Our Council Rules - Pretty Loose?

[VWAffe]

Our council race rules are out again... and are pretty loose, empasizing creativity. Got to say I like that. It's a pay-to-race field - any scout can enter for $5 to cover basic costs.

My oldest wants to make a car for speed and go out with a bang... I see a lot of possibilities!

2012 Rules
All cars must pass inspection to qualify for the race. The inspection points are as follows:

1.You must use the official Pinewood Derby kit furnished by BSA, including the wood block, all 4 tires, and all 4 axles. Use of pre-cut or purchased speed products is prohibited. We recommend not painting the bottom of your car.
2.Modifications to the wheels can be made, sanding/polishing, etc. but outlaw type wheels will be prohibited (I.E. shaving down to a thin point)
3.The car must have been made by the participating Scout during the current Scouting year. One entry per Scout.
4.Weight: 5.00 ounces or less. The official scale is official. Please bring your own tools for car modification if necessary.
5.Length: 7 inches max. Width: 2.75 inches max. Clearance: 3/16 inches. Overall Height: as long as it does not interfere with track.
6.Gravity powered. No power assist devices such as rubber bands or magnets.
7.Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
8.The car shall not ride on any kind or type of springs.
9.Any details added must be within length, width, and weight limits.
10.The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices.
11.No loose materials of any kind, such as lead shot, are allowed in the car.
12.No Liquid lubricants are allowed. Graphite is acceptable.
13.No portion of the car may extend beyond the starting pole. Ask if you are not sure what this means.
14.ANYTHING ELSE GOES. We are looking for innovation and creativity – work with your son and let him learn and do. Go to the library, get books on speed secrets, explore which ones you want to use.
15.The official Race Committee has the final word on any and all issues. Please respect their decision.

[drathbun]

1.You must use the official Pinewood Derby kit furnished by BSA, including the wood block, all 4 tires, and all 4 axles. Use of pre-cut or purchased speed products is prohibited. We recommend not painting the bottom of your car.

Emphasis added by me... for what it's worth, if you live in an area where the humidity can change this can result in cars fluctuating in weight. We ran into this problem last year. Both of my boys had cars with "raw wood" on the bottom that passed the weigh-in perfectly at our pack race but were both over weight at the district. I know it had to be the wood / moisture issue because we used our scales for district, so it wasn't a result of different scales. For this reason we made sure the bottoms of our cars were painted (at least with primer) this year.

[rpcarpe]

The rules don't seem that loose... looks like you still have to use all four wheels, no big modifications to the wheels.
The clearance of 3/16's makes me wonder. Isn't it usually 3/8?

Good luck, lighten your wheels, polish your axles.

[FatSebastian]

"Pretty loose" could also be interpreted as "pretty vague."

Rule #2 about wheels has me most concerned: "modifications ... can be made, sanding/polishing, etc. but outlaw type wheels will be prohibited." An "outlaw-type wheel" is fundamentally one that is "outlawed", i.e., against the rules. But the rules are vague: the only specific guidance offered is that the wheel cannot be "shaving down to a thin point." So is a "thick point" okay? Perhaps this means one can do whatever one likes as long as the final product "looks like" the BSA wheel from the box?

[rpcarpe]

Good Point FS! If the rules try to prohibit something, they should just say precisely what they prohibit.
If somethings allowed i.e. lightening your wheels then they should allow all ways of making the wheel lighter.

[10range]

10.The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices

Wording things this way can be dangerous. I built a fan powered car a couple of years ago that met all of the size and weight measurements that technically could be considered legal. It was free wheeling, although I could see how a fan could be considered a stating device by some and not by others. I convinced our race organizer to add that cars must only be gravity powered to our rules.

Edit-Apparently I didn't read your whole post as rule 6 refers to gravity power.

[FatSebastian]

10.The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices

FWIW, this longstanding language comes from the BSA rules in the box.