race, shall be awarded for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd at the Pack level.

Outlaw Races

In addition to the official den and pack races, we will run “outlaw races” at the end of official racing and issuing of awards. Outlaw races open to family and friends as well as scouts. There are no prizes for outlaw races or cars. Outlaw cars do not have to comply with the official rules. Any car that can run on the track without damaging the track equipment or interfering with other cars can run in outlaw races. Please refrain from using anything flammable or on fire.