Pinewood Derby

Last Wednesday was the annual Pinewood Derby for Mason's Cub Scout pack. This was a bit of a stress for Sean. He had failed Mason's expectations during the Raingutter Regatta a few months previous. The boat, while a very cool shark design, capsized on its maiden voyage. Pinewood was dad's chance to redeem himself, to prove his worth and to win back his son's admiration.

Things started out with promise. The car design that Mason picked was doable. It would require a bit of extra effort, but it wasn't outside dad's capabilities. As the carving/shaping reached the end, dad was actually quite proud of the job he'd done. It looked like an Aston Martin. It had nice lines.

Dad took the car to work the day before the race. He wanted to put a last few touches on the body detailing before it would be painted that night. A coworker took one look and said, "That won't go down the track." Sean had carved the wheel wells into the car, setting the tires back 3/4 of an inch. The car would never straddle the risers that keep the cars in their lanes! This was the day before the race!!!

Sean bought a new kit and threw it together that night. He put two coats of paint on it, and then came home for lunch the day of the race to lube the wheels/axles. There was no turning back. This car would be there only chance:

Mason's Pinewood Derby F1 style racecar

The hopeful cub with his car

The moment of truth

 Mason's car weighted in at a perfect 5.0 ounces. It fit the track! All appeared to be well...until the test run. Mason's car was the only one that couldn't/wouldn't make the finish line. It crept down the track and stopped about 20 ft short of the finish! Sean panicked. It was minutes before the race.

Luckily, a neighbor had some graphite. Sean had applied the Dupont dry lube to the wheels. The wheels spun for maybe a full second before they stopped. Other cars, when you'd spin their wheels, they'd go on for what felt like eternity. They quickly added the graphite, and it helped! The wheels started to spin more freely. It was time to race.

Mason's is the red car!

A second place finish!

At the end of the night, Mason took 8th out of the 17 cars. The time differences between the top eight were slim. It was a decent first showing, despite the last minute car switch. Next year we know what to do, and what to avoid. We fully expect a higher placing!

1st place next year, or bust!