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Imma --->_ engineer. Errbody expected my son to win. Found out in an around about way, mh boy and I did quite well though he lost. To make a long story short: the ones with the most practice time, win. One of the parents set-up the very competition track in their basement, weeks before the event. He placed anyway. Never found out who we bumped. Never directly asked who-all was in on (what was IMO) the cheating, as I didn't want to expose my displeasure or expose my little bird--and I didn't want that particular incident to teach the youngin' to not run his mouth. Dang we were quizzed about what we did to make it go so fast--although he/we lost. Here's another lesson: if you cheat, don't elaborate anything at all. That they were asking a 2nd or 3rd (I don't remember which) place builder why his car is so fast...well I knew something wasn't right when I got flattery and not even friendly, gloating. One of the kids whose parents were in on the basement thing, unwittingly (as the young often do, without realizing it) spilled the beans months later.
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Having seen a Pinewood Derby car milled to shape (including some aerodynamic principles in getting air to flow better around a curve being applied) with the company's CNC router table...
Yeah, the only question is how many fathers are going to use that tech to 'help' their kid build a winning car.
Imma --->_ engineer. Errbody expected my son to win. Found out in an around about way, mh boy and I did quite well though he lost. To make a long story short: the ones with the most practice time, win. One of the parents set-up the very competition track in their basement, weeks before the event. He placed anyway. Never found out who we bumped. Never directly asked who-all was in on (what was IMO) the cheating, as I didn't want to expose my displeasure or expose my little bird--and I didn't want that particular incident to teach the youngin' to not run his mouth. Dang we were quizzed about what we did to make it go so fast--although he/we lost. Here's another lesson: if you cheat, don't elaborate anything at all. That they were asking a 2nd or 3rd (I don't remember which) place builder why his car is so fast...well I
knew something wasn't right when I got flattery and not even friendly, gloating. One of the kids whose parents were in on the basement thing, unwittingly (as the young often do, without realizing it) spilled the beans months later.
Weight as far rearward as possible, get wheels that have a flash edge on the inside that is slightly larger diameter than rest of wheel. Mount those 'cheap' wheels on axle slightly angled so that only the edge of the wheel touches, and also install clockwise so that only 2 wheels are in contact with the track at any one time. Have car turn very slightly so it continually skims/bumps the lane and it goes back on the other 2 wheels and then the car is a winner. Removing 2 wheels from continual contact (instead of perfect alignment) is a huge boost, as is running on a very thin edge of a wheel.
They might have changed the rules to disallow this, but it would also ban kids who didn't have dial gages to get them exactly wrong to have the weaving motorcycle effect, but the weaving is only 1/8" or so, not bouncing hard into the side rails. That's where the home tracks come in. Tune for best run between "skim' off side rail and down toward the other side and by the 3 time it bumps it is over the line. The cars dragging all 4 ties on the ground hoping the graphite on the nails lets the wheels spin freeley enough don' have a chance.
Make car design so if it is a near tie with another car, it's forward protrusion will trip the detector first, just like drag cars, but it still has to fit in the official size limit box, they're are some out there who spend a whole year perfecting their cars and so when it gets to the big races, they're all using the same hacks and all nearly tying on each race.
Honest son built with dad's influence don' stand a chance if done traditionally. Them pushing the "Run Program" on shop bot and letting it cut out the design and spots for weights and perfect axle slots and special axles and wheels will always win. Needs to go back to whittling and require all 4 wheels have full contact for entire length of car.