Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity

2012-01-31T07:49:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

Delorean - Daniel Stalzer

This car was created after my son saw "Back to the Future". He wanted
a car that was fast and would "travel through time". I made two of the
cars, one for each of my sons. The cars won creativity and speed
awards.

The only thing I did to help was painting the car, helping with tools,
and installing the wires. Unfortunately the 2nd car was destroyed
during the younger boy's play time.

Arrow - Aaron Shain and Jim White

My grandson (Aaron Shain) and I built this car for his 2012 RA (Royal
Racers) event here in Kentucky. "The Arrow", as he calls the car, has
a carbon fiber rod down the car center for extra strength. We hope it
hits a "Bull's Eye" at the races. (The hole in the side is for final
adjustment of the car weight using tungsten putty when the wheels are
changed for different races.)

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 9

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2012-01-27T07:48:00.000-08:00

21st Century Changes Pinewood Derby Racing
By Randy Davis

During the pinewood derby season I receive many calls asking for
assistance in selecting products for an upcoming pinewood derby race.
Quite often the customer will state something like, "Wow, there sure
is a lot to choose from. When I did this back in 19xx there wasn't
anything available".

There certainly are a lot of products to choose from today. Whether it
is tools, weight, software, tracks, etc., the pinewood market really
exploded during the first decade of the 21st century. Sifting through
all of the new offerings, I believe there are several key products and
technologies that created a step change in competitiveness and in race
management. Let's take a look at these key developments and how
they have made a huge impact on pinewood derby racing.(1)

INTERNET RETAILING- 2000
Although not specifically related to pinewood derby racing the
introduction of e-commerce, opened up the opportunity to offer a wide
variety of pinewood derby products directly to the user. Maximum
Velocity began selling on the Internet at the end of 1999. Prior to
that (to the best of my recollection), there was one mail order
company (Hodges Hobby House) offering an assortment of products, and
another company (Winning Edge) offering a speed tip booklet. By
the end of 2001, there were a few additional companies offering a
broad assortment of products. Now there are numerous companies
offering either a wide or a unique selection of products. Regardless
of the new products that have been developed, if it were not for
Internet retailing, the pinewood derby builder would continue to have
only a limited selection of products.

TUNGSTEN WEIGHT - 2001
I believe Maximum Velocity was the first retailer to offer tungsten
weight for pinewood derby building. The first product was a tapered
tungsten cylinder, which was actually a golf putter weight. There is
an interesting story behind these weights.

In 2000, I received a call from a tungsten sales rep (who was also a
pinewood derby dad), asking if we had considered offering tungsten.
He had used tungsten for his son's car, and thought that it worked
great. At the end of the conversion, the sales rep offered to send me
some samples. When I received the samples (an oddball set of parts),
the only part that seemed interesting was a tapered tungsten cylinder
(the thought of having custom made tungsten parts did not seem
reasonable at the time). When I asked the sales rep about buying some,
he stated that he didn't mean to send me that part, as it was a
proprietary part from a particular customer. Oh well.

But the part intrigued me, so I went looking on the Internet. The
sales rep had indicated that they sold parts to golf club
manufacturers, so I specifically looked at golf club dealers.
Amazingly, a Ping putter was shown on a particular site, and it looked
like the putter used the tapered tungsten cylinders for weighting.
Ping is based in our area (Phoenix, Arizona), and I happened to know a
manager at Ping, so I showed him the part and explained that I wanted
to offer the part for pinewood derby racing. He said, "No problem, we
will sell them to you." So, for the next several years, we purchased
the cylinders from Ping.

Now, the use of tungsten for pinewood derby racing is quite common. It
allows for much more effective weight placement, and for extremely
low-profile cars. Not only are cars more unique today, but the weight
placement and aerodynamics have greatly improved performance.

SPECIALTY TOOLS - 2002
Prior to 2002, the only readily available pinewood derby tool was the
wheel mandrel. But then in the summer of 2002, Bill Launius contacted
Maximum Velocity regarding a prototype tool he had invented, the Pro-
Hub Tool. That tool was introduced in September 2002, and was quickly
followed by the Pro-Body Tool and Pro-Axle Press. More tools followed,
and now there is a broad selection of pinewood derby tools available
from DerbyWorx. There are also some unique tools from other
manufacturers as well, such as the Wheel Balancer, Axle Extraction
pliers, and the Axle Install Support.

Now that these tools have been available for many years, it would be
difficult to make a competitive car without the tools. Just like
other types of technology, we have become accustomed to having the
right tools for the job. By simplifying the building of accurate cars,
pinewood derby specialty tools have increased the competitiveness of
all pinewood derby races.

RACE COMPUTERIZATION - 2002
Although some software packages were available before 2002, in that
year Lisano Enterprises introduced Grand Prix Race Manager (GPRM).
With the ability to create "perfect-n" and "partial perfect-n
schedules", this package helped to convert many race leaders away from
elimination-style racing. Coupled with certificates, sound effects,
and many other features, GPRM dramatically improved the quality,
accuracy, and entertainment value of pinewood derby racing.

ALUMINUM TRACKS - 2002
Prior to 2002, an aluminum track surface was only available by
covering a wooden track with aluminum plating. But this changed when
BestTrack introduced an all-aluminum track in mid-2002. Piantedosi
(now Microwizard), followed soon after with an all-aluminum version of
their Freedom track. Now aluminum tracks are much more prevalent
than wooden tracks.

The common use of aluminum tracks has resulted in faster times (for a
given track length) and generally tighter races. This adds to the
excitement of the event, and has further increased the number of
organizations that hold pinewood derby events.

RAIL RIDING TECHNIQUE - 2008
Although the Rail Rider alignment technique(2) was developed by Jay
Wiles several years ago, it became popularized in 2008 with the
introduction of the DerbyWorx Pro-Rail Rider Tool. The Rail Rider
technique greatly improves the consistency and performance of pinewood
derby cars. Because it is relatively easy to implement, the Rail Rider
technique is now commonly used not only in the highly-competitive
adult race leagues, but in most pinewood derby races. No other
technique has so quickly become a standard that is virtually required
to have a competitive car.

NEW BSA WHEELS - 2009
A major step forward for Cub Scout pinewood derby builders was the
introduction of the improved BSA wheel in 2009. By using internal
injection, this wheel did away with the mold mark on the tread,
reduced the weight, and improved the accuracy of the wheel. This
served to improve the competitiveness of Cub Scout Pinewood Derbies.
Now there are fewer cars which don't cross the finish line, and races
tend to be much closer, increasing audience interest.

Not involved in a BSA-sponsored derby? In 2010, Maximum Velocity
introduced a highly accurate light-weight wheel for their MV Car kit.
This wheel also uses internal injection to eliminate the mold mark and
improve concentricity. In races using this kit, cars are much faster
and are much closer at the finish line.

CONCLUSION
Certainly, the first decade of the 21st century has significantly
changed pinewood derby racing. I for one am anxious to see what the
current decade will bring. Hopefully it will be as exciting as the
first decade, and pinewood derby racing will continue to grow in
popularity and excitement.

(1) This is my list of pinewood derby step changes. If you have one
or more additional items that that you believe are 21st century step
changes, please send me your input and I'll collect and publish them
in a future newsletter.

(2) If you are not familiar with the Rail Rider technique, please
Click Here. You can find the Pro-Rail Rider tool Here.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 9

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2012-01-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Fears to Cheers

November 2002 was upon us and it was that time of the year for my son
Chris and I to begin preparing for the Pinewood Derby. Last year was
our first time racing, with Chris being a Tiger. Even though we placed
third in the Tiger den (Tigers are not allowed to join in the pack
finals), I knew there was a lot of room for improvement. I vowed next
year's car would be better.

After looking for all the tips and tricks we could find on the Internet,
I felt we had developed a decent strategy in building a very fast car.
One of the ideas we picked up was to weight the car slightly above 5
ounces and to chisel away the wood (i.e., not remove any lead) during
weigh-in to bring the car's weight down to 5 ounces.

I chiseled out a small area underneath the car for the slab of weights.
We also went through the process of painstakingly ensuring that the
car's wheels were in alignment and in toe. We took our car to the post
office. The car weighed 5.1 ounces. Fantastic! I could easily take
off one-tenth of an ounce from the car if I had to.

Weigh-in day arrived. Chris and I got there 15 minutes before closing
and stood in one of three available lines to weigh the car on a scale.

"5.1 ounces." No problem. "I'll just chisel out a good portion
underneath the car and try again." We stood in line again. Rats!
Still 5.1 ounces. More chiseling. Still 5.1 ounces.

Now I was getting upset - I was chiseling away too much wood. We
decided to go to another line and try that scale. 5.0 ounces. "Hey!",
I said. "That scale says 5.1 and yours says 5.0!"

"Too bad," said the official. "You must go back to the scale on which
you started." I went back to my corner and scraped out more wood. We
got in the original line with the "uncalibrated" scale.

"5.0...no wait...5.1," said the official. "The scale said 5.0 and then
jumped to 5.1. You need to take off more." Now I was upset, which was
the worse thing I could be. I took the car back to my corner, scraped
some more wood, and then 'oops!' I tore out a chip of wood by the axle
with my chisel. Now the left nail and wheel were slightly loose. OH NO!
The alignment and toe was off, and there was only a few minutes left
before they shut down the weigh-in!

I rolled the car on the floor checking the alignment, adjusting the
wheel and nail, and all the time I was thinking "all this work,
and we'll end up last." We took the car to the scale.

"5.0 ounces!" (I think the guy felt sorry for me).

Race day arrived - my heart was racing too. Potential problems were
running through my head, "Is the alignment and toe still good? Will the
car bang against the rail all the way down the track? Will the nail and
wheel fall off?"

First place in the den, second place in the pack. I knew we would do
well all along!

David Ensminger

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 3, Issue 1

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2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

Today's special: Cars with tungsten canopies

Spiderman-mobile - Robert Stevens

Last year my son participated in his first pinewood derby and won the
grand championship for his pack. This year was his second pinewood
derby and his second grand championship for his pack. We took the
Predator design and turned it in to the Spiderman-mobile. We
implemented the rail-riding alignment technique using the Pro-Rail
Rider tool. Thank you for all that you do to help boys have success
with the pinewood derby. It has really helped build my son's
confidence and esteem.

Predator - Michael Tances

I raced this car in the adult class in 2010. The car won all the races
and had faster times than the pack winner. It is completely stock and
is exactly 5 ounces. I'm 64 years old and still like to win!

Race for the Cure - Kimberly Paul

This car took first place in the open division at our pack here in
Tulsa. The car ran really well thanks to the tungsten canopy purchased
through Maximum Velocity.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 8

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2012-01-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Grandkids Reign

I have three granddaughters: one is in Kindergarten, the second is in
pre-school, and the third is only three. Recently, all three got to
compete in an Awana Grand Prix.

The day of the race, my son came over with the three girls' cars to
put the wheels on. He anticipated only about a 20-minute job, so he
brought the girls and a video for them to watch. His wife wasn't
feeling well and stayed home for a nap.

Three hours later, she woke up and called wondering where they were.
We were still working on the cars, but time was running out so weren't
able to polish the wheels or the insides of the hubs. We aligned the
cars and took them to the sign-in.

That night, the oldest girl took first in speed, and the middle one
got third. The youngest was headed for either second or third when, on
the last race, her car jumped the track. I have no idea why - it was
running well.

We came that close to having a family lock on speed at this race!

Les Aldrich
Bonner Springs, Kansas

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 15

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2012-01-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Thumbs Up!

My son wanted to sign up for scouts. I thought, "What a great idea!"
I thought back to my childhood days in scouts and thought this would
surely be great. I instantly started telling - and apparently boring -
my son about all of the great times that I had! Of all of the
activities that I remembered the most, unfortunately the Pinewood
Derby wasn't one of them.

I'll never forget that look on my son's face that day he came home
with his derby box in his outstretched hand,and announced to me as he
was handing over the box; "Here you go dad! Make me a great car!" In
a blink of the eye, I instantly became my father!! And in an
instant - after the panic subsided - it all came back to me about my
Derby days. The handing over of the box to my dad, the return of the
box from my dad, and then, for the next few weeks, the building of
"the car" together. Well, before my son could run off for the TV, I
was able to apprehend him and hand back the box. Of course for the
whole "we'll do this together" thing, but also for the simple fact
that if this car failed, I wasn't going down alone!

This Pinewood Derby kit looked simple enough. So the box sat for what
seemed like the longest time. Then as Derby day approached, I
thought, "I'd better take a look at this thing! How hard could it be
to attach four nails to a block of wood that resembled a car and paint
the darn thing!" I was pretty handy with wood. Gosh I have a ton of
wood working tools! I had made things in the past. This was no
problem. I'm a dad!! Dad's know these things. The only real guideline
that I understood was the fact that it needed to "look like a flag."
A little red, white and blue paint would take care of that.

So we began. I thought I should cut the block first. No problem.
Pulled out the old table saw (I know what you're thinking) and cut
away. This experience was similar to 'ice carving' with a chain saw,
something I was totally unfamiliar with! Holy Cow!!

"All right," I thought. "Maybe a scroll saw would be better." Carve a
little decorative look to the whole thing. Nope!

Okay, we took our first trip to the scout shop to buy another block.
My son was a little puzzled but I kept giving him the 'thumbs up' sign
and assured him we were "Just practicing." What a trooper. He just
smiled and jumped in the car.

Our next attempt at cutting went a little smoother. My son pointed to
the band saw and said, "We haven't used this one yet." The car looked
great! Well, to him anyway. Bless his heart, Daddy could do no
wrong.

I overheard a parent at one of our meetings discussing their car and
remembered hearing something about making your own axle slots. Well
this wasn't a problem since I seemed to have accidentally removed the
original ones. This was going good! Pulled out the drill; instant
axle holes. Put that little nail through the wheel, glue it in the
hole and 'Bam' we've got a race car! Let's paint. Whoa! OK.... pull
out the wheels.

"Just making sure they fit son."

Thumbs up. Dad's still great!

"I've got my paints dad!," he said.

"Naw, let's use spray paint! We'll get a much better looking paint
job."

I don't think my son had used a paint can before. But being the
"eager" scout, he grabbed the can, pointed it backwards and began
spraying his arm! Just another lesson in painting. What a neat
father/son project! Two thumbs up!

Well, we finally got the paint on the car. Red on the bottom, blue on
the top and some really cool looking star stickers all over. It was
coming together. We even painted the wheels white (A real speed
secret!?). We let it dry overnight.

"It's not real shiny dad. Let's spray some shiny stuff on it!"

Oh boy - instant problem! This time my son and I learned a very
important thing about painting: Compatibility!

Who would have ever thought that all paints and clear coats were NOT
created equal. Within moments of painting our car began to 'crinkle'.
All at once flash backs of chemistry class, memories of my professor
discussing things we should never mix together came rushing back to
me!

With no time to react, I started wiping off the car in an attempt to
save something! A few re-coats of red, white, and blue and we were
back. Throw in a little graphite, a little driver to sit behind the
wheel, and we were real car builders. We did it!

Well, this journey my son and I were taking was not turning out
anything like I thought. We did have a car though. Not a bad looking
car either. And all four wheels were in place!

Race day came. How did we do? As my son's car came down the track my
fingers were turning blue from being crossed so tight. It made it!
Every boy left that day with a ribbon. My son got to run six races
that day and walked away with a fifth place ribbon. Overall in the
whole pack of a one hundred plus boys? No idea - but we left with the
BIGGEST grin on our faces, a car, and a ribbon.

Jon Edgar
Ballwin, MO

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 14

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2012-01-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
A Sad Story?

Okay. I knew that the car we built was fast. I got the track and the
timer, right?

We were faster this year than the car we made last year - that won the
Pack race, District race, and came in 10th in the Council race.

We were so fast this year that we could have won the Council race
last year!

The Den Race: We won our Webelos Den race easily. We had the fastest
time overall in our Den and the other Dens. This was going to be
easy.

The Pack Race: The top 3 of each Den race it off. We won the first 2
rounds. No problem. Third time down, we are ahead. Right before the
finish line we go airborne, flip up, and smack the timer pole! Didn't
even score a time.

We lost - double elimination though.

The car was 'runable', but a piece of wood was breaking near the left
rear tire.

We lost again. It was over. Only the top 3 were advanced to the
District Race.

My son and I were very disappointed, upset, and confused. There was no
reason why the car flipped up on the smoothest, and flattest part of
the track. There was no debris. No reason why. It just happened.

But, this is not a sad story. We learned a few lessons from this:

- The fastest car doesn't always win.
- Sometimes things in life happen for no reason.
- Always expect the unexpected.

Everything was okay the morning after. We will try again next year
and keep our fingers crossed.

Barry Goff
Pikeville, KY

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 13

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2012-01-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

The Legend of the Pinewood Derby
By Don Murphy

Nearing its 50th Anniversary, and at the time of the first Pinewood
Derby no one could have imaged that the event would go down in history
as the single most popular successful event in Scouting. According to
Dear Abby, "The Pinewood Derby has taken off and assumed a life of its
own."

In 1953, when my son was 10 years old, he expressed the desire to join
the Cub Scouts. My wife and I encouraged him to do so since, as a
child, I was a Scout and enjoyed the experience. As a father, I served
on the Scouting committee and my wife became a Den Mother of our Pack
280C which was composed of 52 Cub Scouts and 7 Dens. In those days Den
Mothers were rather new to the program and we found that they were a
valuable asset in communicating Scouting information by holding weekly
meetings in their homes by helping the Cubs with merit badge studies
and making handicrafts.

In 1953, Pack 280C needed a new Cubmaster. Having been a Committee
member, I volunteered. I had no idea when I made that commitment that
one day my ideas would evolve into an international tradition.

Each month the Dens would meet in our newly built Scout House in
Manhattan Beach, California. I had felt for a long time that Scouts
needed more opportunities to participate in active challenging games
to promote good sportsmanship and acquire a variety of skills and
abilities. We initiated broad variety of activities in our Cub Pack.
For example, contests included: the smallest flying kite, the most
original kite, planes and gliders and yo-yo contests. We invited
speakers to present their travels and experiences. There was a
memorable Hawaiian night when we all dressed up like Polynesians and
enjoyed movies of Hawaii.

At that time, I was Art Director at North American Aviation and a
member of the Management Club. The Management Club sponsored the Soap
Box Derby for the children of employees and provided the materials for
the cars. I wanted my son to enter the program and have a chance for
him to win a scholarship. My son, Donn, was 10 years old and, to our
disappointment, too young to enter the Derby. Children had to be 12
years old to participate. I felt that something needed to be done for
younger boys to be able to race cars in our Cub Pack. Two earlier life
experiences became the catalyst for the creation of the Pinewood
Derby.

During my youth, I used to make model airplanes, coaches, and cars
working with soft pinewood and balsa. I thought, why not design a
small racing car to run down an inclined track, propelled by gravity.
It would be a safe activity for young boys and something that dads and
mothers could also participate in with their children.

I recalled when my son was 5 years old, I thought it would be fun to
involve him in a project of modifying a small plastic race car
connected to a 100 foot string and run it on the sidewalk. The car was
to be propelled by a compressed air (CO) tube placed in the rear of
the racer. We went to a hobby shop and dime store for the car and
parts. My son watched while I carved out an opening to fit the CO tube
at the rear of the car. An eyelet was placed on the car's
undercarriage for a string to pass through to keep the car on course.
The other end of the string was tied to a sprinkler head. A pillow was
used to cushion the impact when the car reached the end of it's
journey. It was time for launch!

I pierced the end of the CO tube and off the car went safely on the
string to the pillow. It was worth the entire effort just to watch my
son's expression of excitement. However, he never forgot the second
run. I had forgotten the pillow at the end of the cars journey!! Not
only was the car destroyed, but so was the sprinkler head.

Because of the Soap Box Derby disappointment, I set into action the
design and making of a 7-inch racer cut from soft pinewood to be raced
down a 30-foot inclined track self-propelled by gravity, and named the
event the "Pinewood Derby." I took my idea to the Management Club and
not only did they accept the idea but they wanted to sponsor my Cub
Pack 280C. In addition, they appointed an institutional representative
who provided the Pack with trophies and promotional backing.

I presented the Pinewood Derby idea to my Cub Scout Committee members,
some of whom were gifted in wood work and familiar with electricity.
With much enthusiasm, we created the design for the track and used an
electric door bell mechanism for the finish line. A light would
indicate the winner. We then established the official rules and
regulations. The rules are very much the same today. The 7-inch
pinewood blocks were cut. The wheels were purchased at a hobby shop.
The rules, wood block, 4-nails, and 4-wheels were placed in a brown
paper bag and given to each Cub Scout with a number. This number was
used to identify the participant and the car. The finished car could
not weigh more than 5-ounces.

DERBY DAY! This was the big day! In a small Scout House on May 15,
1953, in Manhattan Beach, California the Committee arrived one hour
before the event. The track was set up and a few test runs were made
to ensure alignment. The area was roped off around the track and car
pit for protection. The result charts, banners, and posters were put
in place. The Inspection and Repair Committee members were in place.
Finally the announcement "LET THE RACE BEGIN!" was made to a packed
Scout House.

Contestants raced across the wooden track in three classes: for
example, the first race for 8-years olds, the first race for 9-year
olds and the first race for 10-year olds. This was repeated for the
remaining heats. The winners immediately took their cars back to the
pit for the remaining heats.

From that moment in time, the Derby became an instant hit! The
expressions on the boys faces and the interest of the parents said it
all. No, my son did not win but he always remembers the race. I relive
the experience today when I watch the Derbies being run. Many fathers
who participated in Derbies years ago still have their cars. Today
they watch their sons embark on the same adventure.

Eventually, word of the Derby reached the National Directors of the
Boy Scouts of America and they decided to promote the event throughout
the United States. Director O. W. Bennett wrote to me saying, "We
believe you have an excellent idea and we are most eager to make this
material available to the Cub Scouts of America."

I gave them my permission to proceed with the program. I was quite
rewarded knowing that I had made a contribution to the Boy Scouts of
America and which became a meaningful family event that has become a
world wide tradition among millions of Scouts today.

An article appeared in the Cub Scout quarterly issue in 1954, and in
October issue of Boy's Life demonstrating how to make a gravity
powered racing car model and a track on which to run the Derby. The
rest is history!

Another colorful article appeared in the 1999 November-December issue
of Scouting magazine. Because of the overwhelming response to the
Derby, I became inspired to write and publish a book entitled
"Pinewood," the Story of the Pinewood Derby. This book includes
reproductions of photographs of the original Derby. The Book also
includes the official rules, car and track plans, and how the Derby
was staged--plus much more! There are humorous accounts drawn from
past and present events as well as illustrations, cartoons, stories
and photos of past and current Derbies.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 13

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2012-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

On several occasions, I have showcased cars from Andy Holzer. Here are
his amazing creations for 2011.

Turbine Car

For my 2011 car I chose the Chrysler Turbine. Back in 2001 I pulled
up to a stoplight. Another car pulled up beside me, and to my
surprise it was a Chrysler Turbine car. I knew about the Turbine car
as my dad had a model of that car in his display case when I was
growing up. I rolled down the window to listen to the car, figuring
the motor had been replaced, or the car was some sort of replica. But
to my surprise the car made the turbine whistle as it drove away.

The Turbine car came in second in the pack open race and second in
another race put on by a local motorcycle shop.

DeLorean DMC-12

For my son's 2011 car, Noah decided to build the DeLorean DMC-12.
Noah was in Boy Scouts, so he had to race in the open class with his
old pack. Noah decided he wanted to build the stock DeLorean, not the
time travel version. He used a Hot Wheels DeLorean as his guide to
draw his plan. The DeLorean came in 4th place in the pack open race.

1959 Cadillac

On Christmas Eve as we were leaving my sister's house, my nine year
old niece came up and asked, "Can you help me build my pinewood car?"
(At this point it was Christmas for me!) Of course I said yes. I
asked her if she had the kit and the rules. She said she was going to
get the kit the next time she went to her Wednesday church class. I
told her mother we needed the kit (assuming it was an Awana kit), the
rules, and if she could find out what kind of track the race was going
to be run on.

We brought my niece to some hobby stores to look at cars to build.
She liked a lot of cars from a '63 Thunderbird to a 2002 Camaro, but
in the end she chose a 1959 Cadillac. I told her the '59 Cadillac
could have come from the factory in a pink color. My niece told me she
hates pink; she wanted the car to be black with a white top.

When she received the kit she called me and said the car needed to be
completed the next Wednesday for the weigh-in. This left us only
seven days to complete her car. We arranged for her to stay over for
the weekend and also for the school holiday. When she arrived she
drew up her plans for the car using some pictures and a die cast model
of a '59 Cadillac:

The kit she had received was not an Awana kit, but a Maximum Velocity
kit. The MV kit has excellent wheels and axles included with the kit
and of course a very nice pine block (I would recommend this kit to
anyone having a derby that does not require a specific kit, very good
parts). Her block had been "pre-cut" by someone at the church so all
we needed to do was finish it (yea right).

The rules said we needed to use the block included with the kit so we
glued the precut block to another MV block and trimmed all of the
precut from the block.

At her Awana race she placed 1st for speed and 1st for design.

Vespa Scooter

In January 2010, just after the weekend of my son's last official Cub
Scout pinewood derby race, a friend sent me a link to a race at a
local motorcycle shop. It turns out the race was the same day as our
pack pinewood derby so it had already passed. I thought to myself this
would be a cool event. I found some online pictures of the event and I
was hooked. Fast forward to January 2011 and the event was happening
again.

Being that the derby was sponsored by the motorcycle shop I decided to
see if I could build some sort of motorcycle car. I had done some
drawings trying to make a motorcycle with a sidecar work; to keep the
plans in scale proved to be difficult. Motorcycles have large wheels
and when trying to stretch to the pinewood dimensions I would have an
extremely short car (or bike).

I was having trouble making the Vespa narrow enough to fit over the
wheels (1/2 inch wide centered). I decided I could just not make this
plan work. One day I was down in the shop and I spotted some old PWD
wheels (pre 1980 narrow wheels). I figured I possibly could make these
wheels work with the Vespa. So I modified the plans to use the old
wheels:

The rear axles are drilled at 2.5 degrees camber. The front axle was
bent 2.5 degrees. I ran the Vespa down the test board and adjusted the
drift. Now it was time to run down the 20 foot BestTrack. These were
nervous times for me as I was not sure what would happen on its maiden
run. It is a very tall pinewood vehicle; I made sure I had pictures
of the Vespa taken from all angles (in case of a disastrous crash).

My son Noah was at the lever ready to release the Vespa, and I was at
the stop section. On its first run it went to the rail and down the
incline, just after the curve it went to the left and fell from the
track. Turns out the wheel replacement peg I made was too short
(probably a good thing to test before the first run). The Vespa was
OK with no damage. I made a longer peg and tested it before the
second run.

The second run it went to the rail and down the track without any
trouble, I just wanted the Vespa to be able to finish the races
without taking out any innocent cars in the process. I was off to the
races.

The Vespa was indeed fast, it took 1st place in the stock class. The
only car it lost to was the Turbine Car (once).

If you interested in Andy's technique for building these detailed
cars, check out his article in
Volume 9, Issue 9

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 7

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2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Shop Talk: Shaping Wood with Hand Tools
By Randy Davis

Many years ago I made a few pinewood derby cars with a rocket-shaped
fuselage. Since then, I have been asked many times if the car body was
shaped on a lathe, and if so, how did I deal with the wheel struts?
When I tell them that the car was hand shaped from a block of wood,
they think I am kidding with them. But I soon convince them that I am
being serious.

The Rocket - Extended Wheelbase

The Missile - Extended Wheelbase

Although I am not the most talented of woodworkers, I have found that
with the right tools, and a good technique you can accomplish more
than you would think. Oftentimes, just a little shaping (or more, as
in the case of the cars above), will really set your car apart from
the rest of the field. So, today we will discuss some tools and
techniques for putting some pizzazz into your car.

ROUGH CUT
For any car, you must first cut out the rough shape with a saw. In the
case of the Missile pictured above, the body is first cut out with all
sides flat and square, and initial cuts are made at the front axle
strut and at the rear of the car (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Missile After Sawing

SHAPING
Then the shaping begins. My preferred tool is a special wood rasp,
called a "4-in-Hand" (aka, a "Shoe Rasp" or a "4-in-One" Rasp).

Figure 2 - 4-in-Hand Rasp
Source: www.traditionalwoodworker.com

A rasp is a rough file; and the 4-in-Hand rasp is a combination of
four rasps, a coarse and fine flat rasp, and a coarse and fine curved
rasp. The flat file sections of the tool are used for creating
exterior curves, while the curved file sections of the tool are used
for interior curves. So, with this one tool, you can perform a wide
variety of shaping operations.

For the shaping operation, the wood must be immobilized with a clamp,
but the wood must be accessible on all sides. One way to accomplish
this is with a combination of clamps, such as is shown here.

Figure 3 - Combination Clamping

For the Missile pinewood derby car, the coarse flat file is used to
remove most of the excess wood, leaving behind a generally cylindrical
fuselage. Then the fine flat rasp is used to finish up the shaping.
The result is shown in Figure 4. The red color is Bondo, a car body
filler which was used to fill a few spots where a saw cut was too
deep.

Figure 4 - Missile After Rasp Work

SANDING
After the rasp work, 60 grit sandpaper is applied to finish the
shaping. Finish sanding is accomplished with 120 and 220 grit
sandpaper.

Sometimes, detail needs to be carved into the car body. On the
Missile car shown above, the grooved transition from the fuselage to
the wider back must be created. For this type of job, I use either a
small flat or triangular-shaped file. The edge of the file cuts into
the wood allowing you to create the desired shape. Just be careful as
it will cut into the wood very easily and quickly. Figure 5 shows the
sanded version. Additional Bondo was used in a few spots.

Figure 5 - Missile Ready for Painting

A FEW TIPS
In building these cars, I learned the hard way that shaping the wheel
struts is a bit tricky, as the wheel struts cannot take too much force
(or they will break). To minimize the risk of breaking a strut,
increase the strength by inserting a spare axle into each axle
slot/hole. Once shaping is complete, pull the axles out with a pair
of pliers (gently twist and pull).

By the way, if you are interested in making the Rocket or Missile car,
complete plans are available on our web site in "Advanced Car Plans"
and "Advanced Car Plans 2".

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 7

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2011-12-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Pinewood Derby Awards

Should every child entering a pinewood derby get an award? Or should
only the top cars for design and speed be given a trophy? How about a
compromise? The answer to these questions will likely vary from person
to person, and depends a lot on your philosophy of raising children.

I am not a child psychologist, so I can't argue the theory that
underlies awarding children. But I am a parent that cares about my
children. Before they leave our home, I want to give them a solid
understanding of how they should behave and what they should expect to
encounter in the world.

I do not believe that every child should be equally rewarded, that is,
no winners and no losers. This is certainly not the way the world
operates, and teaching a child this perspective will not prepare them
for reality. In my opinion children need to understand that sometimes
you win, and sometimes you lose, and greater effort leads to greater
opportunities for winning. Learning how to deal with losing (and
winning) builds character and maturity. So I believe that trophies for
the fastest cars and best designs are certainly appropriate.

NON-TROPHY AWARDS

But on the other hand, I think providing a larger variety of awards
can be a great encouragement for kids. These can be certificates for:
Best Paint Job, Car Most Likely Built By a Kid, Silliest, Funniest,
Most Aerodynamic, etc., etc.

Be careful with these type of awards. If you decide that every
participant will get one, then it will be a big challenge to make sure
that the number of certificates match the number of entrants, and that
the awards are given out appropriately. Again, I don't believe it is
necessary for every entrant to receive an award of this type. But
that leads to ...

PARTICIPATION AWARDS

Providing all entrants with a ribbon (or alternate) for participating
is certainly appropriate. I am still amazed how much my kids like
those ribbons. Even when they win a trophy, they drape the
participation ribbon over the trophy. Certainly other participation
awards such as pins, patches, etc. can also be used.

CONCLUSION

I realize this article is a bit short, but of course my experience is
limited to the races sponsored by our organization. So, I would like
to get your input on this topic. If your group has a method of
providing awards that works well or is unique in some way, please send
me a description. I will try to include your comments in a future
newsletter. You can send your comments to:
mailto:info@maximum-velocity.com.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 12

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2011-12-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

'Mater - Richard Larson

Mater took first place for design in the Outlaw competition. However,
the car meets specs (exactly 5 ounces) and could have run in the stock
races. He wasn't fast, but 'Mater was happier running backwards.

Bugatti and Camaro - Aaron Shain and Jim White

Here are two of the twelve cars my Grandson (Aaron Shain) and I built
for the 2011/2012 Pinewood Derby race season. The white car is based
on a 2012 Camaro and the red/black car is based on a Bugatti Veyron.
The Bugatti uses an extension plate under the car's front end so it is
seven inches long for races.

Cannon - Ryan McLaughlin

The Cannon took first place in design in our Awana Grand Prix. Ryan
wanted something different so he came up with a cannon firing. We had
someone with a lathe do a rough shape which was then sanded to its
final look. The Awana block was cut down and new axle holes drilled.
Sides were mounted and a wood burner was used to add some detail. The
base was stained while the cannon received a faux patina look.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 6. A car showcase is a regular feature of the newsletter.

To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
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2011-12-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY TIP
Painting Platform

Regarding painting. We've found that salvaging the rotator motor out
of an old microwave oven makes a handy tool for a small paint booth.
The motors usually rotate about 6 RPM.

I mounted one inside a cardboard box and made a round platform that a
pinewood derby car sits on. I put a couple of washers under the car
so that the platform and car won't stick together when I spray them.

As the motor rotates it's pretty easy to get a nice even coat of
paint. It takes several rotations to get into all the nooks and
crannies, but they usually come out pretty good.

After I've applied the paint I swing a spot lamp onto the fresh paint
to help it dry a little quicker.

It's a pretty crude setup, but it works great and didn't cost a thing.

Chuck Strahm

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 6

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2011-12-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Lisano Enterprises Company Profile
By Randy Lisano

Our involvement in pinewood derby racing began back in 1999, with our
church's first Awana Grand Prix. Our daughter Amanda was a 3rd grader,
at the time. A friend of ours was heading up the race and he enlisted
a gentleman from the church, who was a contractor, to build a four
lane race track from the Awana plans. I decided to help out where I
could. That started what would become an addiction and eventually a
full time business.

Well, I had not been fortunate enough as a kid to be involved in Cub
Scouts, so I was not familiar with pinewood derby type racing at all.
So, I decided to do some research. Surfing the web, I was surprised
about the amount of information and tips that were available. I dove
in and tried to learn about building the cars and how the race was
run. I collected a lot of information from a variety of web sites and
tried to digest it all.

Amanda didn't want some simple car design, of course. She wanted a
dolphin! "Oh brother," I thought. No easy feat when you only have a
jig saw at your disposal to cut out the car. Trying to securely hold
the block while cutting it was a challenge. Well, we managed to get
the body cut out and used some balsa for the fins. My wife Shelly
helped with the paint job. We put the wheels on as straight as we
could and raised one of the front wheels. We made sure to involve
Amanda as much as she could at that age. The car turned out rather
nice for a first build. It ended up winning 3rd Place for speed too.

In preparing to help out for the race, I decided that I wanted to
build a timing system. After reading about trying to eyeball judge a
race, I figured that we really needed one. It was a simple parallel
port sensor system, where the computer actually did the timing using a
small software program written in Basic, running on DOS. The night
before the race, I was working until 3am on it and just couldn't get
it working. So, come race day we ended up eyeball judging after all.
Well, right after the race, I was able to quickly determine the
problem and fix it. Having had a bit of sleep, I'm sure helped. Oh
well, we had it ready for the next year's race. By this point, I was
totally hooked on this race, so I decided to coordinate the next race.

Car Inspection Gauge Parts

The timing system was ready to go for the next race, but I really did
not like the simple Excel spreadsheet that we used and having to use
separate timing software. I started looking around for some race
management software. I didn't really like the free or commercial
software that was available at the time, as it didn't really run the
race as our church preferred, so I decided that I would write some
myself. That was the birth of our GrandPrix Race Manager software.
Our next race went really well and the software was a hit. Version 1
was made available as shareware for a couple of years and received
lots of good feedback and suggestions for improvement. People at our
church recommended that I start selling the software, so I rewrote it
to be more of a commercial grade software package. Our company,
Lisano Enterprises, was born and we started selling the software.
That was back in 2002.

CNC Router/Driller

Our business grew rapidly, as word of our software spread and timer
manufacturers started packaging it along with their timers. We added
our other software packages to help enhance the race experience and
branched into some non-software products, like our Car Inspection
Go/No-Go Gauges, to help run the race. By 2005, with a lot of help
from my wife, I started working this business as a full-time venture.
Each year we improve our software and strive to provide quality
service and support.

Workshop

I have also been active in the pinewood derby community by providing
free information and resources to help build the cars and run the
races. Actually, before our GrandPrix Race Manager software was
launched commercially, I created the GrandPrix Race Central website(1)
to be a central repository of information and resources to make a race
coordinator's job easier. In June of 2003, I launched the Derby Talk
website.(2) It is a forum to discuss all aspects of building the cars
and running the races. It has grown to over 2,100 members and 58,000
individual message posts. The sharing of information has led to the
running of many successful races and has helped many racers to be much
more competitive at local and higher level races.

What started out as helping at our church's first Awana Grand Prix
turned into a hobby (addiction) and into a business. I have been
quite blessed to be able to turn a hobby into a fun job. With this
hobby, our three kids have been able to participate in many Awana and
Cub Scout races over the years. Each kid has quite a collection of
cars and trophies. Not all of their cars won in speed or design, but
each year they did more of the construction and we enjoyed the time
working together. Though my daughter is off on her own now and my
boys are out of scouts, I continue to stay active by donating my time
to run races for local Awana clubs that do not have their own track
setup.

Randy Lisano
Owner, Lisano Enterprises

Randy and Shelly Lisano

Lisano Enterprises offers a variety of software and supplies for
pinewood derby race management. They are located in Highlands Ranch,
Colorado; and can be found on the web at:
www.grandprix-software-central.com

(1)GrandPrix Race Central - www.grandprix-race-central.com
(2)Derby Talk - www.derbytalk.com

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 6

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2011-12-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Solid as a Rock

We had prepared my son's car months in advance, getting the car body
to a high gloss with about twenty coats of clear finish. The wheels
were sanded and polished - perfectly round and true - and the axles
were filed and polished to perfection. We put everything together and
set up our test track. The car performed better than expected - it
blew everything away. Cars we thought were fast couldn't even come
close. We had a few other parents over at a couple of workshops with
cars they had built, and a couple of so called 'district winners'
purchased from the Internet. My son's car left them all in the dust.

The night before the pinewood derby we double-checked everything to
make sure we were ready. As we turned the wheels to work in more
graphite I noticed a couple of the axles were working their way out of
the body. I figured I'd just pull them out and put some Super Glue on
them. No problem - until I came out the next morning to put the car in
a special box my son had prepared for the car.

I picked up the car and thought, "What the heck, I'll add a little
more graphite." So I placed some on the left side wheels and worked it
in; the wheels spun like they were ready to fly off. I placed some on
the right rear wheel; it spun like crazy. The right front wheel was
next. It was solid as a rock. I couldn't turn it for anything.

So there I was frantically trying to figure out how to get the car
fixed. I tried a hair dryer figuring that maybe a little heat would
loosen it up. Then I thought I'd get it too hot and damage the wheel.
So I stopped and thought, "What do you use to remove Super Glue?" Nail
polish remover! But would it damage the wheel? With only hours before
the race, I had nothing to lose.

I applied the polish remover, and in a few seconds the wheel started
to turn. But would it perform as good as it did before? It seemed to
still be dragging a little, and the remover had gotten on the wheel. I
could pull the axle, but I didn't want to damage the many hours of
painting and finishing we had put into achieving the perfect paint
job. What to do? I bent the wheel up slightly and placed it in the
box.

We got to the Pinewood Derby registration and I told my son "I'll put
some more graphite on the wheels for you." I didn't want him to turn
the wheels and find out what I'd done. I was thinking to myself, "Is
he going to notice the one wheel is up? Will the car perform? Am I the
world's worst father for not telling him?" All these thoughts were
racing through my mind as the race began.

First the Tiger Cubs; we cheered on the boys who came to our workshop.
Then the Wolves; more racing, cheering, etc. Meanwhile I was sweating
bullets wondering and hoping that the car would run.

Then they announced the Bears were about to race - the time had come.
I was beginning to feel faint so I went to the restroom to splash cold
water on my face.

When I went back to face the music, the first heat had just finished
and my son's car was at the starting gate. People were yelling and
cheering. But in my mind all I could hear was, "Dad what happened to
my car!"

But wait! The race started and his car won by two car lengths! Could
it be? Did it really happen? "There really is a God," I thought.

More cars raced. Then his car was up again, racing against a really
fast car. I thought, "This is it, it's going to lose."

The gate opened, and the cars raced down the track neck and neck. All
at once his car seemed to surge ahead, winning by a car length.

By this time the pressure was really getting to me. The race format
was double-elimination and he was up against the best of the best. Two
chances; if he lost he was done.

As the gate opened the other car shot ahead by two car lengths, but
somehow my son's car caught up at the finish line. A tie! The race was
re-run. Another tie.

The official wiped down the track and ran them again. The other car
surged ahead. Could it be, did the axle seize up? I couldn't watch so
I turned my head. I heard cheering and yelling. Then the announcement,
"Number 24 wins." Wait that's my kid's number! I turned around in
disbelief - I could not figure out how the car had won.

Now it was down to the final three cars, the best of the best racing
against each other. He had already beaten one of them, but the one he
was up against for the finals was unbeaten.

They raced; the cars were neck and neck. "Number 12 wins." My son's
first loss. I thought, "Well third place, that's okay."

The cars had to race till one of the cars lost twice. They switched
lanes and raced again. "24 wins!" I heard over the yelling. At this
point I couldn't watch anymore. "One more time," came the
announcement. I figured, "Well they'll put him back into the other
lane he just lost in. Second place will be good."

The gate opened and I turned to watch. Why? I don't know, maybe to
watch the car lose. But the anxiety of watching his car go down the
track was almost too much for me to handle. It seemed like everything
was in slow motion; the cars were neck and neck. They went through the
timer, then everyone cheered and shouted, "24 wins, 24 wins!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it couldn't be happening! Was
it all a dream? I walked over and picked up his car. The right front
wheel was solid as a rock. By my turning it up slightly, it was
running on three wheels the whole time.

I had read about turning a front wheel up slightly, but had never done
it before because we always had such good luck running on four wheels.
Now I'm a believer - but I hope my son never finds out that his father
messed up his car to help it win!

John Sigafus
South Range, Wisconsin

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 11

A pinewood derby memory is an occasional part of the Pinewood Derby Times Newsletter. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
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2011-12-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Final Race

As the assistant Cubmaster for our Pack, I decided our old beat up
track needed to be improved. So I took it upon myself to build a new
one knowing that my son, a new Tiger Cub, and my nephews would benefit
from it for years. My son and I worked on his Pinewood cars,
Raingutter boats, and Space Derby rockets and never placed in any race
-- although it was fun just competing. When my son was in Webelos II,
his den had trickled down to only five boys and my son was sure this
would be his year to win a trophy. We gave out trophies for four
places; my son took 5th by .003 seconds, and was naturally
disappointed.

I had always used the same trophy dealer for all of our events, and
after my son's last defeat I had to go to the trophy shop to place a
different order for the scouts. I related my son's final defeat to the
owner of the shop. A week later when I went to pick up the trophies,
she had made a special "participant" trophy for my son. He is now in
High School, and competing in various sports and earning trophies.
However, the Cub Scout trophy is still one of his favorites and has a
prominent place on his shelf.

Rick Wold, Pack 457; Covina, California

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 5

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2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

Starfighter - Thomas Stein

This car is called "Starfighter", and sports a Tamiya 1/100 scale
F-104 Starfighter. We used a coping saw to cut the block, and a
battery-powered high-speed rotary tool to make a channel for the plane
to rest in. It's glued in place with Gorilla Glue. We used the Pro
Body Tool, Wheel Bore Polish, Wheel Alignment Tool, and Pro-Axle Guide
to tune up the car.

Midnight - Robert Berry

This is my son, Sammy's car, which he made after testing different
shapes in a wind tunnel for his science fair (patterned after a wind
tunnel featured in a previous Pinewood Derby Times article). The car
is smooth on the bottom and mostly hollow. He took first place in the
science fair and also first place in our Pack race. Unfortunately
there was no District or Council race for him to compete in.

Mini-Turbine Cars - Joe Bilyeu

I came across some unusual cars which have mini-turbine engines. My
friend Russ and his brother, who worked for Rockwell on the Atlas
program, built and designed these cars. I took them to our pack derby
race and the boys loved them. The engines have turbine fans at the
front and rear, with solid fuel in the middle.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 5. A car showcase is a regular feature of the newsletter.

To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

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www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-12-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Looking Good: Techniques for Finishing Your Car
By Randy Davis

(An update of an article originally published January 8, 2003)

Have you seen a car on the staging table that caused your jaw to drop
from admiration? The paint job looks like it came right out of a
custom body shop, and other details like decals and accessories look
fabulous. You ask yourself: "How did they do that?"

I won't kid you - I oftentimes ask that question as well. Clearly,
some folks know how to take the finish work to a level beyond most of
us. However, I can share with you some basic techniques for putting a
nice finish on your car. The main tasks to be addressed are filling,
sanding, priming, painting, and decal work.

FILLING
It is very difficult to create a car of any intricacy without a gouge
or nick that is too deep to sand out. For small defects, the simple
cure is wood putty (or "Bondo" - a car body filler). Press enough of
the product into the defect to completely fill the defect with some
excess. If desired, you can smooth the putty with a finger dipped in
tap water. Allow the putty to dry thoroughly. If the putty sinks or
cracks, apply more putty and let it dry again.

For large defects (e.g., a hole drilled the wrong place), cut a piece
of wood to fill as much of the defect as possible and glue it in
place. After it dries fill any remaining voids with putty, and let it
dry.

Next, it is time to proceed to ...

SANDING
As you probably know, sanding involves smoothing the car, starting
with a coarse grit paper and progressing towards a fine grit paper. A
good grit progression is 60, 120, 240, and 400. This can of coarse
vary, but the ultimate goal is to create a very smooth finish, free of
defects and scratches.

Sanding flat surfaces is greatly simplified by using a sanding block.
A sanding block is designed to hold 1/4 of a sheet of standard
sandpaper. It has a padded surface which helps make the finish very
smooth. When selecting a sanding block, try to find one that can be
easily held by your child (not too wide or heavy).

Figure 1 - Sanding Block

For sanding concave (inward curving) shapes wrap some sandpaper around
a piece of wood (or your finger). A dowel rod or a piece of broom
stick works well for sanding concave curves.

Figure 2 - Concave Curves

Figure 3 - Convex Curves

For convex (outward curving) shapes, use a sanding block, or just hold
the paper in your hand and use fingertip pressure to sand the desired
area.

After the sanding is complete, remove all dust with a vacuum and/or
soft rag. Then create a handle for painting. Two alternatives
include:

- Inserting a dowel rod into a weight hole

- Inserting a long wood/dry wall screw into the bottom of the car -
you might be able to insert the screw into a weight hole so that the
screw hole doesn't show, but be careful to not go all the way through
the car.

Next, I recommend masking off the axle slots (if you have axle holes,
then insert round toothpicks into the holes. This makes future axle
insertion much easier.

PAINTING - PRIMING
Before priming, locate a place for the car to dry. We have a piece of
wire strung under a shelf in the shop, with some binder clips attached
to the line. When we use a screw as a paint handle, the binder clip
can be clipped to the screw, allowing the car to hang upside down to
dry. If you use a dowel rod as a handle, drill an appropriate sized
hole in a workbench, or in a heavy piece of wood. The dowel can then
be fitted into the hole while the car dries.

When spray painting, make sure to wear eye protection and a breathing
mask. Then cover the hand that will hold the car with a plastic bag,
secured with a rubber band. Paint in a well-ventilated, dust and wind
free location. Also watch out that the over spray doesn't get on
something important (cars, walls, etc.). We have large plastic garbage
cans, so we flip up the lid and use it as a backdrop for painting.
Optionally, a large box can be set on end to serve as a backdrop.

The selection of the type of primer is important. I have had the most
success with a "high-build" or "filler-primer", such as that offered
by "Rust-Oleum" and sold at auto parts stores. This type of primer
tends to fill in the pores of the wood, minimizing the number of
primer coats required. If the sanding job is done well, generally
three to four coats are sufficient.

When spraying the primer, keep the can moving and apply light coats.
If you go too heavy, you will get runs that must be sanded out.

Let each primer coat dry, then sand with 600 grit paper and recoat.
If you find a spot that doesn't fill in well, you can apply a little
wood filler or Bondo, sand, and continue priming. Once the car body
is completely smooth, you can proceed to applying the color.

PAINTING - COLOR
There are many types and brands of spray paint. I strongly recommend
acrylic lacquer paint such as "Dupli-Color - Perfect Match" (auto
parts store item). This type of paint dries quickly, and can be
recoated at any time. Watch out for brands that "can be recoated
within 1 hour or after 24 hours". What happens if you recoat after,
say, three hours? Trust me on this one, you don't want to know.

I also suggest avoiding enamel paints. Enamel paints generally take a
long time (many days) to cure, are very susceptible to finger prints,
and act like a graphite magnet.

Generally two or three color coats will be sufficient. After the last
coat allow the car to dry thoroughly. Then proceed to adding decals,
pin striping, etc., and finally apply clear coats.

DECORATIONS
Decorations are certainly not required, but that can really dress up a
car. They also have a practical use; they can cover up any defects in
the paint job. We'll discuss dry transfer decals, stick-on decals
(includes stickers) and pin-striping. All of these products are
available at Maximum Velocity.
http://www.maximum-velocity.com/decals_etc.htm.

Dry-Transfer Decals

Dry-Transfer decals are available in lots of designs, many of which
are targeted at pinewood derby car builders.

Figure 4 - Dry Transfer Decal

The best dry-transfer decals are very thin and do not have a clear
edge. Thus, they blend in to the paint such that you have to look
closely to see that the design is actually a decal.

To apply dry-transfer decals, cut out the desired design, place it on
the car in the desired location, hold it down, and use a soft pencil
with a rounded tip to scribble over the entire decal (you will
actually be scribbling on the transfer material, not the actual
decal). After scribbling over the entire decal, carefully lift up on
the transfer material. If the decal is not completely detached from
the transfer material, scribble some more and try again. After the
transfer material is removed, take the provided tissue-like paper and
rub it over the entire decal.

Stick-on Decals

Stick-on decals, as well as stickers are also good choices. These
apply much easier than dry-transfer decals, but make sure you put it
where you want it. As you know, stickers like to attach themselves
where you don't want them!

Figure 5 - Sticker Decal

My daughter used stickers to decorate her Diamondbacks car; she found
the stickers at a team shop. I believe that team stickers exist for
every professional team, as well as most college teams.

Figure 6 - D-Backs Car

Home Made Stickers

Can't find what you want, or on a budget? Make your own stickers! Find
a photo, a logo, or most anything on paper. Cut it out, apply some
glue, and place it on the car. We used a Hershey's chocolate bar
wrapper to decorate this regatta boat.

Figure 7 - Homemade Sticker

Pin Striping
I am a big fan of pin striping; it is relatively inexpensive, easy to
apply, and can really dress up a car. Pin striping is long, thin,
colored tape that has an adhesive backing. It adapts well to curves
in the car and can be mixed and matched, both in color and in width.

Figure 8 - Yellow Pin Striping (1/4 and 1/8 inch)

To apply pin striping, unroll a piece longer than you need, pull it
taut and then apply it to the car. Use a piece of tissue paper (not
Kleenex, but the kind used in gift bags) to press down on the pin
striping. This will eliminate any air bubbles and ensures that it is
pressed down well. After the pin striping is in place, trim the excess
off the ends with a sharp knife (hobby knife or razor knife). If the
pin striping will be placed on the front and/or back of the car (as in
Figure 7), wrap the pin striping under the car and trim it off
underneath. This makes for a much cleaner finish.

FINISH COAT
All decorated? Now it is time to protect your investment and give a
deep glossy look. Applying multiple clear coats will not only improve
the appearance, but will (mostly) protect the car from finger prints,
graphite and minor scratches. Make sure to select a clear coat that is
compatible with the paint you used. If you used Dupli-Color for the
color, then use Dupli-Color Clear Coat. I recommend at least five
coats of clear. Fortunately it dries very quickly, so you can apply
the coats in a fairly short period of time.

CONCLUSION
I have barely covered this subject as there are certainly other
options for painting and decorating your car. If you have a technique
you would like to share, please send it to me, and I'll try to include
a number of reader ideas in a future article.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 5

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(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Whoops!

You are working away on your pinewood derby car, when suddenly a big
chunk of wood breaks off! What do you do? Or, the paint has dried, but
it looks like a big drop of paint has ran down the side of the car!
Can it be fixed?

These - and many other - minor catastrophes happen all the time to
pinewood derby car builders. Fortunately, most of these things can be
fixed with no lasting damage. To help you deal with these situations,
today's feature article will share ideas on how to deal with several
'whoops!' situations.

THE BLOCK SPLITS

Blocks can split when too much force is applied, especially if the
block had a hidden flaw to begin with. First, to minimize the chance
of splitting:

1. Pre-insert the axles into the slots/holes before working on the
car. Then remove the axles with pliers.

2. Don't use excessive force to insert weight into a hole or cavity in
the wood. Either make the hole bigger, or the weight smaller.

3. When creating a weight cavity with a chisel, use a sharp tool, and
work slowly. Don't try to pry off any more than a thin shaving of
wood.

But if the wood does split, try one the following actions:

If the block is still in one piece:

1. Open up the crack by inserting the tip of a small flat blade
screwdriver (or other thin metal item) into the crack.

2. Put white glue or yellow Carpenter's glue into the crack.

3. Use a toothpick or something similar to spread the glue in the
crack.

4. Remove the screwdriver and clamp the block. If you don't have a
clamp, wind masking tape tightly around the block.

5. Wipe off any excess glue, and allow the glue to dry.

If the block is in two pieces that fit well together:

1. Spread white or yellow glue over the entire broken area.

2. Put the two pieces back together.

3. Clamp or tape, wipe off any excess glue, then allow the glue to
dry.

If the block does not fit well together, then the best bet is to
start again with a new block.

A CHIP BREAKS OFF

This is a common occurrence, especially when creating weight pockets
around axle slots. To minimize the problem, leave 3/16" or more of
wood around axle slots, and work very slowly around axle slots.

Axle supports/struts also tend to break off. To minimize this
occurrence, insert an axle into the axle slot/hole while working on
the strut.

But if something does break off, here are some ideas to fix it. As a
bit of encouragement, a good wood glue is very strong, sometimes even
stronger than the original wood!

If the chip fits nicely into place:

1. Glue the chip in place with white or yellow glue.

2. Use masking tape to hold the chip in place.

3. Wipe off excess glue, and then allow the glue to dry.

4. Sand the repaired area after the glue dries.

If the chip is small and does not fit nicely into place:

1. Use wood putty to patch the hole.

2. After drying, sand the patched area.

If the chip is large and does not fit nicely into place:

1. Find a piece of pine and cut/carve it to fit roughly into place.

2. Glue the piece of wood in place with white or yellow glue.

3. Sand the area.

4. Use wood putty to fill in any gaps.

A HOLE IS DRILLED IN THE WRONG PLACE

This is one of my favorite mistakes. To minimize the occurrence,
measure and mark the drilling location. Then before drilling,
re-check the position of the hole - is the block turned backwards or
upside down?

If the hole is 1/8" in diameter or larger:

1. Buy a proper sized dowel rod at the local hardware or craft store.

2. Cut a piece of the dowel rod about 1/2" longer than the depth of
the hole.

3. Place white or yellow Carpenter's glue into the hole.

4. Insert the dowel rod piece.

5. After the glue dries, trim down the dowel rod with a fine toothed
saw (a hacksaw works well).

6. Patch the spot with wood putty and sand.

If the hole is less than 1/8" in diameter:

1. Glue one or two toothpicks into the hole.

2. After the glue dries, trim off the excess toothpick material.

3. Patch the spot with wood putty and sand.

A SAW CUT IS MADE IN THE WRONG PLACE

If the saw cut was barely started before the error is discovered, then
the cut can generally be removed by rounding the area with sandpaper,
or by patching the cut with wood putty.

If the saw cut is significant, but does not go all the way through the
wood, then the choice is between starting again with a new block, or
including the saw cut into the design. For example, if the cut is made
such that a mirror cut could be made on the opposite side, then the
cut could be design feature. Note how the saw cuts on the rear of this
car represent the feathers of the arrow:
http://www.maximum-velocity.com/standardarrow.jpg

If the saw cut goes completely through the car, then the design must
be modified or the process must be started again with a new block.
When deciding if the design can be modified, please note that:

1. Cars less than 7" long generally run slower than cars of the
maximum length.

2. If the car's profile is reduced, then additional weight must to be
added to compensate for the removed wood.

THE PAINT RUNS ON THE CAR

Getting a nice paint job takes practice, a good quality paint (mixed
very well), a smooth finish, a painting location with no wind or dust,
and the correct ambient temperature. Even then, runs can happen if
too much paint is applied.

So first, check the directions on the paint and follow them. Next,
apply several thin coats of paint, instead of one or two thick coats.

But when the inevitable run does occur don't panic.

1. If you plan on applying additional coats of paint, allow the run to
dry and then sand it off. You may have to sand off quite a bit of
paint, and then reapply a few coats.

2. If you have finished painting, then cover the run with a nice decal
or sticker. Decals are great for hiding paint runs and other flaws in
the car finish!

CONCLUSION

I hope this gives you some ideas for correcting the minor catastrophes
that occur when working on your car. But remember, mistakes are part
of the process - and is a method by which we learn. So be forgiving of
yourself or your child (or parent) and move forward. Mistakes happen
to everyone, and in the words of Red Green, "Remember, I'm pulling for
you; we're all in this together." (Unfortunately, the handyman's
secret weapon is not very useful on pinewood derby cars!)

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 11

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www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

How I got Involved With the Pinewood Derby

My eldest son created a great design for his first pinewood derby. Of
course, I didn't realize until derby day that the weights on the
bottom of the car had to be inset for the car to clear the track's
guide rail. Thank goodness for the Craftsman rotary tool!!

The car ran great!! He ended up winning his den heats and moving into
the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, he was twice pitted against one
of his den-mates whom he had already beaten two times before. But in
the semi's, the other car beat my son's! My son's car ended up in 5th
place overall - the other boy's car took 3rd place. We couldn't figure
out how the other boy's car had beaten our son's car both times in the
semi-finals.

UNTIL ... we reviewed the videotape (Mom was out of town, so we had
videotaped all of my son's races). It turned out that the adult
running the starting line was different for the den heats than for the
semi's and finals. The track had a starting gate that was dropped
manually. The adult running the den heats dropped the gate QUICKLY,
but the leader running the semi's S L O W L Y lowered the gate. The
other boy's car had a wedge-shaped nose that was beveled from
underneath. The slow gate allowed his nose to move about an inch ahead
of the other cars before they started moving. That inch was all that
was needed!!

Oftentimes the easiest way to resolve an issue is to just volunteer.
So the next year I became the race chairman. The starting gate was
changed to SNAP open with rubber bands and lane/car rotations were
standardized so that a car wouldn't race against the same cars any
more than necessary.

Grant Iannelli
Lombard, Illinois

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 10

A pinewood derby memory is an occasional part of the Pinewood Derby Times Newsletter. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Selecting Race Management Software
By Randy Lisano

Race management software can make running your pinewood derby event
easier. It can help manage tedious tasks such as registering cars,
generating race schedules, tracking the race results, and determining
award winners. But finding the race management software package that
will work best for you can be a challenge. The various free and
commercial packages each have their strengths and weaknesses, and a
package that may work well for one organization may not be the best
for your organization.

INVESTIGATE

So, before settling on a race management software package, you will
need to investigate the available packages to see which one will best
suit the needs of your organization. Information about each software
package can be found on the website providing the package and in the
program's documentation. You can also contact the software provider to
ask specific questions. Make sure to give yourself enough time to do
the investigation. This is not something you want to do with your
race date close at hand.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. Will the software work with our track setup?

The first thing to check with any race management software is if it
will work with your track, hardware and computer setup. Specifically:

- Number of Track Lanes - The number of lanes supported by race
software varies. Some will handle from 1 to 8 lanes, some 3 to 8
lanes, and some will only support 4 lane tracks.

- Hardware Compatibility - If you already have or will be getting
electronic hardware for your track, check if the software will
support that hardware. The general types of electronic hardware used
for pinewood derby races include timing systems, solenoid activated
start gates, and drag racing style light trees.

The race software documentation should specifically state the brands
of electronic hardware devices that have been tested to be compatible
with the software. For do-it-yourself or off-brand devices, further
investigation will be needed to see if the software will support it.
First, find out what computer port the hardware device uses, and then
see if the software will accommodate that device and port combination.
If you are not sure what computer port that your device uses, you can
usually tell by the connector. If the connector on the device has 9
pins, then it is a serial device; and if it has 25 pins, it is usually
a parallel port device.

- Computer - The computer that you intend to use during the race may
limit your choice of software. Some Windows-based software packages
will only work on Pentium or equivalent machines and some DOS-based
programs may only run in DOS mode and not in a DOS window.

2. Will it work with our way of running races?

The second key consideration is whether the race management software
will let you run the race in your preferred way. Not everyone runs
their race the same way and you will find that race management
software also varies as to which race scheduling methods and racing
schemes are supported.

In fact, you may not find a software package that allows you to run
your race exactly the way you want to, so you may need to compromise.
You may even choose to use an alternate method supported by the race
software if it seems better than your own.

Here are some race management features to consider:

- Race Scheduling Method - There are a variety of race scheduling
methods that exist and no one software package will work
with all of them. Some people are adamant about which race scheduling
method to use. However, if you are not sure, you should do some
research on race scheduling methods before investigating software
packages. A good starting point for this research is to do a web
search on "pinewood derby race methods".

- Racing Scheme - Do you want to run multiple rounds of racing to
select the winners, or do you want the top finishers to race
against each other in an overall final race? Or do you have another
preferred scheme? Some race software will only run the race in a
particular scheme while others allow more flexibility.

- Scoring of the Results - If you have a timing system or will in the
future, you will want software that can score by average or
cumulative times. The software should also allow you to score by
points if you do not have a timing system or if your timing system
'conks-out' during the race.

3. What is the cost?

Cost is usually a consideration, especially for non-profit
organizations, but it should not be the primary consideration. It is
better to invest in software that will meet your needs now and into
the future than to settle on something that you may end up replacing
later. Currently, the cost of race management software varies from
'free' upwards to $94.

4. Does it have the reports I need?

The software package should provide reports with at least the race
rosters, race schedules, and the final standings. These are the
reports that you will likely need during the race to help you identify
racers, know who is racing, and who gets an award. Additional reports
on the individual heat results, race statistics and others are also
helpful.

5. How does it display the results?

If you plan to use a projection system or large TV for the audience to
view, you will want software that shows race results and standings
information with very large fonts.

6. Is the software easy to use?

The software should ease your burden on race day, not make it more
difficult. Considerations include:

- Setup - Can you easily setup the software for use in your race? Can
you easily test and use your electronic hardware devices?

- Ease of entering racer information - Does the software support
importing names from an existing spreadsheet or database file?
Can you assign your own numbers? Is repetitive information defaulted
to minimize typing? Can you preload your roster before race day?

- Race schedule generation - Does the software easily generate race
schedules?

- Heat management - Are heat results simple to enter (or automatically
entered from your timing system) and to display? Is it
easy to run test heats or tie breakers?

TESTING TIME

Now that you've narrowed the possibilities down, you should test out
your top few choices. For commercial software packages, a demo
version may be available on the Internet. For shareware or freeware,
you will be able to download the software, from the Internet, to test.

Take the time to setup and run a simulated race. This will help you
see the pros and cons of each software package.

With testing done, it is now time to make your decision. Since it is
hard to find a perfect fit you may have to compromise on some issues.
However, you should end up with a race management software package
that will fit your race needs now and into the future.

AFTER THE SELECTION

No matter which package you chose, I would not recommend using the
software in a race, until you have had sufficient time to practice
using it. You certainly don't want to run into a problem in the
middle of the race.

If you purchase a commercial software package and decide you've made a
mistake, you can return it. The current commercial software packages
generally come with a 30 day return policy, so you can return it if it
will not work for your race. However, you may end up paying some
shipping and handling charges.

CONCLUSION

Race Management software can certainly enhance your pinewood derby
event. But to get the most benefit, you will need to select
carefully.

SOFTWARE PACKAGES

Here are the most common software packages available on the Internet.

Commercially Available Software:

- GrandPrix Race Manager by Lisano Enterprises
http://grandprix-software-central.com/gprm/

- DerbyMaster by Enterprising Ideas
http://enterprisingideas.com/derbymaster/

- RaceManager by SuperTimer
http://www.supertimer.com/pinewoodII/st2intro.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Randy Lisano is the author and supplier of GrandPrix Race Manager
software. He is also the webmaster of:

GrandPrix Race Central: http://grandprix-race-central.com

GrandPrix Software Central: http://grandprix-software-central.com

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 10

To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

Leader Help - How Much is Too Much?

The purpose of this article is to discuss the appropriate level of
involvement by leaders in assisting car owners. The child/parent team
are the car owners and should be responsible for their own creation.
But sometimes overzealous leaders step in too quickly and off-load
some of that responsibility.

MY EXPERIENCE
To set the stage, let me first share excerpts from our past derbies.

My first involvement in assisting with the pinewood derby at our local
club was helping at the weigh-in. At that time, a man brought along a
drill, a propane touch, and a bunch of lead tire weights, and
proceeded to add weight to light-weight cars. Drill a hole, melt some
lead(1), next car ...

At the time it seemed like a good idea to me, so the next year I took
over that job. Drill a hole, melt some lead, next car ... . However,
things quickly turned sour.

Some of the cars weighed virtually nothing, so many holes were needed.
Inevitably, some of the holes went all the way through the car,
resulting in fierce glares from the parents. In other cases, the lead
burned the paint job. This is not to mention the burns on my hands,
and a (likely) reduced life expectancy due to lead inhalation!

I was at my wit's end by the end of the night, and the last car was
the final straw. A mom brought in a car that needed about an ounce of
weight. I drilled a hole, melted some lead, and weighed the car. 4.9
ounces. Not good enough for this mom. So, drill another hole, melt
more lead, 5.1 ounces. Remove some lead. 5.0 ounces. Finally the
lady was satisfied, and I had had enough.

I had realized that I was performing an integral part of building
the cars (adding the proper amount of weight) for most of the car
owners in the club. Not only was I doing that in a crude (and
dangerous) way, but the child/parent teams had come to expect that
this is the way it should be, and were off-loading part of the car
building responsibility to the club and myself. If the car did not
perform well, they could always rationalize, "Oh well, that guy at the
weigh-in must have not weighted the car properly."

Why was our club taking on part of the car building responsibility? I
decided it was time to make a change. I had a discussion with our club
leader. He was at first reluctant to change things, but we finally
reached an agreement. I would write a booklet explaining how to build
a car (including proper weighting), which would be distributed with
each car kit. In exchange, the club would no longer provide a
weighting service at the weigh-in.

Fast forward to next year. In every flier and announcement it was
made clear that the club would not provide weight for underweight
cars; the child/parent team were expected to take care of this
important aspect of car building. Of course only about half the
parents read the information, so many were upset when they showed up
at the weigh-in and didn't have any method to add weight to their cars
(a lot of pennies were used that year).

The next year, fewer parents expected the club to weight their cars,
and most brought weight and adjusted the weight themselves. At last
year's weigh-in it was clearly understood by everyone that the
parent/child team were responsible for their own car. In a few
instances, I (or another parent) did provide some assistance. But
most of that was eliminated because of the workshops held on
preceding Saturdays.

CHILD/PARENT OWNERSHIP
The basic premise of the pinewood derby is that the child/parent team
are responsible for their own car. They should design it, build it,
and race it. Club or organization leaders should avoid (as much as
possible - see below) participating in the building of the car. Why?
Here are a few reasons:

1. The car owners need to be responsible for their own work. No one
else can, nor should be held responsible for their level of success
(or lack of).

2. Car owners that chose to do very little to their car, could end up
winners if a leader with excellent car building skills stepped in and
reworked the car. This would certainly be unfair to other car owners.

3. Leaders can damage cars, which is certainly not desirable.

EXCEPTIONS
Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Workshops
Workshops are held so that the child/parent team can have access to
tools and expertise that they might not have. It is certainly
appropriate for club leaders to assist the child/parent team at these
events. But assistance should be mostly limited to coaching. Show
the car owners how to perform the step, and then let them do it (with
the exception of major power tools). People learn best by doing,
not by watching.

'Hardship' Cases
There are sometimes cases where a child cannot get the parental
assistance they need (for whatever reason). Certainly it is
appropriate for a leader (or other parent) to step in and provide
assistance in these cases.

Catastrophes
If a catastrophe happens, (e.g., a car owner drops and breaks the car
at the weigh-in) rendering assistance is certainly appropriate.

CONCLUSION

The key point is that children (and sometimes parents) need to learn
responsibility. Leaders that are too quick to help can keep the car
owners from learning this important lesson.

(1)As I indicated in the article, melting lead is a dangerous
practice. We strongly urge you to avoid this practice.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 9

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www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

Pinewood Derby Memory

Coping with Wood Block

(A British perspective on America and the Pinewood Derby)

It is easy to forget, as the United States wades through corporate scandals and debate rages over a possible war in Iraq, what a gloriously wholesome place this can be.

Monday night in our neighbourhood was Derby night. This was not my idea of a Derby: the raffish, faded charm of Epsom on a summer's afternoon. It was the Pinewood Derby ("dur-by" to you), organised in the school gymnasium by the Boy Scouts of America. There was no champagne tent, just apple juice and Diet Pepsi. And the nearest legal bookmaker was in Nevada.

This derby involves model cars, made of pine wood, which race down a 32ft-track using only gravity. On winter nights, it goes on in communities across the United States, a secret slice of Americana. The point, however, is not the racing. What matters is the building of the car, which is supposed to be a collaboration between father and son. For modern susceptibilities, the official instructions are non-gender specific. But this is an event that dates back to 1953, and the underlying intent is clear.

Each cub scout gets a kit with a block of wood, four nails for axles, and four plastic wheels. Then, in the words of one of the 27,700 relevant websites tracked by Google: "The boy and adult should make the car together as a project! It is not the intent that the parent show the scout the garage door then walk away; nor is it the intent that the boy play video games while the adult cuts and sands."

The reference to video games is anachronistic. In all material respects, this is something straight out of the 50s when American boys were expected to have freckles, table manners, a kid sis who was a bit irritating but OK really, a mom who was cooking in the kitchen and a stern but fair dad who could do amazing things with a tool kit.

The Engel family fit this stereotype in some respects but not in others, most importantly this: Dad can barely undo the petrol cap of the Toyota, never mind build a car, even one that has to weigh less than five ounces. The Pinewood Derby has been preying on my mind for weeks as the moment when my failure as a parent would be exposed to the entire local population.

Fortunately, my friend Neville came to the rescue. Neville is Good At Things. Neville, though not a Pinewood man himself, made a handsome job of turning our block of wood into something resembling a racing car - with a bit of nine-year-old help. It was simple, one of the other dads explained on the night: "All you need is a coping saw. It cuts beautifully through the pine." A coping saw? I can't even cope.

It was a lovely evening, really it was. We were supposed to start with the national anthem but, unfortunately, the tape broke so we had the pledge of allegiance instead. Then Jim, the starter and MC, took centre stage. He was a scout leader with a heap of personality and a skilful knack of finding ways not to use boys' surnames of more than three syllables.

He comperes these evenings on what appears to be a semi-pro basis: he is doing 63 of them this season for cub troops all over the Washington suburbs, and has to be booked months in advance. The track is like a wooden slide with a long straight at the bottom, but grooved, so that up to four cars can race in lanes down to an electronic finish line. Jim can whip through a race in about 20 seconds.

It soon became clear that the opposition was even more formidable than we realised. Most of the fathers were cub scouts themselves, so had been competing in one capacity or another almost since the race began. Some of the 27,700 websites apparently operate as grey markets so that the unscrupulous (or incompetent) can buy ready-made cars.

But most of the fathers had grasped the science: the need for weight at the back to build up initial speed (I think); the importance of getting the friction right. It was clear that the builders of the cars that made the finals understood a huge amount about aero-dynamics. I must have been sick the day we did that at school.

But the Engels were not disgraced. In five races, we had three gallant seconds. We nearly won once. It would have been unBritish to do better than that at the first attempt. My cub scout was a little disheartened.

"Look," I said. "We did brilliantly. You didn't know what you were doing. Neville didn't really know what he was doing. I didn't know what I was doing..."

"Dad," he interrupted. "You didn't do anything."

Matthew Engel
Washington, DC

Matthew writes the "Engel in America" column for 'The Guardian', a newspaper published in the UK.

© 2002 Guardian Newspapers Limited First published on Wednesday February 13, 2002 Used by permission

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 2, Issue 7

A pinewood derby memory is an occasional part of the Pinewood Derby Times Newsletter. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com

2011-11-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here in Arizona fall is finally in the air, and it is time for pinewood derby racing. Just in time for the season, we are announcing two new products and a one time special offer to help you have a great race:

- Adjustable Tungsten Round - Tungsten rounds allow the placement of the bulk of the ballast weight at the desired point. But if the round makes your car too heavy, your options are few. The adjustable round solves this issue by allowing nearly 1/2 ounce of weight flexibility. Leave the slot facing outward, then add one or two of the supplied tungsten cubes, and (optionally) tungsten putty as needed to adjust the weight.

Paint markers - Paint markers dispense an even flow of acrylic (water-based) paint. These markers are great for kids, as they virtually eliminate splatters, drips, runs, and spills.

As always, all of the our new products for the 2011-12 racing season can be found Here

With Best Regards,
Randy Davis
Maximum Velocity - Give Your Car The Racer's Edge!
info@maximum-velocity.com
www.maximum-velocity.com

Please visit our other sites:

Raingutter Regatta - Model Sailboat Racing
www.raingutter-regatta.com

Space Derby - Rubberband Rocket Racing
www.spaceship-derby.com

2011-11-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE

Wedge Turbo - Bill Odom

My grandson and I built this car from your plans and raced it earlier
this year. He finished first in his den and second overall. We had
already finished a car when I found your web site. I purchased several
of your tools, and we built a second car. I ran the first car in the
parent/sibling class and finished a close second, but noted the times
would not have placed that car in his pack. My grandson's car won 11
of the 12 heat races with one second place, which was to the eventual
overall winner. My post race inspection revealed several areas that I
can improve upon for next year's race. Thanks for all of your
information, assistance and great tools.

Black n' Yellow - Ronnie Cutler

This year we decided to stick with a slick, low profile, and just all
around cool car. Not only does it look spectacular, it performs! It
was undefeated and went on to win first overall in districts -- all
thanks to Maximum Velocity!

Speedy 86 - Rick Ellis

This year our Awana Grand Prix used your kits. This car was the
fastest in the Open Division and was the fastest overall in the Grand
Finals where the winners of all the divisions raced against each
other. It also won Best Workmanship in the Open Division.

I used weights, tools, and techniques from Maximum Velocity, and have
since 2008. Since then either my car or a car I helped build has won
the Open Division and/or the Grand Finals each year. Thanks for all
your help and for your great site.

From Pinewood Derby Times Volume 11, Issue 3. A car showcase is a regular feature of the newsletter.

To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, please visit:
www.maximum-velocity.com/subscribe.htm

(C)2011, Maximum Velocity, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.maximum-velocity.com