Low Cost Pinks Race

Jan 6, 2013
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Just a thought ...
hmmm


I will be
smack
for this but hey I can say it is the Medication I am on....
blah


I have read several guys stating they would like to get into a Pinks Race.. On the last one it is mentioned that he would hate to lose the car as the $$ & time put into these beautiful cars is hard to part with.. I can understand I have 3 weeks into my Blue-By-U build... I would never race Pinks with her...

When it comes to the guys who really have a grudge to settle.. They pony up their best cars and do these races winner takes it as normal...

Maybe every other month allow a Pinks Challenge for fun... It may or may not work ...

The key is the kit being BSA and stock parts, using the oil process, able to drill blocks, any body style. Low Cost Pinks Race or (L.C.P.R.) for short ... Now if there are several guys racing for pinks, do what was mentioned for the Butter Ho Down... Fastest average time gets the win & car...

I see this opening a challenge up as more people would part with a car with a little less spent on it.. & to have fun being able to have the bragging rights to have won a Pinks Race... Keeping it on a level of $$....

Again don't
smack
me to hard please.....
smack
... Tossing an alternative out for the ones I have seen state they would like to Pink it but $$ holds them back...
 
I'm always down for a grudge race. If you get no takers ill run ya with out of the box stuff. I haven't used that junk in years, would be kinda fun.
 
Ya know, I'm not a gambling man and I don't have a history outside of three races tracks. I kind of understand in the case of last months ordeal. But just to do it? Now in this case a $3.50 car kit "I'm your Huckelberry." No, that's not an official throw down, but sounds a lot better than. Could make it real crazy and use slots, 2.6 gram wheels. Although, these guys who have the machining to fix axles and wheels out of box could still be out in front if they wanted to take the time to screw around.
 
I follow on check in issues. as big as a pain as cub races. Might like Kinser say, no fun. But if you kept it Out of the box Junk. If its just for fun then what's the point of "altering' outside the "rules". Another thought is It might be fun for us rookies to bring you guys down to our level. I did not for one minute suggest I'm a better racer than you veterans, but were used to the junk. Like QT says "I havn't messed with that junk in years.
 
John would have to allow this before it goes any further ...

During the Butterhole challenge some guys were commenting they would love to do a Pinks Race if it did not cost so much... So the guys who can Run a Full Blown Pinks Race can do so...

It is a gamble when you run a pinks race anything can happen... regardless of high end or low end cars...

The idea was based on a few who mentioned it would be cool if they could do it but have a budget...

Another idea that would keep the price down and it supports John

$4.75 SSG Premium Sugar Pine Block - DD4H
$2.75/5 Zinc Speed Axles - DD4H
$1.99-$3.99 Stock BSA Wheel Price varies BS Shop or Hobby Lobby plus 40%o off coupon
$5.00 Legend car carrier - DD4H

So far this would still be under $18.00- Verses $100 plus for a car... Levels the race a bit using these parts...

Lets kick this around a bit and then present it to John if there is enough interest and see what happens ...

V
 
Kinser Racing said:
That's like saying "I'll race ya pinks, but give me 20 minutes to change my wheels and tires over to stock". Where's the fun in that?

Oooh Kinser! Stop being so negative! You are ranked third in the nation in the best hobby in the world! Don’t tell me you can’t take a stock $5 BSA Grandprix kit and make it fly down the track. This race would take us back the roots of Scout PWD.

No buying wheels, axles or blocks… you have to start with and use raw, stock, untouched BSA wheels, axles and blocks. I say build to the NPWDRL Street Pro rules with the exception of having to use the raw, stock BSA parts. All the work done to the parts has to be done by the builder himself. Absolutely no helpers.

Anybody can buy DD4H wheels and axles & predrilled blocks (awesome as they are) and make a wicked fast car. You can even buy them pre-prepped! I know I have before! They are fast, fast, fast! But who can do it all on their own merit? Who will be the Man of the Mountain in that race?

I think it could be a fun special race at Nationals.
 
Sorry for being negative. /images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif

I could do it. I just hate working with the stock axles, they take a lot of time to work.

5KidsRacing said:
Kinser Racing said:
That's like saying "I'll race ya pinks, but give me 20 minutes to change my wheels and tires over to stock". Where's the fun in that?

Oooh Kinser! Stop being so negative! You are ranked third in the nation in the best hobby in the world! Don’t tell me you can’t take a stock $5 BSA Grandprix kit and make it fly down the track. This race would take us back the roots of Scout PWD.

No buying wheels, axles or blocks… you have to start with and use raw, stock, untouched BSA wheels, axles and blocks. I say build to the NPWDRL Street Pro rules with the exception of having to use the raw, stock BSA parts. All the work done to the parts has to be done by the builder himself. Absolutely no helpers.

Anybody can buy DD4H wheels and axles & predrilled blocks (awesome as they are) and make a wicked fast car. You can even buy them pre-prepped! I know I have before! They are fast, fast, fast! But who can do it all on their own merit? Who will be the Man of the Mountain in that race?

I think it could be a fun special race at Nationals.
 
Is it too difficult to apply a handicap for money and time spent on it, Everyone has to be honest, but if you spent $6.95 for axles, that should be a penalty different than if you spend $12.95. If you put in 20 hrs on a lathe, that should be handicapped at some $ per hr. If you use lead, possible no handicap (unless you want to be green and ban lead), but $25 of tungsten should be handicapped. If you can not fix a wheel and want to pay $31.95, that should be handicapped. The goal is to make the fastest lowest cost/ lowest labor car. All jockeys are not the same, they weigh in and get some lbs added to make it more even. How about so many thousands of a sec per dollar spent plus so many thousands for each hour spent? Daydreaming time does not count.
idea
 
I could see if John put together a specific kit that everyone had to use, no substitutions allowed. Make it a tuner race, best builder wins if everyone uses the same parts? Just throwing it out there.
 
txchemist you always have great input here, but if those were part of the rules than this would end up just like every other Cub Scout derby... Knowledge and experience is penalized. I don't think someone should be handicapped because they may have worked harder than others. That's what they have began to do at other leagues and is one of the reasons they are failing. The NPWDRL puts rules out there and allows builders to be creative and that is one of the reasons, among many others, that makes this a successful league. For this to work you put a set of rules out there and let the builders have at it and build to those rules.
 
OK, so I've "lurked" in many forums over the years (Stan Pope's, that which not be named, and this one are the best) just to glean knowledge about these silly little cars. As a bit of background knowledge for all, I am an 8th grade science teacher who teaches physics, astronomy, and chemistry. I use pinewood derby cars as my final exam for the class. Each student builds a car and completes a technical journal describing how it was built, what was done to make it faster, and how what was done made it faster. We do not attempt the major mathematical formulas surrounding them as most of the students are just starting algebra or geometry and I want to keep the project fun (we stick with G.P.E., K.E. Velocity, and momentum). I race competetively in Royal Rangers in Northern CA, but my class uses Boy Scout style cars. I have not attempted to race with the pros largely due to the extreme cost of building competitive cars. $125 to make a car, shipping, entry fees is not in a single income teacher's budget while raising 4 kids. Especially after spending $ for all of their Royal ranger kits, paint, and entry fees (I use lead to keep costs down). Thus, this pinks thread has piqued my interest due to the low cost and fun stakes. I know this is DD4H's forum and I have extreme respect for all he has done for this sport and do not wish to turn business elsewhere (I use DD4H's oil and am hoping to get a silver bullet soon). All of that being said, after trying several different cheap kits, my classroom uses Max-V kits. Quality square blocks, no burs on wheels, straight axles with no flanges or crimp marks and tapered ends. The kits are only $3.45 and everyone starts off with a quality kit. This is especially important for my class as most do not have tools at home. These kits would make a great starting point for this kind of race as well. I promise to stop lurking and be a part of conversations as time allows. Everyone here seems to be genuinely interested in each other's performance and in advancing the sport. Thank you all for keeping the spirit of pinewood derby alive and well.
 
5kids, I see your point where builders are wanting to be totally free, and maybe we are not that far apart.
goal #1- everyone starts with the same exact low cost kit and uses building skill to accomplish a fast car.
goal#2- guys with less building skills and or time try to put together a low cost car that is very competitive but can use what they can buy, just saying price should come into the equation. All parts need to be kitted and a low $ max additional allowed like the old car wars, $15 to spend any way you like for weights, better axles, better wheels.

Might do one special race with slots and nails old style BSA
another with Max-V kits
another with Revel kits (horrible to the nth degree, but you have to use those Chinese wheels and crappy zinc weights)
As someone suggested, John might slap a nifty low cost kit together to try out also.