District Derby rules

Jan 16, 2012
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Recieved the distict derby rules this morning. Forgive me but this is the longest set of rules I have ever seen. Most are standard rules. See if anything sticks out to you all. A couple of the rules seem to contradict each other(wheels). Nothing about canted axles, groved axles are allowed, oil is allowed. And a unlimited division(wish I could run one of you league guys car in that one).

VEHICLE REGULATIONS (CUB SCOUT CLASS)

Overall:

All cars must be built for the current Pinewood Derby Racing Season. NO REPEATS or REPAINTS. In order to race at the council championship the youth must have been a Cub Scout at some point since January 1st, 2012 and be submitted by his Cub Master or committee chair.

Cars must be tuned or aligned with the racer, adult supervision is encouraged. Cars may not be sent to third party facilities for tuning or other performance enhancements.

Body:

The main body structure must be made of wood. Cars that were purchased completed may not be used. If the builder lacks the resources to cut out a car from a stock block of wood, attendance at a workshop(den/pack/district/council) is strongly encouraged. Alternately, a pre-shaped block may be purchased to be used with the stock BSA Wheels and approved Axles.

Car Specs:

A. Width - Not to exceed 2 3/4 inches

B. Length - Not to exceed 7 inches

C. Weight - Not to exceed 5.0 ounces on scale accurate to 1/10 ounce.

D. Height - Not to exceed 3 inches

Clearances:

Center Rail Width: Must clear center guide rails, typically no less than 1-3/4 inches minimum.

Bottom: No less than 3/8 inches from track surface between center rails.

Other: Fender flairs with less clearance are acceptable as long as the center rail width clearance is maintained. Weights are preferred to be inset in the body or on top of the car to aid in a safe stop at the end of the track. No part of the car or attachment to any car, which is metal, pointed, sharp, and/or jagged, may be capable of contacting any part of the track.

Wheelbase –All cars must have a wheel base no less than 4", with the two rear wheels being positioned directly across the body from one another and the two front wheels being positioned directly across the body from one another.

Front End

Height: Depending upon the track, the front of the car may rest against a short starting pin. Therefore the front bottom of the car which rests on the pin is no higher than 1" above the track.

Width: The front end must be at least ½ inches wide in the middle.

No part of the car body, wheels or attachments may protrude in front of the starting peg.

The car design may be enhanced by the addition of other stable materials such as plastic or metal. Any additions must be firmly attached and meet Car Size Requirements.

The following items are PROHIBITED:

A. Springs B. Starting devices or propellants C. Electronic or lighting devices that interfere with the race electronics. D. Liquids, wet paint, oil, sticky substance, or powders of any kind (other than axle lubrication) E. Glass or excessively fragile parts F. Bearings, bushings, washers, sleeves, hubcaps or inserts attached to or in contact with the axle, body or wheels. G. Loose objects on car H. Magnets

Alter bore diameter or to achieve better fit with the axle.

The following wheel modifications are PROHIBITED:

A. Rounding of tread surface/wheel edges B. Grooving, H-cutting or V-cutting C. Altering of wheel profile D. Narrowing the tread surface, other than truing inside tread edge E. Drilling sidewalls F. Hollowing, sanding, or otherwise removing or modifying material from inside the wheel G. Filling of any wheel surface with any type of material

There must be at least four wheels on the car, however, it is not required that all four wheels make contact with the track surface. Each wheel must be mounted on an axle, on the outside of the car, in the vertical position. Each wheel must be attached directly to the wood car body by an axle and spin freely. No part of the wheel may overlap the center guide rail by more than 1/8 inch. The two rear wheels and the two front wheels must be positioned directly across the body from each another. Staggered wheelbases are not allowed.

Please note: There are after market modified wheels that are LIGHTENED. This is usually done by turning the wheels on a lathe and removing material from the inside of the wheel. These wheels are NOT allowed and EASILY RECOGNIZED at inspection. Cars with these wheels will not be permitted to race.

No part of the car or any attachment to the car may be capable of coming into contact with the track other than the wheels.

WHEELS:

A. Use only Official Scout Grand Prix wheels.

All lettering/numbering, both inside and outside, must remain complete and be visible. The fluting and other BSA markings on the outside wheel area must remain visible. Outer wheel surface may be lightly sanded, shaved, or polished to remove surface imperfections and mold casting burrs, but must not be reshaped in any way in an attempt to lighten the wheel, minimize tread contact or alter aerodynamics. Tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore. Coning the hubs and truing the inside tread edge is allowed. Tread width may not be less than 7.5 mm. You may add material such as glue, fingernail polish or tape, to the inside of the wheel to aid in balancing of the wheel, but no material may be removed from the inside surfaces..

B. Wheel Bore treatment is allowed including polishing and/or tapping. Wheel bores may not be filled and re-drilled





AXLES: BSA Nail type axles are required with an overall diameter of no less than .084 inches for each wheel. Some polishing and/or modification is allowed as long as overall diameter is not reduced below .084 requirement.

Grooves are allowed, the depth of the groove(s) is not limited so long as the journal portion of the axle (the part the wheel rides on) is no less than the stated minimum diameter.

Axles must not be connected to any device that mechanically alters rotation and spin. Axles must be mounted into the wood sections of car. Drilled holes or slots can be used. Over-application of lubricant which results in excessive shedding onto the track is not allowed. Approved lubricants include (but are not limited to) graphite, Teflon, Nyoil, and Krytox.

INSPECTION:

Each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspection Committee before it may compete. The Inspectors will disqualify any car not meeting these rules. Any adult or scout may appeal the findings of the Inspectors to the Race Committee Chair-person, whose decision is final. After acceptance only race officials will handle the cars.

Cars may be reclassified or disqualified if they are determined by the race officials to not meet these requirements.

LEAD WEIGHTS:

The drilling/removal of Lead(Pb) will NOT be allowed at the race venues or at check-in time due to the toxicity of the material. All Lead(Pb) must be completely sealed and safe from all possible contact with the youth. PLEASE avoid Lead(Pb) in cars this year!

REPAIRS:

Any car losing wheels or any part that prevents it from running cannot be repaired after the inspection and weigh in. EXCEPTION: Race officials may authorize repairs, usually when damage is caused by collision with another vehicle or object. The Cub Scout is in charge of all car repairs. Guidance is allowed and encouraged. Ideally repairs can be done before the next heat that the car is in starts. After the car is repaired Officials will run the race again. If the car cannot be repaired before it’s next race starts, that race will also be delayed until the end of the races.



VEHICLE REGULATIONS (OPEN CLASS)

RULES:

There are no rules other than the weight requirement in the open division of 5 ounces.

Any car regardless of length or height is eligible.

Car must be raced in one lane only.

Cheating is encouraged

Open division is open to all parents, siblings or anybody disqualified from the Cub Scout Division

BEHAVIOR:

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP AND BEHAVIOR IS EXPECTED. Race Officials may ask anyone not following this rule to leave.

QUESTIONS:

Questions may be addressed to the Race Officials. The Council Race Officials may be contacted
 
Looks like another leagues pure stock rules. Once again the silly "no attempt to lighten" but you can cut the wheel to 7.5 width which drastically lightens the wheels. Use the Rage Xtreme and the 93G axles. Set up a 3 wheel rail runner. Run oil. Use the standard wheel base so they aren't alerted to your car and then laugh when it puts 1 to 5 car lengths on the closest competitor.

It is about this time of year when I get a bit aggravated at the statements like they have in the open rules where cheating is encouraged. The scout definition of cheating seems to mean winning. Very disappointed in a lot of the the scout leaders of today.
 
At least these Scout rules allows you to build a fast car.. Usually they try to use every restriction in the book to "Even the Playing Field" . You must have some builders that are competitive in your area .
 
Derbydad,

By standard wheelbase are you talking about using the 4" wheelbase as stated on the rules? I will definitely be making a order in the near future. Will need to get alittle clarification to a few of the rules though. The wheels area appear to be the area most in question. I thought the race would have been early March and I was going to be rushed. But its mid April which gives me alot of time. And if I can find a track locally to test on then all the better. Now for oil since its my first oil car I'll have to research and determine what to use.
 
Standard wheelbase is 4 3/8". I would shift it back 1/4" though. Standard wheelbase but shifted back 1/4". You could ask if this is allowed. The rules for sure allow it (based on the reading.) Also ask about axles. Howeer the rules seem to allow any axle.

Get Debry Dad's oil DVD and products. Very fast. It would be great to race the car here to get expereince with the oil as well.
 
SoGone,

Yeah there must be a few competitive builders in the area. One comes to mind from this very board Resphonic1. Thankfully he is in another district than ours. Our boys have been out of scouts for 5-6 years now so I really don't know what the competition looks like. I'm helping out a nephew. When we ran we finished tops or very close seconds in district with very little help. Especially from guys like you all and Derbydad products.

Derbydad,

I already have a pretty big shopping list built which includes the DVD and various other items. Let me get the rules clarified and I'll get with you on it.
 
36racing

You should have no problem helping your nephew build a screamer. The DD4H oil secrets video covers everything you need to know. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions once it arrives.
 
I think you should run a rocket powered, electric motor powered, or turbo fan powered car in the open division.

MWD
 
I'm just getting alittle grip on building these regular cars much less one that is rocket, electric or turbo fan driven. But it would be kinda awsome to so up with a car that would fly down the track. Where could I find examples of these types of cars?
 
As I read your rules, there is a difference between the Cub Scout Class at the top, and at the very bottom, the OPEN CLASS.

The Cub Scout Class is quite similar to our Street Stock, and means you could build a screamer.

The Open Class is an all out class, anything goes.
 
36racin said:
I'm just getting a little grip on building these regular cars much less one that is rocket, electric or turbo fan driven. But it would be kinda awesome to so up with a car that would fly down the track. Where could I find examples of these types of cars?

Just build or get a car from DD4H (John) with bearings and disks. The same as our Unlimited class. Maybe lengthen it to 9 or ten inches to put weight further back on the track.
 
And a screamer would be what?? I am learning more with each post and question. Sometimes you may have to tell me several times before it settles into my thick skull.
 
36racin said:
And a screamer would be what?? I am learning more with each post and question. Sometimes you may have to tell me several times before it settles into my thick skull.

Just read it several times, it'll make it easier.
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36racin,
My son is also in your nephews District and we received these rules after our car was 70% completed and made the switch from graphite to oil for the pack race. I was not happy with the rule change after our car was almost complete, but the new rules allow for a faster car. I asked about if the "BSA Nail type axles" Meant the official BSA axles out of the kit or after if market axles were allowed. I was told that yes it meant the axles out of the kit, after market axles were not allowed and that they probably will not be able to inspect cars for after market axles. I definitely think the average person reading the rule would think aftermarket axles are allowed.

The district race is run on a 6 lane 42' Best track with an older Micro wizard timer, manual start gate, and a laser timer start system. The cars are not staged they are just placed in the lanes(ie the wheels are not pulled out to the axles heads) The fastest cars last year were running at 3 seconds flat and only had 3 wheels on the car.

There is going to be tough competition at District and I would go with some type of extended wheel base, we used the DD4H recommended 5" wb. I also highly recommend the DD4H Oil video and all the DD4H products that are used for the oil process.
 
Man I just read the rules again, your district is awesome compared to what the Tunica district allows. Being able to build a car with canting, extended wheel base plus oil as a lubricant is pretty progressive for a Scout race. You guys should do extremely wheel with an order from DD4H. Once again I'm available if you need any help or advise.
 
Resophonic1,
Yeah I had never seen a set of rules like those before. I like them though. Once I figure out the wheel issue I'll get with you. I might build two cars. One for the nephew and one for the unlimited class. Talked to someone else in our district and he says he past couple of years winner is using parts from another derby site. Since we have a couple of months we have plenty of time to build two cars.