How to Judge a Pinewood Derby Race
The origins of the Pinewood Derby date to 1953, when the first heats took place in Manhattan Beach, Calif. As of 2011, according to the Boy Scouts of America, more than 1 million Cub Scouts and their adult teammates enjoy the tradition of the Pinewood Derby each year. If you are charged with running a local Pinewood Derby, there are options for scoring that depend on the preferences of individual Cub Scout packs.
Instructions
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Preparing for the Race
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1
Register all of the entrants' cars and assign them a number on race day. Record the information in a spreadsheet on your computer, or write it down on a scoring sheet.
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2
Weigh and inspect each car. The derby cars must be made from the official Pinewood Derby kit, which includes the block of wood, axles and wheels. The cars may be painted and decorated but weigh no more than 5 ounces.
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3
Decide how many cars will race in each heat, depending on the number of entrants and how many lanes the track will accommodate.
Scoring options
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4
Use a double-elimination format if you want a quick-moving derby and are not using a timing system. This format creates a winners' bracket and a losers' bracket. The winner of each heat advances, while the other car(s) move to the losers' bracket. Once a car has been defeated twice, it is eliminated. Heats continue until all the cars but one have suffered two losses.
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Use the recorded speed option to declare a winner if the track has a timing system. In this option, each car runs the track from each lane and the lowest cumulative time decides the winner. If the track has four lanes, each car would run in lane one, two, three and four and the total time would be that car's recorded speed.
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6
Use the the schedule-free system if selecting one winner is not the ultimate goal. This allows teams to run their cars on the track without declaring winners and losers.
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Tips & Warnings
The size of the derby can help you select a scoring system. The double-elimination method is quick but does eliminate cars early and participants might lose interest in the derby. The recorded speed option can take a long time to complete with each car taking multiple runs.
References
- Photo Credit Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
