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Pinewood Derby BSA Rules

The website Pinewood Derby reports that more than a million Cub Scouts and their adult team partners participate in the Pinewood Derby race each year. In fact, it is the opportunity to join in a long-standing tradition, along with the fun of friendly competition, creativity, learning new skills and bonding with new friends that keeps Cub Scouts coming back to the derby year after year. The rules for creating a Pinewood Derby car and for competing in the race may be exacting, but they are there to maintain a fair playing field for everyone who looks forward to participating in this classic event.
  1. Car Size

    • According to the Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of America, the width of a regulation derby car cannot exceed 2 3/4 inches and it cannot be longer than 7 inches or higher than 3 inches. The derby car cannot weigh more than 5 ounces. The center rail clearance must be at least 1 3/4 inches while the bottom clearance must be a minimum of 3/8 inch from the track. The minimum size for the front end of the car is 1/2 inch to assure that it will rest on the starting pin.

    Wheel Regulations

    • Only official BSA "grand prix" wheels are allowed. The wheels may be sanded, polished or painted, though tread width may not be reduced to less than 7.5 millimeters. Materials such as glue or tape may be added to the inside of the wheel, but removal of any standard materials is prohibited. Other prohibited wheel modifications include rounding the wheel edges, H-cutting or V-cutting, hollowing the wheels or filling them with other materials. Wheel axles cannot be connected to anything that alters the wheel's rotation or spin and the axles are required to be mounted only to a wooden portion of the derby car.

    Inspection Rules

    • A member of the Official Inspection Committee will inspect each derby car before it's allowed to compete. All cars must be crafted from wood and can not be pre-made. Racers are expected to build their own cars under adult supervision. It is prohibited for cars to receive tuning or other enhancement from a third party. An inspection official can declare a derby car disqualified if it does not meet all of the BSA requirements. After a car has passed inspection, only the judges or the starter is allowed to handle it. Cars cannot be repaired after inspection except when officials allow timed "post-collision" repairs.

    Prohibited Alterations

    • The list of items the BSA prohibits includes springs, starting devices, lighting devices, liquids, sticky substances, powders, glass, bearings, washers, loose objects, magnets and sharp or jagged attachments.

    Sportsmanship

    • All participants are expected to uphold he code of conduct endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America. Officials can ask any competitor who is not exhibiting good sportsmanship to leave the competition.


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