2018 National Championships!!!
- Thread starter DerbyDad4Hire
- Start date
Nothing against the Times Square race, and if you search this Board, you'll find some heated discussion, but MA is the top of the heap for the fastest PWD racing...
I read this thread and it seemed like an experience alright!
What is the MA? Omaha, NE?
http://pinewoodderbyonline.com/thre...newood-derby-times-square-new-york-city.5495/
I guess I should look it up but after our district race in Ashburn, VA. No one knew where the next official race was? Can you share a couple of links to figure out how this all works. We are trying to plan a family adventure with a nail biting OOT race. Thanks for any help!
What is the MA? Omaha, NE?
http://pinewoodderbyonline.com/thre...newood-derby-times-square-new-york-city.5495/
I guess I should look it up but after our district race in Ashburn, VA. No one knew where the next official race was? Can you share a couple of links to figure out how this all works. We are trying to plan a family adventure with a nail biting OOT race. Thanks for any help!
MA (or Mid America) is in Omaha, NE. The races are run by folks who are top notch. The racers are as fast as they come. The race is organized well, with multiple classes for any racer, graphite or oil. The track is very well kept and everything is on the web to watch, should you be racing proxy. The zoo is very impressive, but other than that, there are the typical things to do as there are in any town. Most of the people you bump into are polite, but I could be jaded (I'm from the NY, Phila, DC area - we're all nasty).
Times Square race is something that is growing, but probably will never be able to compete with MA as far as racing goes. You are limited to graphite and the racing structure is unusual. It was (or has been) held outdoors; for a serious PWD race, this is not where it should be held. I have heard there had been some questionable interpretation of the rules by the race officials, but that is hearsay; I have no direct experience. As for NYC, there are countless things to do in Manhattan - you could spend a week there. Racing in the Theater Distraict is awe inspiring, for the adult anyway. Omaha does not compare to NYC in that manner.
It truly depends what your goal is: family vacation = NYC; racing in a top-notch venue with the fastest racers in america = MA.
Times Square race is something that is growing, but probably will never be able to compete with MA as far as racing goes. You are limited to graphite and the racing structure is unusual. It was (or has been) held outdoors; for a serious PWD race, this is not where it should be held. I have heard there had been some questionable interpretation of the rules by the race officials, but that is hearsay; I have no direct experience. As for NYC, there are countless things to do in Manhattan - you could spend a week there. Racing in the Theater Distraict is awe inspiring, for the adult anyway. Omaha does not compare to NYC in that manner.
It truly depends what your goal is: family vacation = NYC; racing in a top-notch venue with the fastest racers in america = MA.
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Although we have some really great things to do here in Omaha for the Family #1 Zoo in the Word ... and our event is fun for everyone with LOTS to do
Obviously I may have a slight bias but -- we do work REALLY Hard to put together what is considered to be the Pinnacle of Cub Scout Racing... sort of says a little something when the Pro's are having National Championships as part of the event.
Obviously I may have a slight bias but -- we do work REALLY Hard to put together what is considered to be the Pinnacle of Cub Scout Racing... sort of says a little something when the Pro's are having National Championships as part of the event.
Will the format now be 6 passes in qualifying and 6 passes in the finals?
Hurricrane! I've watched the finals online with your heats.
Has anyone ever made a vacuform shell for a car? That would be super light. Maybe that doesn't fit in the rules? Just thinking...
Yes as a matter of Fact -- 6 prelim runs -- and the worst time is thrown out - averaging the best 5 runs ... same thing for Finals
If you dig a little deeper you will find lots of feed back from people that have attended both events... myself having a family of 6 - 4 boys , myself and my wife - costs always seem to enter into the equation ... Omaha is a great place to Visit and it will not put a dent in the bank acct. Our Zoo is seriously the #1 zoo in the country .. maybe even the world -- and what we put on at MAPWD is an amazing experience
Kind of harsh I think, that or you don't know what the NYC race was about.
It is essentially the Regional (council/district) race for NY area CUB SCOUTS.
However they have also invited any CUB SCOUT who finished in the top three in their council/district.
All Cub Scouts nationwide are welcome.
(To me, that makes it the Top level for USA Cub Scouts)
To call it the World Championship when only USA registered boys can enter,
is like any other American sport (eg NBA, MLB and NFL) that calls it's National event
a "World" championship.
It is not intended to be the pinnacle of league racing.
It is not intended to see which adults build the fastest cars in the world.
The rules they have and enforcement of them is..the mid america is the natinals for scouting
Firstly, wrt NYC vs Mid Am
The NYC event has a rule that a boy must have finished within a certain position in their district / council.
That makes it a tournament the needs to be qualified for via a district race,
and hence the next level above district.
The mid am event is open to all. Not quite the same.
Regarding the rules and enforcement,
I attended the event last year so am in a position to comment.
These are the rules I am aware of that people have complained about.
axle peek holes - very clear in the Pro stock rules.
would you rather they pull your axles to verify nail axles.
Someone mentioned not having done that. They are discussing
a rule, that they know about, and how they are not conforming to it.
And then complaining about it.
Someone complained rules were changed compared to all other races leading up to it.
My pack race leading up to it says absolutely no bent axles.
So what, the NY rules were published in advance.
Do the Mid America rules state "no bent axles", cos if not, then they aren't the same as
all other races leading up to it.
This was also the same guy who had wheel issues.
But it was also the same guy who had 10 holes !!!!!! drilled in his car because his
car was overweight.
I had "wheel issues".
The lead inspector explained to us the our wheels were not official
BSA wheel because they had "guangong, China" printed on the inside.
I think we got them from a hobby store (revel wheels).
He said they must have "made in the USA" printed on them to be official BSA.
I asked where that was in the rules. He conceded that it wasn't and passed us.
Someone complained about the tool used to measure the wheels.
BUT, the rules clearly state "Judges reserve the right to measure the wheel with calipers".
And it was confirmed that this was the tool used.
They may have had only one inspection line,
but it was spread among 8 inspectors,
each responsible for a different aspect.
I saw one guy comment here
"the rules enforced were 100% consistent with the published rule book"
That was my experience also.
Bottom line : ONE GUY on this forum had most of the negative
comments about the event, and it was his car that had !!! 10 holes !!! drilled in it because it was overweight.
(5 oz ALSO clearly stated in the rules btw)
So, I am not sure I would trust someone who didn't bother to read or ignored the published rules.
For anyone reading has (as many non-registered users do),
I would like to add along with about 8 others in that 2017 NYC thread,
that our experience was very positive and fair for an event of that size.
I have to agree with you Tre. The rules written are poorly enforced! I have taken my two boys to this race twice now. On both accounts I saw and heard for myself people braking rules. I’m not knocking on this race but only pointing out that there is room for improvement at weigh in. I will still continue to bring my family and congratulate the winners at the end!
From my experience (6th year as a District co-chair) : fair, thorough, and firm enforcement of clear and objective rules is the best way to minimize problems and make everyone happy. Sure, the out-of-spec folks are temporarily unhappy, but we give them every opportunity within the check-in window to get the car in spec, and if unable, to move them to a category where the car can compete so they can still race. I'd think a reasonable expectation would be that a "national" level event should have trained and experienced inspectors with a full understanding of what is acceptable and official and what isn't; e.g. a Chinese Revell wheel is indeed an officially approved wheel per BSA's National Office, albeit heavier.
The Nationals race with DD4H is geared towards the league and "pro" racers. Rules mirror what is common in all the leagues. This portion is not a scout race. It's your chance to see how you match up against the very best racers in the country. In the Nationals race, there is a class for nearly every style of build.
My understanding is that the NY race is geared towards scouts only and based on scout rules. Of course the "pros" will not like the rules as they limit what can be done to make a fast car.
Mid America is the only event that I know that brings the two together. It's a great event to attend with your scout or as a pro. The Mid America race also offers a wide variety of build classes and this year added Open Kid Oil and Open Adult Oil.
Pick whichever class best fits your build style and jump in!
Good luck!
We also went to the NYC championship race last year. We ran pro stock so I cannot comment on the problems people had in the stock division. I know a lot of people had problems with their wheels. We ran the BASX style wheel and had no problems passing inspection however some people did and had to change out their wheels on the spot, resulting for some in a weight problem. I think one of the problems was in the rules, the minimum wheel width listed in the rules was different in 2 different sections of the rules, yes how can that not be confusing. So I really hope that for this year (if there will be a race at all, I didn't see any announcements yet) that the rules will be more clear. Also I wish they would allow for oil in the pro stock class (it is pro stock after all). This will eliminate the eternal question, was that fast kid running oil or not.
About the axle inspection holes, we did not have them simply because I did not want to risk the integrity of the car by drilling them. I was aware of this and I would have pulled and axle if they asked for it (one of the great things of having drilled canted axle holes). And last but not least, they need to set up the track properly. I noticed in the first round of the pro stock that numerous cars were flying out of their lanes in the end section, this was corrected later but I felt bad for the scouts whose cars got tossed around.
About the axle inspection holes, we did not have them simply because I did not want to risk the integrity of the car by drilling them. I was aware of this and I would have pulled and axle if they asked for it (one of the great things of having drilled canted axle holes). And last but not least, they need to set up the track properly. I noticed in the first round of the pro stock that numerous cars were flying out of their lanes in the end section, this was corrected later but I felt bad for the scouts whose cars got tossed around.
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