What are the odds?

[Turbo_Python]

Hi folks, first post.

My son and I built our first derby car this year. After tons of research I formulated a design, and upon getting our kit I went to work. I stuck to the BSA rules with no intent of cheating. We worked day and night until the car was right, and by gosh on race day we took 1st place in Tiger Cubs, and 4th fastest car in the pack (based on the results from the race). The car stands undefeated, I thought not bad for a first car. Does this happen often?

Anyway, my son picked the BSA decal set "Turbo Python", hence the name. We have decided to pursue this in earnest since we seem to be doing something right.

[gpraceman]

Congrats to you and your son. At first I was seeing a lot of I's in your post, but then you did seem to indicate that your son worked on that car as well.

It is not unusual for a first time builder to do well. In my experience it is the ones that take the time to learn how to build a good car and then follow through with that knowledge with hard work on the build. Initiative and hard work often have good payoffs. That is definitely a good lesson for our youth (since it seems to be missing too much in our society).

And, by the way --> Welcome to Derby Talk!

[Turbo_Python]

MY rules were simple, either he works on the car with me, or no race. I had no intentions of just handing him a car on race day. But yes, the hard work paid off. I felt bad for the kids whose dad just slapped together a car the night before when they could have done so much more. However I made that boy get dirty. He had to sand down the axles and help me paint, test the car etc.. It was extremely frustrating at times, and I thought the car would be the death of dad. But now my little tiger cub has been rejuvenated through his victory, and wants to go whole hog on the next car.

[Pinewood Daddy]

Congrats!!

We were 1st in the Tigers & 5th in the Pack our first year (5 years ago) not knowing what to do. I canted the wheels thinking the same principles we are now. alignment was nonexistent. We probably won with a little common sense and alot of luck!!!!

[ohiofitter]

After tons of research I formulated a design

I think this says it all...................my oldest son was just beat out as a tiger and he earned 2 place.........The boy that beat him out him and his dad did a lot to earn the first place win.(no cheating ).the had a basic wedge design good alignment and 5 ounces on the nose..........our car was about 4.95 that first year............when it came time for the races as a wolf that's when I found derby talk....and we won overall that year................I think as long as you keep up with the technology like in nascar you should be competitive every year............Plus a big hats off to you and your boy for the win

[PWD_addict]

We did the same thing our first year . . . but took first in Pack as well.

That first year, I fully expected (based on us crazy people on DT) all of the parents/boys to take it very seriously and just hoped to do better than middle of the Pack. There were a few who took it seriously but I don't think any had discovered DerbyTalk. Over the Christmas break, 2006, I read EVERY SINGLE THREAD on DT (there were a lot less back then) and asked a bunch of questions. We did great with weight placement and axle prep the first year. Would have been a close win except the other really fast car in the Pack had a starter bar break and had to run backwards the rest of the races during the Finals. It was extremely exhilarating winning that first year.

Last year (our second year), a Tiger came in 2nd (my son came in first)--beginner's luck--sort of. His helper (Uncle) had done the Derby with two other boys through Cub Scouts.

Bottom line is congratulations and beware of the target that is now on your back.

[Turbo_Python]

We did the same thing our first year . . . but took first in Pack as well.

That first year, I fully expected (based on us crazy people on DT) all of the parents/boys to take it very seriously and just hoped to do better than middle of the Pack. There were a few who took it seriously but I don't think any had discovered DerbyTalk. Over the Christmas break, 2006, I read EVERY SINGLE THREAD on DT (there were a lot less back then) and asked a bunch of questions. We did great with weight placement and axle prep the first year. Would have been a close win except the other really fast car in the Pack had a starter bar break and had to run backwards the rest of the races during the Finals. It was extremely exhilarating winning that first year.

Last year (our second year), a Tiger came in 2nd (my son came in first)--beginner's luck--sort of. His helper (Uncle) had done the Derby with two other boys through Cub Scouts.

Bottom line is congratulations and beware of the target that is now on your back.

Yep, I heard all the rumors about the competition and knew years before not to take this lightly. I even scrounged up 3 old kits in the event something happened. This allow me to practice cutting and such before we got our issued kit. LOTS of planning ahead done here.

I fully expect we will be "targets" next year, I'm sure the losses weren't forgotten and who beat em all. I'm dreading the next den meeting Hey what can I say, I did what had to be done, no slacking on this or we'll get the pants beaten off of us.

[PWD_addict]

Seems like you and your boy, "Did you best!"
That's what matters. Just so happens your best was better than the rest of the Tigers.

[Teeeman]

We knew almost nothing about PWD our first year, I found Stan Pope's free book...

then DT...

My son's car won Pack 3 of 4 years (he lost 4/4 his very last year by .001s split between 1st and his 2nd place car... they actually had more enthusiasm announcing him as 2nd place than they did announcing 1st place... they were tired of seeing him win or get 2nd at everything we did, i.e. Raingutter and Cubmobile included).

Stan Pope and DT made the difference for us too.

We had one goal our first year: Just don't finish last.

When he won... I literally almost cried as I told his grandparents on the phone... the only pinecar I had as a kid was not even legal to race and I had a really bad memory from that.
Winning Pack (60+ cars!) never even crossed our mind that first race.

And... the morning of that first race... I woke up in a start at 6a.m. and decided to see if I could throw together a car for me... I had heard there would be an adult division.
I took a slice off our spare kit block... VERY quickly drilled axle holes and scooped up reject wheels and axles literally off the garage floor... did a super-fast finish on them... weighted the car with a large steel bolt and washer... held with a zip-tie...

and it was the only adult car. And it averaged runs that equated to a "3rd place overall" run but had the only single lap of the day that actually bested my son's first place car, so needless to say I rubbed my son's nose in "I outran you, hahahahah!" several times ('til he got genuinely mad at me then I stopped, well after one more goad, hahahah!).

This inspired a "Cubmaster's Challenge" division the next year and all the Den leaders and any willing adults were asked to run.
I built a really aggressive car for that race and won it the next year.
And the next.
And last year.

I was told this year (our first year gone) that the new Cubmaster Challenge is to run a "turtle race"... you have to cross the finish line each lap BUT the slowest car will be declared the winner.
My mouth waters as I have a recipe of how to attack that problem in mind and would love to participate... but alas, as a former Assistant Cubmaster I get invited back only to help judge best in show... I don't get to play anymore (sniff, sniff!)... it is enough to make me re-volunteer to serve that Pack again
(but if I do that it will be for reasons other than PWD... )

But these little chunks of wood... What a suite of memories.


Great memories!


-Terry

[Turbo_Python]

finally got a shot loaded up, meet the Turbo Python

[Teeeman]

finally got a shot loaded up, meet the Turbo Python

Thhhhhhat looksssssss like a fasssssssssst car to my eyessssssssssss....


-T

[Bathtub]

Really Nice car and great story.

[bad_karma_2805a1]

First off, congrats to your son and you. You did the same thing I did last year, I did my research shared it with the kids and helped them develop fast cars.

The reason I think that Tigers tend to be slower normally is that the parents don't really know just what goes into it. Before the internet you learned from experience, now you get it all at once.

Again good job.

[ScoutAndDadTeam]

We had a similar experience. My son won the pack as a Tiger and went on and was third in the district. I'm still amazed - the car had a lot of things wrong with it (a wobbly wheel, it was cut the wrong way, had way too much wood, etc...) This was before we found DT and Stan's book. Both my son and I have learned a lot during the past few years. Yes, you will have a target on your back and people will ask how you did it. Share your knowledge freely.

[mbb]

Yes it happens, but how is 4th in pack undefeated? You may not have lost a heat head-head but you were defeated.

When my kid was a tiger, we spent time building a nice looking car, lots of time on looks. We did make it a 3 wheeler fortunately. We race on an aluminum bestrack.

Then I poured 1" dia lead in hole in bottom bottom for wt with a 1.25" COM, we sanded wheels lightly on a pinecar mandrel in a drill held between my knees, polished axles the same way, with wayy too much filing,axles were very reduced dia and uneven too.

I aligned the car by rolling it over a distance of about 1 ft next to the edge of a computer desk (smooth surface). Eyeballed the axles being level in the slots, adjusted alignment by bending the front wheels by hand Added graphite and broke it in by rolling car back and forth on counter a few times while pressing down on it.

We went to the race, and literally, the first few races in rank we won by about 5', it was lightning. He won the pack easily, I dont think another car got withing 1.5 ft of it that day.