Pinewood Derby at the $2012 Challenge?

miatame wrote: This. Is. Going. To. Be. AWWWWSOME! :) Best part, no one else will have an easier time making it look like their Challenge car! Jeep = Brick! FTW! YAY!

Think we can build the whole Pinewood Jeep in the parking lot?

PseudoSport wrote:

miatame wrote: This. Is. Going. To. Be. AWWWWSOME! :) Best part, no one else will have an easier time making it look like their Challenge car! Jeep = Brick! FTW! YAY!

Think we can build the whole Pinewood Jeep in the parking lot?

I'll loan you my grinder if you promise to use it, and let me take pics.

FWIW Tanner Brown placed third in our local PWD, he built a indy racer with a big removeable rear wing that covered ballast made of coins. We would have finished better but in the final three runs someone (Tanner) dropped it and knocked the formed graphite spacer out of one wheel. It slowed considerably after it happened (drag and alignment off). The kid won overall was a second year champ, his brother won three years in a row prior to that... His dad builds a mean car.

Try these. Lovely!

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/05/steve-lodefinks-pinewood-rac.html

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/03/steve-lodefinks-finished-pin.html

What if a solar generator is used that only converts, not stores the energy?

Back from the dead!

So, here's where we're at: We have permission to do the pinewood derby race!

But (There's always a but, right?), the Challenge takes a considerable amount of planning to put on.

So, I need to know who is bringing the track (Svrex?).

We also need to decide on a set of rules. I'm going to let the community organize these (in this thread). Once you've decided on some rules, please email me the ruleset at TomS@GrassrootsMotorsports.com. I'll edit it appropriately, then distribute it to the masses.

I also need to know that you all are actually planning on competing; it would be awkward if nobody showed up to race on the track we worked hard on. It's for this reason I'm requiring that everybody planning on racing in the derby post some form of proof in this thread. This could be a picture of your car, CAD drawings, drunken scribbles, video of your propulsion device, a long narrative about how you aren't used to RWD pinewood derby cars and hit a post, a picture of a child trying to drill holes in a block of wood, etc.

Please keep all discussion of the topic on this thread; hopefully we can spark some more interest, too.

im down with this. i may even have soem of my old PWD cars from when i was a kid....

looks like im building TWO cars for the challenge this year.

Citrus county cruisers have a track I will ask about borrowing it ....The also have prepackaged rules,,,, usually its distance not timing ............ Maybe GRM can give them a 2 dinner coupons and mention in mag if they deliver and set up ? . But I am sure there are alternatives to launch ramps . I just usually wire tye a valve cover to a skateboard . We need to start getting old trophies together so I can make some stickers . Best Taint ,Most Oregano design ect.........

Most oregano design sounds delicious.

I'm not comfortable on judging "Best Taint," though.

One other thing: if it comes down to it, would you rather have slot cars or pinewood derby cars?

Outdoor parking lot games are the Fashion

Slot cars, no question.

mndsm wrote: Slot cars, no question.

Can't have both ? Waaaaaaaaaaa figured inside slot cars till 11 ,,,,,,,,, Outside derby 11 till dawn and car fixin . Friday night was a little weak last year . scurries off into the darkness

Karl La Follette wrote: Outdoor parking lot games are the Fashion

Holy crap, Karl!

Is one of those boards a K-24 and the other an X-19? They look like boards of my past...

Slot cars are boring. Pinewood derby - especially with this crowd and a relaxed ruleset - would be awesome.

Keith wrote: Slot cars are boring. Pinewood derby - especially with this crowd and a relaxed ruleset - would be awesome.

Agreed

2 classes. One kit based, the other Xperimental. Either must have pine wood in the design however. Other than that what more do you need for rules?

If someone wants to spend hours truing wheels and polishing axles let 'em.

Polishing and truing doesn't take long with a hobby lathe.

I can bring a track, but I'd like to know the rules before I commit.

I would likely borrow a BSA track. If we are going to seriously relax rules, I need to know if I should warn the Boy Scouts that their track may be flambed by a rogue gang of motorheads who are equally soaked in bourbon.

Also, Karl's uber-cool valve cover cars would not fit on a BSA track.

I might be willing to build an alternate GRM style track, if we are gonna be hard on a BSA one.

But I'd need to know the rules.

I suggested adopting the BSA rules earlier in this thread, but somebody else is gonna have to chime in.

If this happens would someone driving through Chattanooga be willing to stop and take my car with you?

Can we have a vintage class? You have to bring your car from when you were in Cub Scouts (verify by bringing at least a picture of you as a youth with the car or preferred, bring the actual trophies).

I have all five of mine, two of which were overall winners, so I could support arrive and drive.

mrhappy wrote: If this happens would someone driving through Chattanooga be willing to stop and take my car with you?

I will coming through Chat if you want to meet up

Keith wrote: Slot cars are boring. Pinewood derby - especially with this crowd and a relaxed ruleset - would be awesome.

+10000.