St. Clement of Rome Cub Scout Pack 491, Metairie, Louisiana Pinewood Derby Rules  Revised – 1/16/2013

 St. Clement of Rome Cub Scout Pack 491, Metairie, Louisiana Pinewood Derby Rules Revised – 1/16/2013 The purpose of the Pinewood Derby is to enhance Cub Scout and parent interaction through the use of a project which creates premium time to teach sportsmanship, the value of work, and to have fun. The accomplishment of these goals requires the use of the same rules, opportunities, and approach by all participants. The following is intended to establish a common framework to guide the efforts of all of our Cub Scouts and parents. 1. The pinewood derby car presented by the Cub Scout for judging and racing must be constructed solely out of the materials contained inside of the official Cub Scout kit provided by Pack 491 with only the following listed additions: paint, glue, lead or similar weighting material, decals, and other non‐performance enhancing decorations. The car body may have no moving parts. 2. Separately purchased materials such as pre‐cut bodies, any kind of springs, special axles, special wheels, wheel inserts, washers for axles, nail axles not a part of the kit, or other performance enhancing parts are NOT allowed. Failure to abide by this rule will result in DISQUALIFICATION of that car from competition (appearance and racing). 3. If parts of the kit are missing or if they are damaged upon receipt or during construction of the car, new parts / kits will be provided by the pack upon reasonable notice. Do not purchase your own replacement parts, even if they are “BSA” kits. The use of old cars or any components from old cars is not allowed. Do not combine parts from multiple kits, such as using two blocks of wood, etc. Old car means any car constructed for any previous purpose which was presented for judging or racing at a Cub Scout or other event. 4. No lubricants other than dry, powdered, fine graphite are allowed. Oil, silicone, oil supported graphite, Teflon, or any other such lubricants are not allowed. Therefore, all cars will only be "graphited" by our pit crew prior to the competition. A scout can pre apply graphite to their car but all cars will be re‐graphited by the race officials on race day. 5. Wheels shall not be narrowed and should remain flat across their width. There must be four wheels on the car, however, it is not required that all four wheels make contact with the track surface. Each wheel must be mounted on an axle, on the outside of the car, in the vertical position. Each wheel must be attached directly to the wood car body by an axle and spin freely. The two rear wheels and the two front wheels must be positioned directly across the body from each another. Staggered wheelbases are not allowed. 6. Overall width of the car shall not exceed 2 & 3/4 inches. 7. Overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches. 8. Width between the wheels shall be at least 1 & 3/4 inches. 9. Height of the car shall be no higher than 3 inches 10. Bottom clearance between the car and track shall be at least 3/8 inches. 11. Car total weight shall NOT exceed five (5.0) ounces. The official race scale that is used at car check‐in shall be considered final. 12. Each car will run a total of eight races. The computer will track the time of each car per race and accumulate each car’s total time for the eight races. Once all the cars have run their eight races, the total time will be calculated and the awards given to the cars with the best (lowest) total time. The top three finishers in each rank will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals or ribbons. The top finishers in the overall pack will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies. Awards will be presented at the conclusion of all races. 13. Cars will be judged for appearance prior to racing. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be awarded to the overall pack winners in the appearance category. 14. Racing order will be determined randomly by the computer. Since your total time is being kept by the computer, each race may have you racing against anyone in the pack and not just your den. 15. The only people allowed in the race area are those leaders and parents who have been designated to operate/judge the races and the scouts who are competing. 16. Inspection: Each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspection Committee before it may compete. The inspectors have the right to disqualify any car that does not meet these specifications. 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 registration period to correct the problem. Pack 491 uses a Go/No‐go gauge box for unbiased measurements. After final approval, cars will not be re‐inspected unless the car is damaged in handling or in a race. Cars can not be modified after inspection, unless the car is damaged in handling or in a race. 17. Once a car has been weight certified, it must remain on the entry table(s). 18. Cars shall be returned to the table after each race. 19. No one is allowed to touch another scout's car. There is too great of a potential for accidental damage. The only exception is for leaders or parents involved in operating the race. 20. Any unsportsmanlike conduct by the scout (or parent) will be grounds for immediate disqualification. Scouts should shake hands after each race. 20. Scouts must attend the Pack Pinewood Derby in order to race their cars. However, if a Scout cannot attend the Pinewood Derby, he may still enter his car in the design/appearance contest. 21. If a car comes off the track (the 1st time), the race is scratched and run again. The 2nd time that the same car comes off the track, the race results are final. 22. Due to limitations in the race software there can be NO late entries. Please don’t be late. 23. If you have any questions as to the interpretation of the rules please ask before race day as exceptions will not be allowed on race day. Addendum: The following items have been approved by the Pinewood Derby Racing Committee as approved add on items: Pinewood Derby® Axle Guard This patented new guard will keep your Pinewood Derby® car wheels aligned and secure race after race. Designed exclusively for BSA®, this under car plate has a ridge that slides right into the pre‐cut axle groove to straighten and secure the axle to the car body. Its unique design allows for adequate track clearance and has no interference with the performance of your car. It is simple to understand and includes 4 screws per plate, making it easy to apply to the car. The guard can also be used to repair broken or chipped axle grooves. Each plate is made of lightweight plastic. When applied with the 8 screws provided, 2 plates will add .2 oz to the weight of your car. Official Pinewood Derby Wheels The Official wheel replacement for your Pinewood Derby car. Wheels are available in 5 different colors. Black, Red, Yellow, Orange, and Blue. These are the only additional wheels that can be used on your Pinewood Derby car. All other rules pertaining to wheels from the above rules still apply. The following items are PROHIBITED: 
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Springs Starting devices or propellants Electronic or lighting devices that interfere with the race electronics. Liquids, wet paint, oil, sticky substance, or powders of any kind (other than axle lubrication) Glass or excessively fragile parts Bearings, bushings, washers, sleeves, hubcaps or inserts attached to or in contact with the axle, body or wheels. Loose objects on car Magnets The following wheel modifications are PROHIBITED: 
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Rounding of tread surface/wheel edges Grooving, H‐cutting or V‐cutting Altering of wheel profile Narrowing the tread surface, other than truing inside tread edge Drilling sidewalls Filling of any wheel surface with any type of material Building and Design Tips
1. The car should be weighted as closely to the 5 ounce limit as possible to insure a
competitive chance. A postage scale will give you a good weight estimate. The Pack will
provide its scale at the Pack meeting prior to the race and on the morning of the race to
determine the official weight. You may want to bring extra weights or prepare to remove
weights from the car. NOTE: The scale used by the Pack on race day is the only official
scale to determine the weight of the car.
2. Deburr the edges of the wheels to insure a smooth ride down the track.
3. If the axles seem loose, secure them with a drop of glue.
4. Do not do anything which would decrease the ground clearance of the car. This could
cause the car to drag on the center guide strip of the track.
All Decisions of the Judges are Final! Good luck and have fun!