Post by focalenergy on Jun 27, 2011 22:01:44 GMT -7
Hey all,
My two daughters recently participated in a first Annual Girl Scouts Pinewood Derby race in our area here in southern Alabama, and actually finished 1st and 3rd in the Daisy division, then 1st and 3rd in the same order, overall. To be honest, it was my first time building a Pinewood Derby car(s) and between work and school, I didn't have a lot of time to prepare and was quite surprised with our results. My girlfriend and I stayed up late the night before the race, I think it was 2am when I finally went to bed, working diligently on the two cars. I had done a little bit of research and reading online, and considering our budget limits I headed to Lowes during one of my lunch breaks to pick up a coping saw, a Dremel tool kit, an additional cutting bit, and a tube of powdered graphite.
Anyways, we had finished painting the cars just before going to bed. Then I woke up early that Saturday morning of race day to prepare the axles and wheels, and was just barely finishing installing the wheels on the cars by the time we arrived at the Cub Scouts location where the Derby was being held. They allowed us to use their scale to weigh our cars since we didn't have one, and we glued several quarters and a dime or two to get to the 5 ounces.
Race time: Both of the girls' cars won every heat they ran in except for when they found themselves lined up against each other and fellow daisy who placed 2nd in their division. Needless to say it went like that throughout the entire event until the final race, where the overall results were exactly the same as the Daisy division. 1st place for my 6year old, 2nd place for that same fellow daisy, and again 3rd place for my 5 year old.
We brought home three trophies and had a GREAT time as the girls were very excited watching their cars going down the track while I was excited about the times their cars were pulling, 2.493-2.67 consistently between the two cars, not sure if the track was 32 or 35 feet. And that fellow Pinewood Derby car enthusiasts, was the start to my new found addiction.
Since then I have done been doing a ton more research and reading, and I am looking forward to completing my first league car to compete in the PDDR.
My first car will be a Pure Stocker, and will be a pretty humble one since my budget is pretty limited and I want to get a gauge on what I'm doing, what it takes to go fast, and try to understand how lucky I got with the performance of my girl's cars. I'm looking into getting a set of Edge 91SA axles and PureStockr wheels, but still not exactly sure which ones would be right for my car. I shall see.
Regards,
Focalenergy
My two daughters recently participated in a first Annual Girl Scouts Pinewood Derby race in our area here in southern Alabama, and actually finished 1st and 3rd in the Daisy division, then 1st and 3rd in the same order, overall. To be honest, it was my first time building a Pinewood Derby car(s) and between work and school, I didn't have a lot of time to prepare and was quite surprised with our results. My girlfriend and I stayed up late the night before the race, I think it was 2am when I finally went to bed, working diligently on the two cars. I had done a little bit of research and reading online, and considering our budget limits I headed to Lowes during one of my lunch breaks to pick up a coping saw, a Dremel tool kit, an additional cutting bit, and a tube of powdered graphite.
Anyways, we had finished painting the cars just before going to bed. Then I woke up early that Saturday morning of race day to prepare the axles and wheels, and was just barely finishing installing the wheels on the cars by the time we arrived at the Cub Scouts location where the Derby was being held. They allowed us to use their scale to weigh our cars since we didn't have one, and we glued several quarters and a dime or two to get to the 5 ounces.
Race time: Both of the girls' cars won every heat they ran in except for when they found themselves lined up against each other and fellow daisy who placed 2nd in their division. Needless to say it went like that throughout the entire event until the final race, where the overall results were exactly the same as the Daisy division. 1st place for my 6year old, 2nd place for that same fellow daisy, and again 3rd place for my 5 year old.
We brought home three trophies and had a GREAT time as the girls were very excited watching their cars going down the track while I was excited about the times their cars were pulling, 2.493-2.67 consistently between the two cars, not sure if the track was 32 or 35 feet. And that fellow Pinewood Derby car enthusiasts, was the start to my new found addiction.
Since then I have done been doing a ton more research and reading, and I am looking forward to completing my first league car to compete in the PDDR.
My first car will be a Pure Stocker, and will be a pretty humble one since my budget is pretty limited and I want to get a gauge on what I'm doing, what it takes to go fast, and try to understand how lucky I got with the performance of my girl's cars. I'm looking into getting a set of Edge 91SA axles and PureStockr wheels, but still not exactly sure which ones would be right for my car. I shall see.
Regards,
Focalenergy