Big rig racing; Scouts, Venturers and Rovers will race
homemade
vehicles against each other this weekend
Rover adviser scouter Kevin White holds an ultimate truck while his son Greg, 19, shows off his Scout truck. The trucks will be
raced
during the Big Rig Run on Saturday at
STAFF PHOTO/Sheri
Big rig racing;
Scouts, Venturers and Rovers will race homemade vehicles against each
other this weekend
Some
of
Not to
worry, however. The vehicles are made of plastic and wood and are only
11.5 centimetres tall.
Reaching
speeds of 17 km/h, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers will be racing their
homemade cabs and trailers down a wooden track at
Rover
adviser scouter Kevin White of the 9th Welland Venturers and Rovers said
75 youth have already registered for the event, but they always get more
people at the door.
By using
official kits purchased from Scouts Canada, the 11- to 17-year-olds
construct the 11.5 x 48 x 9 cm trucks on their own.
The kits
include the wheels and frame (a block of balsa wood), axles, Masonite,
chassis and paper outlines to model the rigs.
After
that the youths can use various other types of wood, liquid oil-based
lubricants and specific weights to improve their trucks.
The
scouts will race only cabs during their competition.
The cabs
will have 10 wheels and weigh no more than 300 grams, while the trailers,
which must pivot from the cab where they're joined, must have eight wheels
and weigh no more than 725 grams.
The
Ventures and Rovers will be racing cabs with trailers.
Called
ultimate trucks, they're much heavier and have a few different rules.
Their
cabs can weigh a maximum of 1,200 grams and their trailers a maximum of
2,800 grams.
These
rigs are also allowed a form of propulsion that is not flammable and does
not damage the track.
Also, in
all the races, the youths can put their trucks up against their leaders'.
"Even
though they're hosting it, they still compete," said White.
"It's
all about the kids having fun and they get a chance to beat their leader
and brag about it."
White
said the event can get quite competitive as well.
The
youths can decorate their cabs and trailers, which will be judged
together.
White
said he's seen plastic tubes, pop bottles and tin cans, among other
things, used to enhance the trucks.
"A
lot of it is creativity," he said. "The thing is they're there
to have fun."
After
the racing, prizes will be awarded for best looking cab, best looking
conventional, most futuristic, most historical, most interesting, MTO
inspection (most likely to break down) plus four surprise categories.
Awards
should take place around
Article ID# 920857