How tall can a car be?

[dascomp51]

We are adjusting our rules for our derby this year and want to include a height limit due to some issues we had last year.

We need to get the rules updated and out, but the track is buried in a storage unit. I need to know if anyone can tell me the distance from running surface of a Best Track to the bottom of a Fast Track timer.

I know that WIRL and PDDR both use the same setup and limit height to 2 3/4 inches. Can anyone tell me the exact distance.

Thanks,
David

[gpraceman]

Someone with that track/timer combination can give you an exact measurement, but 5" clearance is probably pretty close. With a Piantedosi track it would be closer to 6".

[Stan Pope]

Keep in mind that these cars may need to run on other tracks. Set your rules so that your cars can run there as well.

I've only seen a few timers impose a height limit as low as 3 inches. And, a 3" tall car is pretty tall for serious racing!

[dascomp51]

I agree that 2.75 is pretty low. We just want to be fair to everyone and not have issues like last year.

We had a nicely built car that had a stuffed pirana screwed to the top. I don't know how tall it was, but it kept hitting the timer. As it was pretty fast compared to others it had been lined up with, and had issues, we had to rerun several heats and we just don't want the same type of issues again.

Thanks,

David

[Go Bubba Go]

We had a nicely built car that had a stuffed pirana screwed to the top. I don't know how tall it was, but it kept hitting the timer.

Did it look anything like this?



Long live the Chicken Caddy (cluck, cluck!!!)

p.s. Obviously this is an Outlaw car (approx 5" height). It would not pass our local rules (3" height), but does fit under our timing gate for the Open class races for the parents and siblings...

[Stan Pope]

Of those rules I've seen with height limits, the most common has been 3". Only a few situations in which pushi9ng the 3" limit gives advantage, and we have none of 'em arounf here. Many don't specify a height limit, perhaps because there is no value to exceeding reasonable heights, e.g. 3 inches.

I don't think I ve heard of anyone racing a prianha before. Hmmm ... Rather intimidating!

[Mr. Slick]

I publish the 3 1/2 inch limit . . . actual clearance is more but some builders just HAVE to have the right style!

The problem with being taller than the finish line is the bumps on the head that happen!

Take a look at a couple that were a bit too high. At least the skate boarder had a helmet on!

These are from one of the Girl Scout Service Unit races I do.

http://www.pwdracing.com/photos/cars/IMG_2779.JPG

http://www.pwdracing.com/photos/cars/IMG_2774.JPG

[Stan Pope]

I like #210, the mouse driving a wedge of swiss cheese!

[Mr. Slick]

off topic:

The Girl Scouts are clearly more creative in their car designs. When was the last time you saw a Polly Pocket taking a bubble bath at your race?

The tails on the cats, etc. are moved for the dimension testing and then "fluffed" for the style judges!

They have FUN!

[Go Bubba Go]

Reminds me of the post (don't recall where) with the boy indicating that all he wanted this year was to not be beat by another Barbie car!

205 "One Way" - I wouldn't expect any problems staging that one backwards

219 "Candyland" - My wife's Open Class car this year resembles the car from the game of "Life", with little blue and pink pegs representing the Dad and Mom, boys and girls. I'll have to post some pics when it's done.

220 "Furry Car" - Anything small, furry and fast has a high "Eeeeek" factor for my Mrs.

227 "Skateboarder" - Is that a Stawberry Shortcake doll from a kid's meal? We have regularly adapted kid's meal toys for Open Class car purposes.

Thumbs Up on creativity for those girls (and parents )!

[gpraceman]

I do like with our Awana races how the girls come up with some really creative cars (mostly non-car designs). It causes the boys to be more creative.

For scout races, without the girls driving creativity, I mainly see car type designs.

OK, back on topic...

There are only two things that really need to be considered in restricting height, IMO. That is the clearance under the timer and if there is an upper level race (district, council, regional, national, as the case may be). If there is an upper level race, the local rules should match so a car winning locally will not fail to pass inspection at the next level race.

[dascomp51]

Here is the car from last year's race that started the question.

http://www.pack845.com/gallery/albums/0 ... ar/acg.jpg

[Darin McGrew]

The problem with being taller than the finish line is the bumps on the head that happen!

Yeah, we started publishing a height limit the year after I built my Calvin and Hobbes car. Each time it raced, I had to catch it before it reached the finish gate. Fortunately, it was slow enough that there was never any question about what place it earned.

Thanks for the photos. Those are some fun designs. But a warning to other modem users: they're over 1MB each.

[gpraceman]

Yikes! Is that a real stuffed piranha?

[Darin McGrew]

For scout races, without the girls driving creativity, I mainly see car type designs.

Even in a boys-only program, I found that some boys would build some very creative designs, if they had examples at the beginning of derby season showing creative non-car designs. That's the main reason I show some of my previous designs at the kick-off meeting. Although now that my collection has grown, I leave the "over the top" designs (well beyond the capabilities of the kids) at home and bring only the ones I think a motivated kid could do.

If there is an upper level race, the local rules should match so a car winning locally will not fail to pass inspection at the next level race.

When we've had a regional derby the kids could participate in, we've published the differences with the regional rules (mainly differences in the maximum height, etc.), but we haven't enforced them for our own derby. Those who were interested, could build a car that met the regional rules. (But local derbies weren't used to qualify cars for the regional derby.)