PINEWOOD DERBY RULES

1. All Pinewood Derby racers must pass inspection to qualify for the races.

The inspection points are as follows:

A. The car must have been made since the last District Pinewood Derby.

B. The width shall be between 1 3/4 inches and 2 3/4 inches.

 C. The length shall not exceed 7 inches.

D. The weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.

E. The orginal wheelbase of 4 3/8 inches and the original axle grooves must be used.

 F. No glue on wheels and must be able to see axles.

G. Cars must have a minimum ground clearance of 3/8 inches.

H. Cars must be made from official Cub Scout Pinewood Derby materials, including the 4 wheels, body wood, and axles. NO PRE-CUT KITS ALLOWED!!

I.  Cars must be completed with wheels and axles already attached before weigh-in.  There should be no grinding tools at the Derby on race day.

J. Wheel bearings, brushings, and washers are prohibited. Only dry lubricants such as graphite may be used. No oils or greases!

K. The car shall not ride on any springs or shock absorbers.

L. Any details added must be within the length, width, and weight limits.

M. The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices.

N. No loose material such as lead shot, weights, or coins are allowed on the car. All materials must be firmly attached with super glue. No taped coins allowed on cars.

O. The Pack number of the car must be clearly marked and visible.

P. No car will be allowed in the impoundment in boxes.

2. After inspection, cars will be placed in the impoundment and Cub Scouts only will be allowed to remove them for racing heats. When cars are impounded they cannot be removed before finals. Once impounded the car cannot be picked back up until time to race. When the heat is announced, participants will report to the impound area, and move their car to the track. No one is allowed to leave the building with a car after picking up from impound area if they are going to race again. After the heat is raced, cars must be returned to the impound area. Only a 2-minute session will be allowed to work on car before finial race.

3. The car whose nose cross the finish line first shall be declared the winner. Each pairing of cars will be race a "best of three". The competition shall be double elimination competition. First round pairing will be determined by a random draw.

4. If a car leaves the track, runs out of its lane, loses a wheel, etc. the race will be rerun. If the same car gets into trouble again, the car will be disqualified and automatically looses the race. On the second run, if the other car gets into trouble as listed above, the race will be rerun without disqualification.

5. First, Second and Third Places will be awarded in each Pack, with these three advancing to the final rounds.

6. Drivers advancing to the final rounds will have a chance to re-lubricate and make any adjustments to their cars before the final rounds, but must be re-inspected before re-admitting back into the impound area.

7. Awards will be presented to the overall top three finishers shortly after the racing is completed.

8. Any unsportsmanlike-conduct by the scout, parent, or others with that Scout will be grounds for immediate disqualification. Any scouts outside the building racing without prior permission from a Scout Leader will be disqualified.

9. Please keep your Pack in a group and it will be easier to participate and save time.

10. Any questions on the interpretation of these rules should be reported to the Event Chairperson.

11.  The building is under impoundment after the track is set up and no one should be allowed to practice on the tracks before race day.

 Questions will be addressed by the event committee and a decision shall be rendered.

THE DECISIONS OF THE EVENT COMMITTEE ARE FINAL!!! RULES WILL BE FOLLOWED AT THIS EVENT!!!!

Two things the Pinewood Derby requires each participant to learn are (1) the craft skill necessary to build a boat and (2) the rules that must be followed.  Even more important, though, is how we act and behave while participating in the Pinewood Derby or any other group activity.  This is called sportsmanship.

The FIRST thing to remember about sportsmanship is that everyone's skills is a little different.  This doesn't mean that you are a good person one time and not good another time.  You can always be a good person whether or not you have good building skills or not.  Remember, you and your friends are individuals first and racers second.  This idea is often 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 often called being HONEST.

The THIRD thing to remember about good sportsmanship is that there are winners and losers in every competition.  You accept this when you choose to compete. There may be times when you win and feel happy, and times when you lose and feel unhappy.  Being a winner is easy and losing is sometimes hard.  If you win, you must not brag or gloat. If you lose, you must not feel jealous or bitter.  To be a good sportsman, you must be able to say, "I did my best" and be satisified with the results.

DEN LEADERS

Den Leaders are wise to talk about good sportsmanship prior to the event, as it is a good lesson in the joy of winning and the "agony of defeat" similar to the Raingutter Regatta