Help the New Guy - Part II Lubricants

[Nooby]

In Part I - I talked about how I've inherited the Derby race this year.

Our pack has a rule whereby all cars are lubricated with graphite (Hob-E Lube) prior to the race, and prior to the finals if the car makes it that far.

Last year the race chairman (I was the assistant) made an exception to the rule for 2 cars. One car was non-competitive (I think it used teflon) and the other car won the overall pack (not sure what it was, I've heard either fine graphite or oil - but it really doesn't matter).

Prior to the finals, it became clear that one of the exception cars was a top competitor . We had some race officials who wanted to disqualify the car. Finally, we (the collective race officials) decided that we did not want the race to be decided by a last minute disqualification - sorta like the NBA finals where the refs won't call a foul to decide the outcome. Luckily, only the race officials know of the controversy

My concern is making a level playing field. I've been told that even if he used the same lube (Pro-E Lube), by not lubricating it prior to the finals, we gave the car an unfair advantage because the graphite was more "broken in".

No way to know if it mattered, but the finals were close.


However - that was last year

This year, I want to remove this sticky (or slippery) issue by either:

1. Strictly enforcing the rule; or

2. Allowing all non-messy lubricants. My experiance is that it would be hard to make a bigger mess than graphite. Although a mix of oil and graphite might do the trick.

Actually, I favor the later because lubricating all the cars is a pain in the rear.

I'm just trying to get a read from the larger "Pine Head" community.

Thanks

[Stan Pope]

We know that some liquid lubes can provide excellent results and can be done in a non-messy manner. These tend to be rather more expensive than Hob-E-Lube.

Enforcing "non-messy application" will be a problem. How messy is "too messy?" How would it be "corrected?"

On "fouling the track", graphite can be removed rather easily without damaging the track surface. A single drip of liquid, on the other hand, may have long term effects on a wood track surface.

[MaxV]

My opinion is that race official should not modify any car in any way without permission of the owner. This includes lubrication. Too many accidents can happen when officials are trying to mess with a bunch of cars.

So:

1. Set the rules
2. Evaluate each car to make sure it meets the rules
3. If the car does not meet the rules, then it is up to the owner to make adjustments.

[metamorph]

I'm with Max V on this on. No car should be modified by the race officials. This puts them in a bad situation. What if the official's son's car won. Everyone could claim foul.

As for the ubrication, our pack and district have a strict rule of Dry Lubricants only. But how do you prove that a car was lubricated with something other than a Dry lubricant.

The point is (like Max V said):

Set the rule and follow it.

[GILLS]

Nooby,
Hey, welcome aboard! Having being in charge of our pack pwd last year and again this year, I agree with you on wanting to clear up the rules. My opinion follows suit, let them lube the car before checkin and inspection, and then hands off until the race is concluded. If you are concerned about the mess, then only allow the lube to be applied outside the building , or purchase some red rosin protection paper from H. Depot, paint dept., and tape it down inder a table in your pit stop area.
If you notice some graphite on the track, it would'nt take but a minute or two to wipe it down.
Ahh Canton Ohio, Pro Football Hall of Fame, now thats a cool field trip for a cubscout and a dad!!

[Nooby]

First, thanks for all the great input.

Some more facts - which might clarify the any issue of impropriety.

We had a strict rule that no organizer could lube his son's car or the car of anyone in his den.

Also, when placing cars on the track, the race officials did not handle any cars in races where their son raced.

The only issue of impropriety involved exceptions to the lubrication rule. I guess the top cars will always be under the microscope. Although, I must add that this became an issue before it became clear that this car would win the pack - but the car was definitely in the upper echelon.

PS - no one cared about the teflon car - it exited early.

I'm not sure of the origin of this lubrication rule - but it is the law of the pack unless I can get it changed. If it cannot be changed, then it will be strictly enforced, and that should put the issue to rest.

[Nooby]

Stan brings up a good point that "non-messy" may be vague.

As I recall, one of the cars had graphite all over the wheels and body - it had to be wiped down quite a bit prior to the race.

It seems that any definition of "messy" has to be interpreted by race officials.

[Stan Pope]

Stan brings up a good point that "non-messy" may be vague.

As I recall, one of the cars had graphite all over the wheels and body - it had to be wiped down quite a bit prior to the race.

It seems that any definition of "messy" has to be interpreted by race officials.

A vague rule may be okay if it deals with something that can be reasonably adjusted to compliance without penalty at time of inspection. However, if there is apt to be a problem to bring a car into compliance during inspection, then vagueness is a problem.

Vague wheel rules, for instance, could be a real problem, since replacements are usually very inferior (i.e. fresh out of the box) and replacing wheels may disturb sensitive alignment.

[FRANKLIN WHALEY]

Welcome to the board Nooby! As the person in charge or committee member,my main concern when enforcing a rule or changing a rule is making sure it will be fair to everyone invloved. It's also been our practice to enforce the rules of that year. We have a no re-lubing during the race rule. Last year I noticed in the middle of the heats a couple streaks of fresh grafite on the track. All involved had a copy of the race rules, so "I didn't know" couldn't be used. We asked who put grafite on during the race and of coarse nobody owned up. So sometimes it's hard to enforce a rule even when you want too. This year we will watching a little closer. Good luck with your decision whether to change the rule or not. Just make sure it's fair and everyone knows about the change.

[RMoose]

Hello Nooby,

Sounds to me like you have two issues to decide on, (1) restrictive or nonrestrictive lubrication, and (2) how strictly will rules be enforced, will race officials be allowed to make exceptions during the race.

The first must be decided by yourself and your racing committee based on what matters most to you. There are many valid reasons for going with graphite only or allowing alternate lubricants. One reason to limit it to graphite would be to level the playing field. A reason to open it up to other lubes might be to encourage experimentation, which can lead to learning. Either would be a valid reason for your decision - you just need to be able to explain your reasoning to all interested parties!

As far as enforcing you rules goes, it seems to me the only fair way to run the race is to strive for consistent enforcement of your rules. If you have a rule that you start making exceptions to, even with the best of intentions, it just isn't fair to those who follow the rules. I think it also makes it harder for you to challenge those who knowingly break the rules. When they know you let Sammy race with teflon and the rules say graphite, why not them too? To explain that their car may win does not seem like a good answer!

[Nooby]

Last year was a good learning year.

A pair of exceptions were made, and it caused a minor (i.e. transparent to the scouts) controversey.


This year, I aim eliminate any problem by:

1. Clearly setting the rule.
2. Allowing no exceptions - regardless of which rule is implemented.