Pack 495 Pinewood Derby
Saturday, January 25
General Information
Date: January 25, 2019
Time:
- 11:15 - 12:00: (Leaders) Track Set-up
- 12:00 - 12:30: Registration, certification, open track. Please arrive in this time window to allow time to register and certify your cars prior to the race. Arrive early in this window if you plan to do any last minute fine tuning to your car.
- 12:30: Opening words & Races begin
- 3:00: Races ends; Track tear down
LOCATION: Triangle Presbyterian Church Gym
ADDRESS: 5001 Tudor Place, Durham, NC 27713
UNIFORMS: Class-A
Den Leaders:
- Please ensure that each of your scouts, parents, and co-leaders receive a copy of the Pinewood Derby Rules, Derby Procedures, and the Car Diagram/Specifications (included in-line, or attached)
- If one of your scouts wins in a category that is eligible to proceed to the district competition, please ensure they have certification from Cubmaster White before they leave the race.
Parents:
- Buy a kit and work with your scout to have a car ready to go for competition! Need help? Don't hesitate to ask, or join us at the drop-in clinic.
- While the main purpose of the Pinewood Derby competition is FUN for the kids and their families, it is also a rule-driven event and we want to ensure that everything is as fair as possible.
- Please remember that the Pinewood Derby is NOT an adult engineering competition. Give your scouts hints, tips, help where needed, but we want the kids to make their own cars as much as possible.
- For those kids at heart (and engineer wanna-bees who want to build the fastest car of all time), we want you to have a good time too, so you can build a car as well and compete in a special class just for parents and siblings.
- Use the best equipment you can to determine weight and size. We'll have the official scale available at the den meetings in January so you don't have any surprises on race day.
- Make sure that the wheels and axles are official BSA parts and that the proper lubrication (graphite only, no oil) is used.
Race Day Check-in Procedure
- Get Race Form: Go to station #1, clearly fill out the form (be sure to include last name)
- Weigh Station: Have your car weighed (see spec below)
- Measurement Station: Have height, width, length, wheel clearance measured
- Cubmaster Inspection: Find a leader ensure the car meet official BSA standards (see rules below). NO FURTHER MODIFICATIONS CAN BE MADE AFTER THIS INSPECTION
- Software Station: Take race form to end of track to have your information registered into the computer. Your race number will be assigned at this time
- Display Table: A Boy Scout, leader or parent will then take your car to the display station where your race number will be written on the bottom of your car and the car will be put on display. Cars cannot be touched beyond this point!
Where Do I Get a Kit?
There are a few ways to get kits:
- Den Meetings throughout December and January
- Txt Dave Chilton @ 919-491-1807 to make arrangements
- Stores like Michael's, AC Moore, and Lowe's Home Improvement.
- NOTE: If you purchase components of the car (pre-cut car kits, wheels or axles) outside of the kits the Pack is selling, please make sure those products are approved by Boy Scouts of America. You will see the BSA seal on the packaging. The reason we require this is that non-BSA approved kits may not be made to the same specifications. This could lead to improper clearance or width of your car that would prevent it from rolling down our track. The width between axles is also a standard that all approved kits will conform to. You can use whatever weights, paint, stickers, you want, but the mechanical parts of the car (body, wheels and axles) must be BSA approved. Please let us know if you have questions
- Make sure your box has the Official Scouts, BSA seal as seen below
How Do I Get Help with My Scout's Car?
Does your Scout have a cool design for their Pinewood Derby car but not the tools to take it from concept to reality? Stop by the drop-in clinic to get some help. We’ll be there with the power tools, you come with the ideas. We’ll have a few leaders ready to help with the band saw, belt sanders and drill press, but no scouts on the power tools please! Once you have the rough cuts, you can finish up with sanding and painting at home.
DATE: Saturday, 1/18/2018TIME: Any time between 10AM – 1 PM
ADDRESS: 5 Clubstone Court, Durham, 27713
LEADER: Assistant Cubmaster Chilton, 919-491-1807
This Year’s Categories
- Fastest Car: results of racing against scouts in den category
- Most Beautiful Car: judged on craftsmanship and workmanship
- Most Original Car: judged on how unique the design is. Note that in this category, the car does not have to look like a car, it can be anything you can imagine: a boat, space ship, Star Trek communicator, tank, a foot... the possibilities are endless
Trophy Categories: Lions & Tigers
- Fastest Car
- Most Original Car
- Pack 495 Cubmaster's Awards
Certificate Categories Kids (Subject to change)
MOST LIKELY TO TURN HEADS
- MOST COLORFUL
- MOST SCOUT SPIRIT
- BEST PAINT JOB
- CUBMASTER’S CHOICE
- BEST USE OF DECALS
- MOST AERODYNAMIC
- FAN FAVORITE
- MOST LIKELY TO EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT
- BEST LOOKING HOT ROD
- MOST LIKELY TO FLY
- WILDEST LOOKING
- MOST PATRIOTIC
- MOST REALISTIC
- MOST FUTURISTIC CAR
- MOST HUMOROUS CAR
- MOST DELICIOUS LOOKING
- MOST IN NEED OF A PEDICURE
- MOST HARRY POTTER-ESQUE
- MOST UNIQUE
- BEST DESIGN
- SPEED DEMON
- BEST MOVIE THEME
- PIT CREW FAVORITE
- BEST USE OF FIGURINES
- SCARIEST LOOKING
- MOST REALISTIC PAINT JOB
- MOST CREATIVE USE OF MATERIALS
- MOST CLASSIC-LOOKING
- GOOD SPORT AWARD
Certificate Categories Leaders (Subject to change)
- FASTEST
- MOST LIKELY TO DAMAGE THE TRACK
- MOST LIKELY TO LAND IN A TREE
- MOST LIKELY TO CATCH FIRE
- MOST LIKELY TO POKE OUT AN EYE
Can I Try Out My Car Before the Race?
(Tentative-- Pending Confirmation from PUMC)
Come join us for a pre-race car check on the official track. Take this opportunity to see if your car meets specs or needs any final tuning before the big race. Come any time within the window below.
Date: January 24, 2019
Time: Friday Evening
- 5:45 - 6:15: (Leaders) Track Set-up
- 6:15 - 8:00: Open track for all scouts
- 8:00 - 8:30: (Leaders) Track tear down
LOCATION: Parkwood United Methodist
ADDRESS: 5123 Revere Road
UNIFORMS: No uniform requirements
Pack 495 Rules and Regulations
- To be eligible to race, every scout must be a currently registered Cub Scout or Webelos Scout in the MAWAT District. Tiger & Lion Cubs will race in a special Lion/Tiger Division.
- Family members are also eligible to participate in a family race against each other. Family members can also advance to district competition as well, but only in the fastest car category.
- Cars must be constructed during this Scouting year. The car must not have competed in any previous District Pinewood Derbies.
- EACH CAR MUST PASS INSPECTION before it can be entered into the Derby, regardless of the category in which the car will compete.
- ALL WHEEL and AXEL LUBRICATION must be completed BEFORE inspection and registration. NO OIL, only dry graphite.
- ALL CARS will be placed on a table and must not be handled by anyone except the owner of the car. The car "owner" will be allowed to touch his car only when he is racing. Judges and other race officials may handle the car, but only when it is necessary.
- Rulings from the Inspection Committee, Race Officials, and Pack Judges are final.
- The District race will use a track and an electronically controlled computer system which is to be provided by, and under the control of, the Pack 495. The fastest cars will be determined by competition heats and will run in elimination heats for the overall winner. All cars will be raced on each available lane during all heats. Should there be a failure of the computerized timing system double elimination will be used. If double elimination is used, a car will have to lose against two different cars to be out of the race (Unless the two cars in the finals have no losses, then one car must lose to the other twice to be eliminated).
- Heats consist of each car racing on each available track by alternating with the other cars competing in that electronically timed heat. (For double elimination, if required, there will only be two cars racing.)
- Using the electronic timer and averaging the overall time of that car racing on the available tracks in a heat, the highest average speed will determine the heat winner. This means that even though a car may not win that heat, its time may be one of the 12 highest speed cars in the race, then that car will compete in the finals.
- If you win a heat, this alone does not qualify the Scout for the final
- The highest average speed alone makes this determination. However, if the electronic timing device fails and the race is run by double elimination, then if cars tie, or there is an uncertainty as to which car crossed the finish line first, both cars will be considered winners and put back in the drawings.
- If a repair becomes necessary, repair time is 2 (two) minutes only, and only 1 (one) repair is allowed per contest.
- The Pack 495 balance or scale (for weight) and the box are the official measuring devices. Weight may be reduced in order to meet specifications, and weight may be added up until registration check-in, but not after.
District Information
To be eligible to enter the MAWAT District Pinewood Derby, every scout must be a currently registered Cub Scout or Webelos Scout in the MAWAT District. Tiger & Lion Cubs are eligible to enter the District Derby in a special Lion/Tiger Division. Each Pack may also select two family racers to participate in a family race (i.e., non-Scout) race for speed only. All Cub Scouts, including Tigers & Lions, may be entered in only one category. The categories are: Fastest, Most Beautiful, and Most Original. Most BEAUTIFUL CAR will be judged on CRAFTSMANSHIP / WORKMANSHIP. Most ORIGINAL CAR will be judged on UNIQUE / INNOVATIVE DESIGN.
Date: February 1 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Times:
- Registration: begins at 9:00; please arrive 45 minutes prior to race time to register and certify your scout's car
- Location: Global Scholars Academy Gym
Address: 311 Dowd St, Durham, NC 27701 (rear entrance)
All the Details: CLICK HERE
Car Spec
How Much Help Should You Give Your Scout?
A parent helped build that Pinewood Derby car? Yes, that’s the point
2020 Winners!
Sportsmanship Award
Evelyn Schulte
Lions & Tigers
Fastest Car
- 1st: Zachary Kendrick
- 2nd: Evelyn Schulte
- 3rd: ??
- 4th: ??
- 5th: ??
Most Beautiful Car
- 1st: Grace Gattis
- 2nd: Rachel Minton
Most Original Car
- 1st: Tucker Colafrancesco
Wolf - AOL
Fastest Car
- 1st: DJ Vielbaum
- 2nd: Josh Minton
- 3rd: Devin Chilton
Most Beautiful Car
- 1st: Jessica Fleming
- 2nd: Lukas Johnson
- 3rd: Jake Colafrancesco
Most Original Car
- 1st: Archer White
- 2nd: Aiden Mueller
- 3rd: Ian Badger
Family Racers
- 1st: Harrison Gattis
- 2nd: ?
- 3rd: ?
2019 Winners!
Lions & Tigers
Fastest Car
- 1st: Mason Pejera
- 2nd: Jake Colafrancesco
- 3rd: Jacob Weigman
Most Beautiful Car
- 1st: Mae Sochaski
- 2nd: Grace Gattis
- 3rd: Owen Goode
Most Original Car
- 1st: Eli Makowsky
- 2nd: Ewan Hanson
Wolf - AOL
Fastest Car
- 1st: Devin Chilton
- 2nd: Tyler Kendrick
- 3rd: Christian Gattis
Most Beautiful Car
- 1st: Hayden Clanton
- 2nd: Ziko Mahmoud
- 3rd: Aiden Mueller
Most Original Car
- 1st: Brycen Posival
- 2nd: Ian Badger
- 3rd: Joey Coppit
Family Racers
- 1st: Zachary Kendrick
- 2nd: Dave Vielbaum
- 3rd: Harrison Gattis