Car Handling on Race Day

All of the preparatory work is done. The car is ready. What can your son do to help things further on the day of the race?

Last-minute things not to forget:

  • Pocket screwdriver to fit your "weight tuning" screws
  • A couple of pennies
  • A roll of transparent tape
  • A padded box to carry the car (We prefer a box just long enough to hold the car, and lined with the "bubble wrap" which is often used to pack items for shipment.)

Things to do and to keep in mind:

  • Handle the car very carefully. If you drop it and break a wheel or knock it out of alignment, you can undo all of your good work at setting up the car.
  • When your son arrives at the check-in and tech inspection, make sure he has the screwdriver handy.
  • Expect the car to be a little bit too heavy with all five weight tuning screws in place. If it isn't, tape a penny or two to the top of the car to bring the weight up.
  • Then, remove screws one at a time until the car just barely drops under 5.000 ounces on the "official" scale.
  • In our Pack and District, the boys "spot" the car at the starting line. There is a technique to this, as well. Things for your son to remember are:
    • Center the car over the guide rail.
    • Line the car up straight with the guide rail. (You don't want the car to have to bounce off the guide rail several times to center itself!)
    • Gently pull all four wheels "out" from the body so they start out running against the heads of the axle nails, not against the painted body.

It is always interesting to watch the boys spotting their cars, especially at the District level. You can almost always spot the top 10 cars even before the race starts, because the boys have been coached to take that extra bit of time to "sight" the car in straight down the lane and to set the wheels out away from the body. The typical Cub Scout will just slap the car down on the track any old way and let it run its merry way.