Crossroads of America Council - 2023 Pathfinder District Pinewood Derby

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2023 Pathfinder District Pinewood Derby

Event Details

2023 Pathfinder District Pinewood Derby

General Information

District Race Day: April 15, 2023

Location: Hubler Chevrolet, 8220 US-31, Indianapolis, IN 46227

Registration Deadline: April 11, 2023

Qualifying & Racing Divisions

There are seven divisions that Scouts qualify through their Pack’s Pinewood Derby race to participate:

Lion Division – for Cub Scouts in Kindergarden
Tiger Division – for Cub Scouts in 1st Grade
Wolf Division – for Cub Scouts in 2nd Grade
Bear Division – for Cub Scouts in 3rd Grade
Webelos Division – for Cub Scouts in 4th Grade
Arrow of Light Division – for Cub Scouts in 5th Grade*
Best in Show Division – for any Cub Scout in Kindergarden – 5th Grade**

Each Pack may register two (2) cars in each of the racing divisions (2x Lions, 2x Tigers, 2x Wolves, 2x Bears, 2x Webelos 1s and 2x Arrow of Light / Webelos 2s) and one (1) car for the Best in Show division to participate in the District Pinewood Derby.

* Special Note about the Arrow of Light Division – By mid-April, it is likely most Scouts in the 5th grade have already transferred to Scouts BSA Troops. However, if a Scout was a member of an Arrow of Light / Webelos 2 Den at any time during the 2022-2023 school year AND participated in their Pack Pinewood Derby, that Scout will be allowed to participate (even though the Scout may be a Scouts BSA Troop member at the time of the race).

** Special note about the Best in Show Division – This year, Best in Show car entries WILL be racing along with the rest of the car entires, competing for not only the Best in Show design award, but also Best in Show speed award in their own Best in Show class! HOWEVER, a car may only be entered in EITHER Best in Show OR their Scout rank class, but NOT both. The Scout & Pack will need to determine where a car eligible for both wishes to enter.

*** Open Division – There will also be an eighth “Open” Division for any cars wishing to race which did not qualify for the Scout Rank or Best in Show divisions noted above, with its own 1st - 3rd Place racing speed awards. This division is open to any sibling (youth) or Scout (youth) cars wishing to enter and race that day. (Youth only; no adult entries, please.) However, these cars must meet the same car rules and requirements as all other entries, and must pass the same car inspection upon check-in; this is NOT an “Outlaw” or an “Adult” class. (Please note: Open Division cars are not eligible for the Top 5 Overall trophies, as cars must have qualified through Pack races to be eligible for these awards.)

Registration

Please note the following instructions, rules and restrictions regarding car registration:

  1. Please complete your Pack’s online registration as soon as possible to reserve your entry spots.
  2. ONE Pack leader or representative for each Pack will need to complete a single registration for all Pack-qualifying cars to the District Pinewood Derby (ie: cars qualifying in the Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, Arow of Light or Best in Show Divisions).
  3. Scouts and their Akelas may NOT register on their own for the Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, Arrow of Light or Best in Show divisions. They may register on their own for the Open division only.
  4. Each pack can register a maximum of thirteen (13) cars in in the competitive divisions (2x Lions, 2x Tigers, 2x Wolves, 2x Bears, 2x Webelos 1s, 2x Arrow of Light / Webelos 2s, and 1x Best in Show).
  5. Both boys and girls will register and compete in the same divisions by rank / age group; there will not be separate divisions by gender. If for some reason a Pack had separate divisions by gender in their Pack Pinewood Derby race and have two 1st place and two 2nd place finishers for a(n) rank / age group, the Pack will need to choose only two of those cars to register and compete in the District race.
  6. Only Scouts pre-registered online will be allowed to participate in the competitive divisions; walk-in registrations will not be accepted. (Cars wishing to enter the Open Division are strongly encouraged to pre-register through the online registration system as well.)
  7. Scouts must be present to race their car; there will be NO exceptions to this regardless of schedule conflict. (This event is about the Scout, not the car.) If a Scout is unable to attend, the pack may appoint a substitute racer no later than April 11, 2023. The substitute will race their own car.
  8. Payment of $5.00 per Scout / car entry will be due when the Pack registers online.
  9. Registration will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

Information about Race Day

  • Scouts will need to check in their cars between 8:00am – 9:00am; car check-in and inspection will close promptly at 9:00am, and late submissions will not be accepted. Arriving at the beginning of the check-in period will allow you time to make changes to your car if it doesn’t pass inspection the first time. Please understand that there may be a line at check in – it does take time for the judges to inspect each of the cars.
  • Once cars have been checked in, they may not be altered or adjusted in any way.
  • The races will be conducted on tracks that use electronic timers. Each car will be raced one time on each lane of the track to determine their average time.
  • All cars will race on a single race schedule, with multiple (all) race divisions racing at the same time in co-mingled heats. However, the computer will use the times to calculate the results for divisions individually. Remember, the “place” your car finishes in individual heats does not matter, only the length of time it took to go down the track factors into the final results.
  • The computer program is designed to race the cars at random. Therefore, the derby officials will not be able to tell you in advance when a Scout’s car will be racing.
  • Please note that there will only be one Open Division – any youth (Scouts or siblings) entered in that division will be competing against both boys and girls of all different age levels.
  • If a car fails to successfully complete a run down the track for any reason, the car will receive a maximum time score of 9.999 seconds and the heat will NOT be re-run. However, the computer will eliminate each car’s slowest time, so a single incident will not impact the car’s overall finish.
  • Any disputes will be handled by the official judges who have the final decision. Any Scout and/or their Akela who does not compete in the best traditions of the Scout Oath and Scout Law, or anyone who causes disruptions or arguments about decisions, will be disqualified from the competition and asked to leave the event, and their home Pack will be notified of their behavior.

Official Rules for Car Entries

Please review the rules carefully, as these rules may be slightly different than the rules your pack uses. All cars must meet the following inspection points, or be subject to disqualification.

  1. All Scouts must be present for their car to compete; no absentee entries. (The YOUTH advances, not the car.)
  2. Cars should be built from the materials in an official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby kit sold by the BSA.
  3. Cars must have been built NEW for the 2022-2023 Pinewood Derby season; previous years’ car entries will not be permitted.
  4. Only wheels and axles provided in the BSA Pinewood Derby car kit will be permitted. (If you use another manufacturer’s kit from Hobby Lobby, etc. for the body of your car, you will need to purchase official BSA wheels and axles to use on the car. The wheels and axles can be purchased at the Crossroads of America Council Scout Shop.)
    4.1 - All lettering and numbering, both inside and outside of the wheel, must remain complete and be visible with the wheel on the car.
    4.2 - The fluting, spokes and other markings on the outside wheel area must remain visible. (“Fluting” refers to the small bumps on the outside edge of the tread.)
    4.3 - The wheel diameter must be no less than 1.16 inches.
    4.4 - The tread surface width must be no less than 7.5mm.
    4.5 - The tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore. Therefore, the following modifications are prohibited: 1) rounding of the tread surface, and 2) grooving, H-cutting, or V-cutting the tread surface.
    4.6 - The following wheel modifications are prohibited: 1) removing material from the inside tread surface or the inside sidewall surface; 2) drilling holes in the tread, sidewalls, or spoke area; 3) removing material from the sidewalls or spokes; 4) filling wheel tread with any type of material; and 5) filling the wheel bores and re-drilling the bore.
    4.7 - The rules permit many wheel modifications, so long as you observe the dimension limits and restrictions listed above. Common legal modifications include but are not limited to: 1) truing the tread surface with sandpaper, straight edge, or lathe to correct “out of round” wheels; 2) truing and shaping the inner edge of the thread surface; 3) narrowing the tread surface to 7.5mm to get straight edges; 4) applying wheel bore treatments such as polish and wax to smooth the bore; 5) tapping the wheel bore; 6) truing and re-coning the tip of the inner hub; 7) removing the double step from the outer hub; 8) balancing the wheel by adding material such as glue or fingernail polish to the inside of the wheel; and 9) adding a transparent cover to the inside of the wheel to reduce air drag.

    Some online vendors sell aftermarket BSA wheels that have been lightened by removing material from inside the wheel surfaces. Per rule 4, and specifically rule 4.6, these wheels are NOT allowed and are easily recognized at inspection. Cars with these wheels will NOT be permitted to race. If you plan to use aftermarket wheels, confirm with the vendor that no weight is removed from inside the wheel.
     
  5. The car MUST have four wheels mounted to the car; they do not all have to be in contact with the track simultaneously, though judges will not be responsible if this causes instability during racing.
  6. The maximum width of the car, including wheels and axles, shall not exceed 2.75 inches.
  7. The minimum width of the car between the wheels shall be 1.75 inches. There is a guide strip on the track that is 1.75 inches wide.
  8. The minimum underside car body to track clearance must be 3/8” at all points under the car.
  9. The maximum height of the car shall not exceed 5.50 inches. This height limit is in place so that the cars will fit under the finish line gates used with the electronic timers.
  10. The total length of the car shall not exceed 7.00 inches, including wheels and any decorative features.
  11. The weight of the car shall not exceed 5.000 ounces, as determined by the judges’ official scale (which is accurate to 0.005 ounces). Please note that some scales are more accurate than others, and the scale at your Pack race or at home may have different calibrations or tolerances. The judges official scale will be the ONLY scale permitted for determining car weight for entry. (Just because it “made weight” at the Pack race doesn’t automatically qualify it at the District race.)
  12. Dry powder lubricant is allowed on the axles. The powder must be applied before entering the building. No lubricants will be allowed inside the building.
  13. Liquid lubricant is not allowed.
  14. Wheel bearings, washers and bushings are not allowed.
  15. The car shall not ride on springs.
  16. The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices. (For purposes of this rule, “starting devices” includes foreign substances – adhesives, etc. – applied to the front of the car to “grip” the starting pin for an artificial starting boost to the car upon dropping of the starting pin.)
  17. The car shall have NO movable parts / objects / liquids on or contained within the car, other than the four official wheels mounted on the car.
  18. The front of the car MUST NOT be grooved, slotted or modified in any manner that extends any portion of the car past the starting pin of the track.
When & Where
Hubler Chevrolet
Saturday 04-15-2023
8:00 AM ET to 2:00 PM ET Past
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