WOOD RIVER - A hundredth of a second separated first- and second-place winners in two of the races at the Piasa Bird District Pinewood Derby Saturday, adding to the excitement of the event. The district is part of the Boy Scouts of America's Lewis and Clark Council.
The derby is run on a 32-foot-long track in elimination-style competition. Each 7-inch car is sent down each of the four tracks of the raceway and the times are added up. The cars are made from wood blocks that the Scouts shape and decorate with adults' help.
Tiger Cubs Dominick Anderson and Sean Mitchell tied at 9:75 seconds, but Dominick's time on Lane 3 was 1/100th of a second faster than Sean's, giving him the win. Bear Cub Spenser Cox, of Pack 16 of Alton, had an overall time of 9:46, beating Jonathon Watson's time of 9:47.
There were a couple theories floating around as to why some cars were faster.
Parent Joel Simansky suggested cars were faster in later races because each car lost graphite from its wheels during the race, making the track slicker as time went on.
Parent Rick Cox had other ideas.
"It (the car) has to be exactly 5 ounces so we drilled out the holes last. Otherwise the weight would have changed as we worked on the car," he said. "We also bought extra kits to see which wheels were the fastest. We put them on the axles and if they were below 30 seconds, we didn't use them."
The longer the wheel spins on the axle, the better, Simansky explained. A slow wheel creates friction on the axle, which causes the wheel to spin more slowly, reducing the car's speed.
Slow or fast wheels didn't play into Andrew Kribs' race time. The wheels on his car fell off during each heat. He is in Pack 3050 out of Jerseyville.
"We're not surprised," said his mother, Brandy Kribs. "We're not the best at making these cars."
"I was rolling it around at the last race (at Alton Square Mall). Then my 6-year-old brother wanted to see it and we fought over it and the wheel fell off. My dad glued the wheel back on but..." The 8-year-old shrugged, seemingly unperturbed.
There were a few repeat winners Saturday, including Wolf Cub J.T. Lahey, 7, of Pack 3002 in Bunker Hill. He took first in his pack as well as in the district among the Wolf Scouts with an overall time of 9:52.
The overall winner of the derby was Ben Simansky, 10, of Pack 16. He took first among the Webelos and the district with a time of 9:35.
"I think I'm going to have to get a new shelf," he said, ticking off the races he's won in the past, including Best of Show in 2010.
This year's Best of Show went to Caleb Weber, 7, of Pack 101 in Bethalto. He modeled his car's paint job after the Monster energy drink, black with a neon green "M" on the hood. He even wore a black T-shirt with the signature green "M" and black tennis shoes with neon green laces.
Caleb said he doesn't drink the energy beverage.
"I just like the colors," he said.
The pinewood derby was held in the 88-square-foot service area of Jack Schmitt Chevrolet, a change of venue from the car dealer's showroom in previous years. An 88-foot banner donated by Mid-America Advertising separated the derby from mechanics working on the other side.
Greg McCune, one of the adult leaders of Pack 126 in Godfrey and an employee of Jack Schmitt, said he suggested last November that the area be expanded. The larger space allowed for a number of additions such as snacks sold by Troop 777 of Rosewood Heights, bleachers brought in by Wood River Parks and Recreation Department and "hot rods" on display.
One new feature spectators enjoyed was the projection of a scoring spreadsheet.
"In the past, we've had parents come up trying to see the scores on the computer screen," McCune said. "This way they can see the times typed in and see them tallied at the end. And those parents are watching, trust me."
"The Pinewood Derby has grown a lot the past couple years. I'm not sure if the Scouts are pushing the event more or if the event has become more visible because we've donated display cases to each Scout. Either way, it's great for the community and great for the kids," general manager Tom Gerke said.
Boy scouts were collecting for charity on Saturday.
