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Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity
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PINEWOOD DERBY CAR SHOWCASE
Blue Blazer - Eric Werner
Next up is the Blue Blazer. This was my son Matthew's car for 2015. It's a body shape we have used for a few years now. The right front wheel is raised, and about 4 oz. worth of tungsten cylinders were stuffed into the back of the car. The extended wheel base is also drilled with an axle jig, to make sure everything is true. Every year, many of the Cubs will see one of these cars, and ask where all the weight is. And most times, I will hand it to them, just to see the look of shock as they find out how rear-heavy it is. The Blue Blazer didn't show as well as I had hoped, but that's probably because I found out later that the hub/body gap was too close, so I suspect there was a bit of wheel rub happening. We may run it in Open Class next year to see if that fix is all it needed.
Offset Outlaw - Eric Werner
The Offset Outlaw was my submission for the pack Open Class. All the way until the running of the Open Class, the car was kept in the back of a BSA Big Rig, to heighten the sense of drama. As you can see, it utilizes the Outlaw wheels with needle axles. Additionally, it is also configured as a three-wheeler, with the right front raised by 1/16 inch. But the fun doesn't stop there! The left front is inset by approximately 1/16 inch, which is also configured to toe-in, making this a very effective rail rider, especially when the rear axles are set with a slight camber. With about 55, 3/16 inch tungsten cubes providing the weight (14 behind the rear axle, the rest arranged in front of the rear axle), the balance point is very aggressive, approximately 7/8 inch in front of the rear axle. Because the weights are also arranged with a bias to the left side, the rail riding was also very stable, with left-right balance just under 1/4 inch left of center, further ensuring that right front never touches. Due to communications issues with the track timing computer, I couldn't get accurate times down the track, but I would have to guess under 3 seconds to complete our 40 foot aluminum track. Hopefully, I can get good timing next year.
Vintage V - Wess Eslinger
This is a car my dad made for a leaders race back in the early 70's. The deep V gives the car more than half a car length head start before the race begins. The back half is mostly lead, it weighs in right at 12 ounces. The car was fast and he won his race. Unfortunately, the design makes the car rather fragile, and it has not held up too well over the years and has been repaired a number of times. I have now placed the car into retirement. I may try to restore it someday. For now, I bring it out for display only at our Awana race each year.
Money Car - Brian Masek
Money Car was built by my son Quinn (10) and I, and is based on the Wing.
