Introduction CONTINENTAL DISTRICT PINEWOOD DERBY The information provided here is meant to be the rules and specifications for the Continental District Pinewood Derby Car and Race for 2019. We have collected this information from the Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Guidebook. Remember that the goals of the Pinewood Derby are to have fun, learn new skills, and expose the Scout to some Quality time with a parent or other adult. Sportsmanship The following section is quoted word for word from the front of the Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Guidebook. It s great reading for both the scouts and their adult helpers. Racing requires participants to learn two main things: the craft skills necessary to make your car and the rules that must be followed. There is also a third part to competition that s very important--sportsmanship. This has to do with how you act and behave while participating in the derby. The first thing to remember about sportsmanship is that everyone s skills are a little different. Some people are better than others at certain skills. You may be good at one thing but not good at another. This doesn t mean you are a good person one time and not good another time. You can always be a good person, whether or not you have the skills for racing. Remember, you and your friends are individuals first and racers second. This idea is sometimes called having respect for others. The second thing to remember is to follow the rules. Without rules, there would be no pinewood derby. You will never know if you are really good at doing something unless you follow the rules. This is sometimes called being fair and being honest. The third thing to remember about good sportsmanship is that there are winners and losers in every competition. You know this when you choose to compete. There are times when you will win and be happy, and times when you will lose and be unhappy. Being a winner is easy but being a loser is sometimes hard. To be a good sportsman, you must be able to say, I did my best and be satisfied with the results. If you win you must not gloat.
Track The car you make will race on an aluminum track that is 4 lanes wide. The start of the track is elevated some four or five feet off the ground. The track goes downhill steeply and at the bottom of the track it rounds out and continues on flat with the floor for a number of feet. The lanes are determined by thin tire grooves in the aluminum. These grooves keep the cars from hitting each other as they drop down the track. If you ignore some of the rules in the next section, your car may not clear the middle section of the lane and you will not be able to race. Within these rules, there are many things you can do to make the car go as fast as possible. Car Design Rules The length of the car shall not exceed 7 Overall width including accessories shall not exceed 2 ¾ The overall height of the car shall not exceed 3 The bottom clearance of the car shall be no less than ⅜ The inside wheel width (distance between left front and right front wheels, and distance between the left rear and right rear wheels) shall be no less than 1 ¾ and no more than 2 ¾ Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are strictly prohibited. The car shall not ride on springs. Only official BSA-Certified Pinewood Derby wheels and axles are permitted Only dry lubricant is permitted Accessories and details such as steering wheel and driver are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width, and weight specifications. The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices. Each car must pass inspection by the official inspection committee 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 approval, cars will not be re-inspected unless the car is damaged in handling or in a race. All body parts, weights and accessories must be securely fastened. Pinewood Derby Car Specifications The following rules on dimensions govern all Pinewood Derby Races as stated in the Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit and as shown in the figure below: Continental District specific requirements In addition to the above rules of Pinewood Derby, the following additional regulations are in place to further keep the race competitive for all participants. Only the official BSA-Certified wheels and axles can be used. Axles may be polished. Wheels may be lightly sanded to remove the mold projection on the tread. This light sanding is the only modification allowed! Beveling, tapering, thin sanding, wafering, or lathe turning of the wheels are prohibited. The tread must be flat across. The wheelbase (distance between front and rear axles) may not be change distance of 4.25 (4-1/4) There may not be any features to the car which would allow any part of the car to extend beyond the starting gate therefore giving a shorter distance to the finish line.
Car must be newly constructed this year. The car must not have been raced in any other pinewood events except for the qualifying race that has earned the spot at district competition. Any repairs necessary during the course of racing can only be done by the Scout with help from their parent/guardian in front of a Race Official as long as the car is ready for next heat. The car must be weighed in again by race officials before racing. Race Day Requirements Uniform : All Scouts should be in Class A uniform. Readiness : Racers should have car ready to race before arriving. Tool access is not guaranteed and should not be assumed. Cars must be checked in prior to registration cut-off, generally 9am. Arrive early to allow time for registration. Competitors : Each Pack will send their top five racers to district competition. If any of the top five are not available, alternates should be selected according to that Pack s bylaws that govern pinewood derby. No more than five competitors from any Pack should be entered into the race. Inspection: All inspection will be conducted by a team at a special inspection area using scales and gauges provided for the event. The gauges may include a clearance block and a box into which the car will be required to fit. Inspection Judges: The inspection judges at race day check in are responsible to evaluate each car s adherence to the technical standards (above). Their decision may be appealed to the event chairman, who, after consultation with the inspection team, the scout, and his parent/guardian, shall render a final, binding decision. Impounding : Once the car has passed inspection and received its number sticker, it will be placed into the holding area. No further lubrication or adjustment(s) may be made. Car Handling : The scout will be responsible for taking their car from the car tray to the starting line and placing car on track starting with lane 1. Once the heat is complete, the Scout (or a designated car return representative) will return his or her car to the impound area. Starter :
Scouts will be called to place their cars on the track according to the lane number. Starter will watch as each car is placed on track to make sure no car is bumped, in such case, Scout of bumped car will be given opportunity to readjust car on track. Once cars are all set, starter will start the race. If in the event that the racer is unable to place their car on the track, a designated alternate will place the car on the track for the scout. If no designated alternate is made known to race officials, race officials will place the car on the track for the racer. Results : All race results will be displayed as they are available. Car leaves the Track : If a car leaves the track, runs out of its lane, interferes with another car, loses an axle, etc the heat will be re-run. If the same car gets into trouble on the 2nd run, the contestant is disqualified and automatically loses that race. If, on the 2nd run, another car is interfered with, the heat is re-run a 3rd time, without that disqualified car. Foreign Objects : At the discretion of the race judges and with approval of the race boss, a heat may be re-run if it is deemed that a foreign object on the track interfered with the heat. If the starter indicates that they interfered with a car start while actuating the start gate, the heat will be re-run.