Judging Design Awards

[livgren65]

My boy is in both Royal Ambassadors and Cub Scouts in Georgia. The RA derby has completely different car kits and design rules (and racing rules for that matter) than the Scout rules. We would love to build just one car and race it in both competitions (RAs and Scouts) but that is not possible. For instance, the RA car is not allowed to have anything added (windshields, racers, sterring wheels, fins, fenders, exposed surface weight on top, or even stickers, decals, and racing stripes). You can only remove wood, and cannot add it back. Also, you may only use paints, stains and markers. Makes for a very difficult task to develop an awesome car for the design competition. But it can be done! (Click on GrandPrix Central's website and scroll down to Visitor Photo submissions, pp. 10, 11 to see our submissions, which begin with the KING TUT car). In Cub Scouts, we can add extra things (like the outlawed list of things above). So in our state, it is easier to make a design car in Scouts, but easier to make a faster car in RAs (we can use extended wheelbase and ride on three wheels in RAs).

My only frustration is that at our State RA level, they go over the craftsmanship/design cars with a fine tooth comb, but the past two years (especially this year) inspections was a bit lightweight for the speed cars. I saw MANY cars with clearly lightened wheel weight and beveled racing edges, shaved down axle heads, etc. All of which are illegal according to our rules. My questions was who does the speed inspection? I enter as an adult each year in the adult competition, but am willing to not enter at the state race (even if I were to make it there) in order to serve as an inspector. I would make some enemies, i am sure, because I know what to look for and can tell easily when a car has skirted the rules. What I would do is build a basic car, according to the rules, nothing fancy, and compare the real racers with that built car. There is a clear difference.

Anyway, here's the real challenge I have found in Georgia RA racer derby. Besides getting kids to do the most work, and getting RAs to come to other RA events during the year (instead of only the derby), the real challenge is to develop a car that is the fastest in the state as well as the top design winner. Next to impossible!!! Although the closest I got in the 2004 adult division was with a car I called "Screaming Eagle," which placed second in state design, and somewhere around 15th in the speed category (out of 28 cars). That year the eagle was the only design car to compete in the adult speed races. Now that I know something a bit more about wheel alignment, perhaps the car would have been faster. Oh well. It is still my favorite car of the ones I have built and entered. (You can see it at the Grand Prix Central visitor photo submissions page, page 11).

Anyone have any luck outside WIRL building the fastest AND the best design car at either District level, or a state level derby somewhere?

William