TUSCARORA COUNCIL NEUSIOK DISTRICT

OFFICIAL CUB SCOUT PINEWOOD DERBY RULES AND REGULATIONS

(Revised 11/9/2013)

Table of Contents
GENERAL......................................................................................3 Rules about entering your car in the race. CUB SCOUT RACE CAR DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS.............4 Rules about building your car. CONDUCTOF THE RACES .......................................................10 Rules used during the race. SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL CONCERNED ....................................11 Some notes on sportsmanship!

GENERAL RULES
Single Entry per Person: Only one car may be registered per Akela/Cub team (Scout and adult partner) for the race. (This does not disallow an Akela to be on more than one team; ie. 2 or more Cubs) Attendance: Unless otherwise approved in advance by the Official Race Committee, the Cub Scout and their adult partner (Akela) must be present to race their car. Absenteeism approval should not be given for reasons such a ball game tickets, birthday parties, or other such conflicts. Absenteeism approval should only be considered in cases of severe sickness or other such unavoidable circumstances. Uniform Requirement: Scouts must correctly wear his Class A uniform, tucked in and buttoned up, to participate in the race. Inspection and Registration: Each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspection Committee before it may compete. If a car fails to pass inspection, the Akela/Cub team will be made aware of what issues exist and they may change the car to meet the rules as time allows. Any Akela/Cub team may appeal the findings of the Official Inspection Committee to the Pinewood Derby Chairman, whose decision is final. Once a car has passed inspection, the Cub Scout must take his car directly to the impound area and place it in the position decided upon by the impound area supervisor. Once the car is in place, the car is considered impounded and cannot be moved until it is time for that car to race. At that time, ONLY the Cub Scout or Official Starter/Judge, if necessary, may handle it. Race Day Late Arrivals: Cars must be registered and have passed the final inspection by the deadline set by the Pinewood Derby Race Committee. Time may be extended to accommodate those still in line. A registration time extension may be granted for extenuating circumstances if deemed appropriate by the Pinewood Derby Chairman. Removal of Cars: Should the cars need to be moved prior to the race due to unforeseen circumstances, only the Official Pinewood Derby Committee Staff may move the cars. Disqualification: Any car not conforming to these official rules will be disqualified.

CUB SCOUT RACE CAR DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS Overall:

No Repeats. All cars must be built by the Akela/Cub team; for the current Pinewood Derby Season. Cars purchased completed may not be used. The Akela/Cub team must build the car. Cars may not be sent to a third party for tuning or other performance enhancements. Cars must be built, tuned and/or aligned by the Akela/Cub team. Clarification - If needed, assistance by a den leader, pack member, friend and/or family member is allowed; professional assistance is not. If the Akela/Cub team lacks the resources needed construct their car, it is suggested that you contact your leader and request a workshop and/or assistance from another member of the pack. Only BSA Pinewood Derby parts may be used; third party blocks and/or parts may be used/substituted.

Dimensions:
Cars cannot be more than 2 3/4 inches wide. The maximum height is 3 1/2 inches height; from bottom of installed wheels to the top. The car cannot be more than 7 inches long. The car must be at least 1 3/4 inches wide between the axles. The bottom of the car must be at least 3/8 inches above the ground.

Recommendation - Since the starting pins are round, it is recommended that the front / center of the car have a minimum flat/blunt surface of at least 3/8 inch with no points to allow the car to rest correctly on the starting pin.

Weight:
The finished car may not weigh more that 5.0 ounces as determined on the Official Race Scale, which is final. All car parts must be firmly attached. No movable weights are allowed. Dangerous substances such as mercury are not acceptable.

Safety Note - Do not melt or sand lead. Melting and sanding lead is dangerous because of the dust and fumes being inhaled into the lungs.

Wheel Placement:
The original wheelbase dimensions must be maintained. No extended or altered wheelbases will be allowed. The wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axle locations. Cars must have 4 wheels, 2 on each side, which straddle the lane guide.

Lubrication:
Any dry lubricant may be used but it must not foul or damage the track. Recommendation There have been numerous parties testing lubrication options; Graphite typically works the best, is safe and relative easy to use.

Wheels:
Only the current official BSA PWD wheels can be used. All lettering and fluting must remain visible. No bushings or bearings are allowed in the wheel, on the axle or between the wheel and axle.

Can Do's
The outer wheel surface (tire tread) may be lightly sanded, shaved or polished to remove imperfections and/or casting burrs. The outer wheel surface must remain flat. The inner hub may be slightly coned. The outer surface of the wheel where the axle head rubs may be leveled and/or smoothed. The axle hole may be polished. Wheels may not weigh less than 2.3 grams (the original wheels average approximately 2.7 grams) and the tread surface/thickness be less than 0.054 inches.

Can't Do's
No part of the wheel may be reshaped in any way in an attempt to minimize tread contact or alter aerodynamics, i.e. NO ROUNDED, CURVED, H OR V TREADS are allowed. The inner tread my not be thin sanded and/or grooved in an attempt to reduce the wheels weight or mass. You may not drill holes in the sidewalls. Hubcaps are not allowed.

REFER TO DIAGRAMS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE FOR CLEARIFICION.

LEGAL

ILLEGAL

Axles:
Only BSA axles/nails, identical to those that are contained in the current years kit, may be used. No third party axles are allowed (i.e. speed axles). The Akela/Cub team must do all the modifications and/or alterations to the Axles/Nails themselves. You may not have a third party prepare the BSA axle/nail or purchase modified BSA axles/nails. Likewise, other aftermarket non-BSA axles (that are designed to resemble the BSA axles but are actually manufactured to higher tolerances of straightness, smoothness and/or use superior materials) are not allowed. Axles must not be connected to any device that mechanically alters rotation and/or spin.

The above required use of only BSA axles/nails is intended to provide an area in the cars construction in which the Cub Scout can safely do all the work/steps; under his Akelas guidance. I cannot stress how important it is that the Cub Scout significantly contributes to the construction of his car. The preparation of the axles/nails provides great opportunities for the Cub Scout to safely put significant amounts of effort into his cars construction, learn a skill and develop pride in his accomplishments. The suggested improvements listed below involve putting the axle/nail into a small drill (clamped into a vise works best), creating a crude lathe. With appropriate supervision, this is a relatively safe practice; even for the youngest scouts as it does not involve a saw or other significantly dangerous power tools. With that said, you should always use care and safely operate the drill/lathe and the related tools. A small file, sand paper and/or polishing compound can be used to do all the following. Always wear safety glasses. Some Possible Axle Modifications. The axle burrs and casting shoulders/wings (on inside where axle shaft meets axle head) may be removed. The axle head may be slightly coned to reduce contact with the wheel hub. The axle shaft and axle head may be sanded and/or polished.

REFER TO DIAGRAMS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE FOR CLEARIFICION.

Original BSA Axle/Nail.

Some Possible BSA Axle/Nail modifications.

Details:
Details such as steering wheel, driver, windshield, fenders, decals, etc. are allowed, and encouraged, as long as the car does not exceed maximum height, length, width or weight rules.

Accessories:
The car must be freewheeling, driven entirely by gravity. No mechanical, kinetic or other energy storage mechanisms are allowed. The racecar may not be constructed or treated in such a way that the track's starting mechanism imparts momentum to the car. For instance, this provision disqualifies cars on with sticky substances on the front of the car and/or protrusions that may catch on the starting pin and impart forward motion to the car.

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CONDUCT OF THE RACES

Race Day Lubrication: Lubrication must be done outside or in a place specified by the Pack before inspection. Unless otherwise stated in advance, cars may not be lubricated once they have passed inspection. If race officials allow for the cars to be taken to reapply graphite between semifinals and finals, etc. the cars must pass re-inspection. If A Car Leaves Its Lane: If, during a race heat, a car leaves its lane or the track but does not interfere with its opponent, then the race results will apply. If the car leaves its lane or the track and interferes with another car, the race will be re-staged and re-run. If the same car leaves its lane or the track and interferes with another car during the re-run, that car will be judged last place and the race will be re-staged and re-run again without the offending car. Car Repair: Should a car be damaged by being dropped or otherwise damaged, the Scout may, to the best of his ability, perform repairs with the assistance of his adult partner with a three (3) minute time limit. A maximum of three such separate instances will apply after which the car will be disqualified. If a car is damaged due to track fault or by another car or person then, at the sole discretion of the Pinewood Derby Committee Chairman, additional repair assistance and/or time may be allowed to repair the non-offending car. Repaired cars must be re-inspected and pass. Repaired cars may not be re-lubricated. Track Fault: If a car leaves its lane, the PWD Committee chairman, at his sole discretion, may inspect the track and, if a track fault is found be the probable culprit, the race heat may be re-run after the track is repaired. The Race Area: Only race officials and Cub Scouts currently racing at the time are allowed in the track area. All other spectators must remain in the spectator area while the races are conducted. Violation of this rule will result in being asked to return to the spectator area, disqualification for the event, or removal from the grounds as seen fit by the Race Committee Chairman. Track Damages: Any person other than those responsible for the track setup, installation and/or operation must not touch the track. Violation of this rule is subject to disqualification and/or expulsion from the competition area. Sportsmanship: Good behavior and sportsmanship is expected. Race officials may ask anyone not showing good sportsmanship to leave.

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SPECIAL NOTES TO ALL RACE TEAMS

This project is intended to be a parent and son event, and is recommended as such by the National Boy Scouts of America. The Neusiok District Pinewood Derby Committee strongly suggests that each parent emphasize this idea with your son. Akelas (parents) please make every attempt to emphasize your cubs abilities and allow them to participate as much as safely possible in the construction of their car. How else can they take pride in their creation and/or success? Take the time to explain to them what the two of you are trying to accomplish, how to do it safely, mistakes to look out for, etc. and allow them to share in the effort. Please exhibit good safety habits and/or standards in working with all tools and materials. Remember that you are being an example; be a good one. Use this time as quality time to bond and promote good character traits and morals in and with your cub scout. Last but not least, remember to have fun! Good Luck! SPORTSMANSHIP Things the Pinewood Derby requires each participant to learn are 1) the skills necessary to build a car, 2) honesty and fair competition as the rules that must be respected and followed and (3) good sportsmanship. Whats important is how we act and behave while preparing for and participating in the Pinewood Derby or any other group activity; exhibiting good sportsmanship is essential. The first thing to remember about sportsmanship is that everyone's skills are a little different. You may be good at something like singing or drawing, but not as good at something else like basketball or computers. Parents have different skill levels, too. Remember, you and your friends are individuals first and racers second. Having respect for others should be encouraged. Honesty is also an integral part of good sportsmanship. We must compete honestly and fairly. Without adherence to the rules, it would be impossible to have a successful Pinewood Derby experience. And lastly, there are winners and losers in every competition. You accept this when you choose to compete. There may be times when you win and feel happy, and times when you lose and feel unhappy. Losing is hard sometimes so please be considerate of your fellow racers with your conduct, both in winning and losing. In winning you should not boast, tease or other wise disrespect your competitor. In losing, you should congratulate your competitor and share in their success. Remember a true winner is someone who enters a competition, does their best and graciously accepts the outcome, win or lose. To truly be a good sportsman, you must be able to say, "I did my best" and be satisfied with the results.

Do Your Best!

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2013 Pinewood Derby Committee

Ryan Roberts Neusiok District Executive

2013 Pinewood Derby Committee Chairman

Rodney Taylor

2013 Pinewood Derby Committee Members

Michelle Adams Charlie Autry Chris Barnes Charles Brewer Mike Crumpler Matt Gardner Leanna George Mike Miles Steve Peedin Pam Rooks Billy Womble Tommy Woodard