Derby Talk

What was the district champ time? My boy was district champ last year but missed it this year. We still had a blast the whole day.

Don't sweat it... there's obviously track differences. We had a car with a wheel fall off half way down the track in our pack race and he still finished faster than 2.9.

How did your car do in comparison to others on the track?

What time should we be at ? This is our first year of many. We did get a chance to time one of our cars on a 32' track and it was 2.43 sec with no change in four runs. Wel will be running on a 40' Alum. track. What is a good time on a 40' track? Don't be discouraged, or encouraged for that matter, ...

It's a plastic canopy that we painted. We bought it at the hobby store in the pinewood derby car supply area. You paint the inside which gives it a nice clean, shiny look on the outside of the plastic. We then placed a small amount of gel super glue at each corner and laid it down in place. Thanks f...

What time should we be at ? This is our first year of many. We did get a chance to time one of our cars on a 32' track and it was 2.43 sec with no change in four runs. Wel will be running on a 40' Alum. track. What is a good time on a 40' track? It depends on the slope/flat ratio but a 2.43 on our ...

Here are some pictures from our 2005 entries. First, is the "Dynomite Car" which absolutely dominated the Unlimited Class at the District Derby. It weighs 5 pounds with a 4.5 pound 9" solid brass rod playing the role of a stick of dynomite. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/kissa...

Our unlimited race allows any lube that doesn't foul the track.

Anyone else have an opinion on grooved or no grooves with Nyoil?

I would think the dangers of using a Dremel for polishing would outweigh the time savings. While it would undoubtably save time, the heat could burn small fingers and the risk of sanding off too much of the axle material is a big concern too. I'd stick with a longer, cooler and slower process myself.

Go to scoutstuff.org for the track. It can be difficult to find things sometimes, but here's what you need for the track. On the main page, click on the "scouting merchandise distibutors" to find a local shop. (I simply called ours in Bethesda and they took the order over the phone). Clic...

I was thinking of it mearly as a tool to "break in" the lube before leaving for the derby. Run it down this "track" three or four times. No testing or expectations of usable data from it.

I've heard two different things about axles... one says be really careful when polishing as to not remove too much of the axles diameter. Then, I read (by the same person, I believe) that smaller axles, even down to running on a sewing pin, is fast. Is it best to run on a reduced diameter axle or an...

I just called my local scout shop and they said they aren't available yet. I told them that yours had them on the shelf and they said they'd look into it. Our race is Saturday... looking into it won't do me much good.

Awhile back someone posted a link to what I believe was a scout website that had a cheap plastic pinewood track that may be perfect for basic testing. I did several searches and was unable to find it.

Anyone remember what it was?

Thanks.

Shoot for the least slope that will make the car start and roll on its own. Do the observations on wheel movement as the car rolls the first few inches. Watch entire distance (2 or 3 feet) for direction variations, but note whether the deviation started before or after a wheel reached its extreme o...

Do you just push it lightly or raise the platform it's on so it takes off on it's own?