Pack 380 - 2015 Pinewood Derby Car Races

We had another outstanding derby and fun was had by all!  Never too late to start thinking about a design for 2016!

2014 Pinewood Derby Car Race Results

Congrats to all racers for a terrific showing at the 2014 Pack 380 Pinewood Derby Car Race!  All scouts and families of scouts deserve a round of applause for making the event a success once again.

Here are the scout cars that were entered this year:

Here are the Open Class cars:

One thing that is for certain is that we had our most competitive races in quite some time with the average time between the top finishers and the cars in the Turtle Race being less than 0.35 seconds.  That is a very small margin so all racers should be proud of their results.

Some thanks are in order for the contributions of the following people without whom the races would not have been a success:

• Mr. Llata for serving as primary race announcer with assistance by Carlos Moreno (the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council District Executive) who stopped by to check out the races.
• Mr. Sigmundson who was our Race Marshall once again.
• Mr. Sumer who helped with pizza pick-up.
• Mr. Eldridge, Mr. Rominger and Mr. Lang who were the official race starters.
• Our Boy Scouts (David, Ethan and Cal) who incidentally are who are Woodside Elementary alums who helped with the running of the races.

If the track we used this year did not look familiar, give yourself a pat on the back for being observant.  We were lucky enough to get the track from a cub scout pack in the area that was looking for a good home for the track because they had gotten a new track.  We now have our own track for the first time!

The race format had each racer run in six preliminary races so that each car would get one turn to run in each of the six lanes.  The results from the preliminary races were used to determine the cars that would be in the Championship Finale and the cars that would be in the Turtle Race.  Here are the results from the preliminary races:  Preliminary Race Results.

The next race was the Turtle Race with the cars with the slowest average times from the preliminary races in the race.  The winner of the Turtle Race was the car making it across the finish line last.  This was a single race winner take all race.  Here are the results from the Turtle Race:  Turtle Race Results.

This year we had two siblings of scouts and three parents entered in the Open Class race.  The race was won by the Bat Car:  Open Class Race Results.

The Championship Finale again had the cars separated by hundredths of second.  For this race, each car was able to run once in each lane.  Here are the Championship results:  Championship Finale Results.

In addition to above results, we also handed out awards to Top Finisher for Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webelos.  These were the top finishers who were not trophy winners.

Finally, we handed out an award for Spirit of Scouting for the scout/car that best exemplified the spirit of scouting, doing your best, sportsmanship, and individual effort with the making of his car.  This like all of the awards could have gone to a number of scouts, but winner of this award for 2014 was Webelo Han E.

Good luck next year!

2014 Pinewood Derby Cars

Here are the cars for this year. Quite exciting!

We have 24 cub scout cars and 5 cars for the open class race. This may be the largest number of cars that we have ever had.

2014 Pinewood Derby

Pack 380 Pinewood Derby

Friday, March 14, 2014

6pm to 9pm in Woodside MUR

Scouts, start your engines!  Are you ready for a little racing?

Each Pack 380 scout is invited to enter one car into our annual Pinewood Derby race.

Each car must pass inspection by the official inspection committee before it will be allowed to compete. Upon weigh-in the cars will be numbered and held by the pinewood derby committee until the official race.  Once a car passes inspection and is entered into the race, only race committee members are allowed to touch it.

Inspection will take place at the Pinewood Derby Weigh-In on Thursday, March 13, 2014 in the Woodside classroom C-5 anytime between 6pm-8pm.


Remember, that we will be taking orders for pizza and soda at the inspection event.

We will take pictures of the cars that will be used for the driver's licenses that will be granted to each scout that enters a car.  This year we will be administering a driver's license written test with questions on scouting so brush on your skills and knowledge about scouting!

The following are the inspection points

1. The car weight shall not exceed 5.0 ounces. The official race scale shall be considered final.


2. The overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.


3. The overall width of the car shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.


4. The car must have 1 ¾” clearance between the wheels.


5. The car must have 3/8” clearance underneath the body so it does not rub on the track.


6. The wood provided in the kit must be used. The block may be shaped any way that is desired.


7. The wheels may not be cut, drilled, beveled or rounded. You may remove the seams and imperfections from the wheels.
 The wheels supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official wheels.

8. The axles may be polished. The axles supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official axles.

9. Only dry lubricants such as graphite or powdered teflon "white lube" will be allowed for lubricating the wheels.

10. Wheel bearings, washers or bushings are prohibited.


11. The car must not ride on any type of springs.


12. The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices.


13. No loose material of any kind may be used.

14. Details such as the steering wheel, driver, decals, painting, and interior detail are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width, and weight specifications.

15. Cars will be held over night by the race marshall until race day.

At the Pinewood Derby…

•                If a car leaves its lane, at his sole discretion, the track chairman may inspect the track and, if a track fault is found which probably caused the initial violation, the track chairman may order the race to be rerun after the track is repaired.

•                If, during a race, no car reaches the finish line on the track, the car which went the farthest in its lane shall be declared as the heat winner.

Top three fastest cars will win trophies.

Best looking car, as determined by a vote, will win a trophy.

The slowest car that passes the finish line will win a trophy. (aka “Turtle Race” Winner)

Also, we will award medals to the top finisher in each den that is not a trophy winner.

Finally, we will once again award a Spirit of Scouting Award to the scout who best exemplifies the spirit of scouting.

Open Class Race - We are also going to host an open class race.  This race is open to all non-scouts and even scouts who want to enter a second car.  A separate trophy will be presented to the winner of the open class race.  This race will take place after the scout race.

Checkout slideshows from previous Pinewood Derbies:

http://concordpack380.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-pinewood-derby.html

http://concordpack380.blogspot.com/2011/03/2011-pinewood-derby-car-races.html

2013 Pack 380 Pinewood Derby

Pack 380 Pinewood Derby

Friday, March 15, 2013

6pm to 9pm in Woodside MUR

Scouts, start your engines!  Are you ready for a little racing?

Each Pack 380 scout is invited to enter one car into our annual Pinewood Derby race.

Each car must pass inspection by the official inspection committee before it will be allowed to compete. Upon weigh-in the cars will be numbered and held by the pinewood derby committee until the official race.  Once a car passes inspection and is entered into the race, only race committee members are allowed to touch it.

Inspection will take place at the Pinewood Derby Weigh-In on Thursday, March 14, 2013 in the Woodside classroom E-3 anytime between 6pm-8pm.

We will take pictures of the cars that will be used for the driver's licenses that will be granted to each scout that enters a car.

Following are the inspection points

1. The car weight shall not exceed 5.0 ounces. The official race scale shall be considered final.


2. The overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.


3. The overall width of the car shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.


4. The car must have 1 ¾” clearance between the wheels.


5. The car must have 3/8” clearance underneath the body so it does not rub on the track.


6. The wood provided in the kit must be used. The block may be shaped any way that is desired.


7. The wheels may not be cut, drilled, beveled or rounded. You may remove the seams and imperfections from the wheels.
 The wheels supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official wheels.

8. The axles may be polished. The axles supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official axles.

9. Only dry lubricants such as graphite or powdered teflon "white lube" will be allowed for lubricating the wheels.

10. Wheel bearings, washers or bushings are prohibited.


11. The car must not ride on any type of springs.


12. The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices.


13. No loose material of any kind may be used.

14. Details such as the steering wheel, driver, decals, painting, and interior detail are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width, and weight specifications.

15. Cars will be held over night by the race marshall until race day.

At the Pinewood Derby…

•                If a car leaves its lane, at his sole discretion, the track chairman may inspect the track and, if a track fault is found which probably caused the initial violation, the track chairman may order the race to be rerun after the track is repaired.

•                If, during a race, no car reaches the finish line on the track, the car which went the farthest in its lane shall be declared as the heat winner.

Top three fastest cars will win trophies.

Best looking car, as determined by a vote, will win a trophy.

The slowest car that passes the finish line will win a trophy. (aka “Turtle Race” Winner)

Also, we will award medals to the top finisher in each den that is not a trophy winner.

Finally, we will once again award a Spirit of Scouting Award to the scout who best exemplifies the spirit of scouting.

Open Class Race - We are also going to host an open class race.  This race is open to all non-scouts and even scouts who want to enter a second car.  A separate trophy will be presented to the winner of the open class race.  This race will take place after the scout race.

Checkout slideshows from last two Pinewood Derbies:

http://concordpack380.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-pinewood-derby.html

http://concordpack380.blogspot.com/2011/03/2011-pinewood-derby-car-races.html

2012 Pinewood Derby

A great turnout was on hand for the 2012 Pinewood Derby races for Pack 380. With family and friends on hand, all the scouts were able to show off the results their hours of shaping, sanding, polishing, painting and fine-tuning of their pinewood derby cars.

There were cars of all shapes and sizes. Some had to undergo last-minute adjustments to qualify for the races. In the end, Ryan's pick-up truck with what looked like a rocket engine took first place, second place went to another Wolf Cub Owen and his Formula 1 race car, and third place to Webelo David and his green machine.

The "coolest design" award based on a vote of his peers, the scouts, Tiger Cub Zachary won with his Humvee design. The "Turtle Race" was won by Tiger Cub Richard in a squeaker over Bear Cub Kevin.

We had one special award called the "Spirit of Scouting," with its own trophy made by Cubmaster Llata. This award went to Wolf Cub Erik who ran home on the night of the weigh-in to make changes to the car so that it would fit on the tracks, not giving up and making it back just in time to qualify his car for the races. A special nod also should go out to Antonio and his shark as they too had to make adjustments at the weigh-in to reduce weight.

The night also included Unit Commissioner Bernie Zurlo awarding Pack 380 with its rechartering.

Special thanks go to Cubmaster Chris and Den Leader James for helping all the scouts that they did with their cars. Also, the same thanks go out to all of the families who worked on their cars with their boys. Thanks to the pit crew also that included Tracy and Kimm as the official starters, Girl Scouts Naomi and Bonnie as the car retrievers and Scout David as the computer operator for the first time. Thanks to Alicia for the yummy snacks and picking up the pizza! And finally let's not forget Gene Dodge of Troop 364 who lent us the track for this year's race.

This year's race over so time to start planning for next year. We're thinking about have an open class race open to all non-scouts too!

Pinewood Derby Car Races Tonight!

We have our race tonight!

The event starts at 6pm at the Multi-Use Room at Woodside Elementary.  We have an evening of fun planned for the scouts.  We have 18 cars checked in for racing.

Pinewood Derby Car Races - 2012

Pack 380 Pinewood Derby

Friday, March 9, 2012

6pm-9pm in Woodside MUR

Only one car per scout may be registered in the Pinewood Derby.

Each car must pass inspection by the official inspection committee before it will be allowed to compete. Upon weigh-in the cars will be numbered and held by the pinewood derby committee until the official race.  Once a car passes inspection and is entered into the race, only race committee members are allowed to touch it.

Inspection will take place at the Pinewood Derby Weigh-In on Thursday, March 8, 2012 in the Woodside classroom anytime between 6pm-8pm

Here are the inspection points:

1. The car weight shall not exceed 5.0 ounces. The official race scale shall be considered final.


2. The overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.


3. The overall width of the car shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.


4. The car must have 1 ¾” clearance between the wheels.


5. The car must have 3/8” clearance underneath the body so it does not rub on the track.


6. The wood provided in the kit must be used. The block may be shaped any way that is desired.


7. The wheels may not be cut, drilled, beveled or rounded. You may remove the seams and imperfections from the wheels.
 The wheels supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official wheels.

8. The axles may be polished. The axles supplied with the kit may be replaced with BSA official axles.

9. Only dry lubricants such as graphite or powdered teflon "white lube" will be allowed for lubricating the wheels.

10. Wheel bearings, washers or bushings are prohibited.


11. The car must not ride on any type of springs.


12. The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices.


13. No loose material of any kind may be used.

14. Details such as the steering wheel, driver, decals, painting, and interior detail are permissible as long as these details do not exceed the maximum length, width, and weight specifications.

At the Pinewood Derby…

• If a car leaves its lane, at his sole discretion, the track chairman may inspect the track and, if a track fault is found which probably caused the initial violation, the track chairman may order the race to be rerun after the track is repaired.
• If, during a race, no car reaches the finish line on the track, the car which went the farthest in its lane shall be declared as the heat winner. 

1. Top three fastest cars will win a trophy.
2. Best looking car, as determined by a vote, will win a trophy.
3. The slowest car that passes the finish line will win a trophy will win the "Turtle race" trophy.

We are offering pre-orders for Pizza and Sodas through Thursday, March 8, at the weigh-in of the cars.  Den leaders will be providing order forms that can be turned in.

Also, see this link to see all the fun that we had last year's Pack 380 races: 2011 Pinewood Derby

Blackhawk 500 Registration This Week

The Blackhawk 500 Mt. Diablo Silverado Pinewood Derby Championship is on Saturday, May 21 with doors open at 8:30am.

But the really important information for now is that registration for cars is going on this week. The registration is taking place at the Scouting office at 800 Ellinwood Way in Pleasant Hill. You can enter your car between 630pm and 800pm on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday this week. We just returned from entering our cars this evening. It was very simple and easy to do. The best part was that the boys got their patches on the spot.

From the Blackhawk 500 Web Site: There will be racing, a design competition and great food. During the event the whole family can tour the Blackhawk Museum's magnificent auto collection and the fabulous exhibits. There will be tons of neat stuff to see and do! Wear your Scout uniform and get in free.

For more information see www.blackhawk500.org.

2011 Pinewood Derby Car Races

This year's races were held on March 9, 2011 with the event kicking off at about 630pm.  The evening started with cub scouts and families chowing down on pizza, assorted snacks and drinks.

After a few announcements by Silverado Council staff, we were ready for racing by 700pm after the voting for Best Looking Car was closed.  This year there were 15 cars entered in the Pack 380 Pinewood Derby Car races.