My 2019 Scout Pinewood Derby Experience

[DuckOfAllTrades]

I want to add another layer to my story.

Tech day was the week before the race, in which we tested our cars on the actual track. My daughter’s car ran a 3.6601, which I didn’t know but was ultra fast for this track! No car race day ran in the 3.6s a single time, with maybe 2 hitting the high 3.7s on one run each , my daughter with the fastest time of the day with the score that was wiped out that would have won was one of those runs. My son’s car ran a 3.7005, also fast! Actually, .0003 faster than his race day car without the graphite broken in.

He was upset his car was slower than his sister! So I wanted to even the field, keep in mind I didn’t know they were fast. The solution? Build two new cars, built identical to one another. I couldn’t test the cars out, but based on my tuning board, felt they were faster. What an idiot I was! There cars were fast, but if I had stuck with their original cars, my daughter would have won the Pack hands down! It wouldn’t have been close! I’d say the average for the winning car was around 3.6890 or possibly more. She had hit the 3.66s with her car! My son would have finished just where he was.

Dumb dumb dumb. Sometimes you should stick to what you know.

 

[CM02WS6]

Wow, great read on a Monday morning! Sorry to hear about the bad luck, but sounds like you guys had a great time and made some good memories. Also, you've got some more years to hone your builds and get confident so you don't worry about check in.

Now on to my thoughts.... As my 140-strong pack's Derby Chair, I can't believe some of the things I heard! Tech inspectors from the District? That seems really odd, just recruit parents and teach them. You want the knowledge in the pack, and besides, are people really trying to cheat? I think you have to be a bit lenient when you see a rough-looking car using the slots, you know they probably don't know any better. Starting races early? Wow, that is inexcusable. You've got a big pack, they should have it figured out better by now. I cringe thinking about the stress at check-in for everyone and the long lines. However, acknowledge that everyone is trying to do their best, and I can even sort of understand their thinking for re-running those heats whose times were lost.

So what can you do about it? I'll echo another suggestion from earlier in the thread and say to get involved. You've got a passion for this stuff, and big events like this need a lot of help. Besides your issues, the check-in lines and the power cord issues could use some thinking to implement solutions for. It should be all about the scouts and family experience, try to sell any changes you propose with those goals. Good luck!

 

[DuckOfAllTrades]

So what can you do about it? I'll echo another suggestion from earlier in the thread and say to get involved.

Definitely plan to! Not sure if it will do any good, but I won't know til I try, and have no right to have a problem with it if I don't try.

I thought about emailing the Pack leader and asking him for clarity on the "No Rail Rider" rule that isn't in the rules. But I thought better of it! I have a feeling if I did, it would make it a hotter issue and next year there will actually be a No Rail Rider rule! I wouldn't be shocked if there were. Talk about a horrible rule. How would you enforce that?!? It would TOTALLY kill the experience. All you could do is stick the axles and wheels in and pray it's semi straight. BUT, in my experience, most BSA blocks drift anyways by a couple of inches because of poorly cut slots. A natural rail rider! How would they expect us to fix this if we can't bend the axles or do anything else that would help?

I will NOT be happy if this rule pops into existence for next year, just have a creeping feeling it might. Just another reason to volunteer and get involved.

 

[FDM]

Wonder how they enforce a no rail rider policy. Our first car we didn't bent any axles (we tried but that hammer block is awful), however as it turned out, it had a perfect steer of about 4-5 inches over 4 feet, thanks to the standard axles slots and BSA axles. How you gonna separate those natural rail riders from people who bend their axles? You can make a rail rider with only a slight bent.

 

[ironband]

Wonder how they enforce a no rail rider policy. Our first car we didn't bent any axles (we tried but that hammer block is awful), however as it turned out, it had a perfect steer of about 4-5 inches over 4 feet, thanks to the standard axles slots and BSA axles. How you gonna separate those natural rail riders from people who bend their axles? You can make a rail rider with only a slight bent.

Yeah, the one who wins will be the one who rides the rail "accidentally-on purpose" the best.

 

[DuckOfAllTrades]

I had to bite my tongue so hard when he said No Rail Riders! I'm very non confrontational, but that one got me. I wanted to point out that 4 out of 5 BSA block straight from the box is a natural rail rider!

He was a volunteer, so I'm not sure how much or what he knew. But to say that, he had to have heard it from somewhere above his head.

I'm seriously concerned it will be in the rules next year, no rail riders. Who knows how they will try to enforce it! It would kill the experience for us, that's for sure.

 

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

I had to bite my tongue so hard when he said No Rail Riders! I'm very non confrontational, but that one got me. I wanted to point out that 4 out of 5 BSA block straight from the box is a natural rail rider!

He was a volunteer, so I'm not sure how much or what he knew. But to say that, he had to have heard it from somewhere above his head.

I'm seriously concerned it will be in the rules next year, no rail riders. Who knows how they will try to enforce it! It would kill the experience for us, that's for sure.

Let it go ... they can NOT enforce "no rail riders". They can enforce how the car is built and measured, but can not control how it rolls down the track.

Part of me would tell them that it is not a rail rider, rather it is a rail runner. Then tell them to include that in the following years rules. Then you will make whatever adjustments required to help your Scout build a fast car under those rules.

Then, I would say something to the effect that wouldn't it be easier to open up the rules and allow everyone to learn and have a faster car. Add that you would be willing to share how it is done at a District meeting for any interested parent. Knowing what needs to be done is only part of the battle. Knowing HOW to do it is a larger portion.