| Car Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Max Car Weight | 5.00 Ounces |
| Max Car Length | 7.0 Inches |
| Max Car Width | 2 3/4 Inches |
| Min Clearance between wheels | 1 3/4 Inches |
| Under Body Clearance | 3/8 Inches |
| OK | |
| Shapes, designs, and decorations of virtually any kind | |
| Different Colored Wheels (must be official Pinewood Derby Wheels) | |
| OK to remove seams or imperfections from wheels, without substantial alteration | |
| Non-moving, fixed weights (must be secure) | |
| Polished, "de-burred", nail-style, official Axles | |
| Graphite or Teflon Dry Lubricant | |
| NOT OK | |
| Different Wood (Must use the pine block from the kit) | |
| Wheel Alteration (boring, beveling, rounding) | |
| Liquid Lubricant (WD40, etc) | |
| Bearings, Washers, Springs | |
| After-market wheels, axles, or axle-rods. May use smooth axles, but no nickle-plated, notched, or coned axles, for example. Must use stock nail axles or similar. | |
| Moving Parts (loose/moving weights) | |
| Generally, cars should run on 4 wheels (intentional 3-wheeling is prohibited). | |
The official race scale is considered final.
Each car must pass inspection by the official inspection committee before it may compete. If, at registration, a car does not pass inspection, the owner will be informed of the reason for failure, and will be given time within the official weigh-in time period to make the adjustment.
After final approval, scouts may NOT touch cars between races, except to walk the car from "pit row" to the track and back after the race. No graphite, or other fiddling during the race, unless a car becomes damaged.
During the Race
Our race will be structured as a double-elimination tournament. The initial race order will be assigned randomly. Once a car loses a race, he enters the "loser's bracket". Once a 2nd race has been lost, that car will be eliminated from the tournament.An adult will be designated as "Trackmaster", will conduct each individual race, and will have final authority over any disputes.
Each individual race will consist of 3 heats, so that each car can race on each track. The "best 2 out of 3" shall be the winner of that race. Should the cars split the first two heats, a coin flip will determine which scout gets to choose his track for the final heat. The youngest scout shall call heads or tails.
If a car leaves the track, that heat can be re-run once. If the same car leaves the track again, it looses the race. If Car A leaves the track and interferes with Car B, Car A looses the race. The Trackmaster may declare a heat to be re-run if he determines there is a flaw with the track itself.
Semi-finals and Finals
Once the final 4 have been decided, the final contestants will have a short break to graphite and tweak their cars for the finals.Final Race: Each car must lose twice to be eliminated. Therefore, if the winner of the "loser's bracket" wins the final race, then the contestants must race again.
