Pinewood Derby

Gulf Ridge Council
2006 PINEWOOD DERBY RULES
FOR ALL PACK, DISTRICT AND THE COUNCIL RACES.
PROPOSED SPEED RACE RULES.

  1. Each boy should build his car with adult supervision. Adults should not build cars while boys watch.
  2. Each car should be built new this scouting season, from new materials. Please do not recycle last year’s fast car, best wheels, etc.
  3. Maximum width including tires and axles must not exceed 2 3/4".
  4. Minimum width of the body at the axles should be 1 3/4".
  5. Maximum length must not exceed 7".
  6. Most Pinewood Derby Tracks have a ¼” high guide rail. Bottom clearance must be minimum 3/8”, to avoid dragging on this rail. Low hanging weights will often drag on the track.
  7. Maximum overall height of the car may not exceed 4”.
  8. The wheelbase (distance between the axles) must not exceed the distance between the precut axle slots on the standard pinewood block, i.e. 4 3/8".
  9. The car may not exceed 5 ounces as determined by the scale at the race.
  10. Axles and wheels must be official BSA equipment. The body must be designed from pinewood. No preformed bodies.
  11. The wheels may be lightly sanded or polished to remove bumps and blemishes. They must not be ground down, grooved, hollowed out, carved, cut, shaved or otherwise redesigned. Original ridges must still be visible.
  12. The wheels should be lubricated with graphite or powdered silicone. Oil and other liquid lubricants are prohibited.
  13. Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
  14. The car must not ride on any kind of springs or suspension system, other than a suspension system that is actually carved from the pinewood block.
  15. Loose materials are not allowed on the cars during the race.
  16. No Liquid weights are allowed.

DESIGN CAR RULES

Each District will be eligible to select 18 cars to send to the Council event as design cars. There are 6 categories. Each district should select one Tiger, one Cub, and one Webelos car for each category. These cars will not compete in the speed race at District and Council. This should allow you to encourage and reward modeling skills. Remember: we should be rewarding the boys’ modeling skills, not the parents’ skills!

DESIGN CAR CATEGORIES

  1. Most Authentic Vehicle
  2. Food
  3. Scout Theme
  4. Animal
  5. Nautical
  6. Patriotic

Note: If a car has an extremely pointed or high front end, some electronic racetracks may not accurately determine the winner of a race.

Hint: Use 6 small and 6 large thumbtacks as part of your cars weight. Mount them to the bottom of your car. You can easily remove or add them at the race to reach exactly 5 ounces.The Pinewood Derby is an annual event for the Cub Scouts. It is one of the most popular events and is probably the best known scouting event among non-scouts.

Pinewood Derby Car Designs

Some of the various car designs created by Pack 123.

Pinewood Derby Car Designs

Trophies

Pinewood Derby Trophies.

Trophies

Activities