| Mr. Paul's Derby Tips Page This information is offered primarily as a courtesy for our "new comers". It comes from my 3 years experience, reading about derby races on various Internet sites, and talking to other leaders at Round Table (leader training) about their derby experiences. No matter what... the lesson of the day is HAVE FUN!! Parents and Scouts, it is nice to win, but it's more fun when the boys build their own car and enjoy the spirit of friendly competition. Have a good race!. USE THIS INFORMATION AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you car wins, or does not win, I will not be accountable for the final outcome. It is my sincerest desire to make sure all have an equal chance of winning. May the best car win ! 1. Take the time to sand your axles. There are "wheel kits" in hobby stores that are made just for this purpose. 2. Sand (smooth) your wheels, but be careful to NOT CHANGE THE SHAPE. In some Packs, they will sand the wheels into a V shape, so less wheel makes contact with the track. That is NOT permitted at Pack 419. 3. Bring extra weights to the official weigh-in! Get your car as close to the 5 ounce limit as possible. Weights are available at craft and hobby stores. 4. If you think you can keep all 4 wheels squared, lengthen the wheel base of the car. Make sure you follow rules 8 and 9. 5. For the distance of the track, and the weight of the car, wind resistance is virtually a non-issue. If you want to use this as a lesson in "aerodynamics" with your son, go for it! But according to the laws of physics, an object that light, going that slow, over such a short distance.... aerodynamics is all for show. Experienced racers may not totally agree with this one. Use at your own risk is what I said above... 6. READ READ READ... a lot of people take this derby stuff REAL seriously. There are as many books written on Pinewood Racing than there are on how to get rich quick with Amway. Maybe now is a good time to surf the web or go to the library. 7. Check out the links at the bottom of the Derby Rules page for more tips. |
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