I’ll never forget the one and only pinewood derby I ever entered.
It was at a camp for cub-scouts, and they sprung it on us without notice.
Would I have taken the chance to prepare and study how to make the best pinewood racecar if I knew there was a race coming up?
Probably not, but if you’re looking for information how to win a pinewood derby car race, here’s some advice from YouTuber Mark Rober who is a former NASA engineer who invents all sorts of cool things on the internet now.
How To Pine a Pinewood Derby Using Science
We’ve discussed another creation of Mark’s, a bowling ball that always hits a strike, along with some of his Xmas pranks that have gotten a lot of attention. Today, we’re looking at Mark Rober’s guide to pinewood racing cars.
Be careful, this video about slot cars / pinewood racing cars might have you breaking out the ‘ol hacksaw to see if you can put together something this fast.
Have You Ever Entered a Slot Car Derby Before?
If you’ve ever built a car to race before, you know how competitive it can be. It seems like a very lighthearted game, but things can get very competitive very quickly, and putting a little bit of time into research and planning ahead of time is usually enough to beat just about anyone who hasn’t done the same.
The video above will help you win your next pinewood car derby, but some people might consider it to be a bit unfair if they’re going in blind and someone else is going in with a strategy they looked up online. It’s not your fault that you took the time and effort to prepare, but you might want to keep it to yourself otherwise some people might get kind of jealous and weird about it.
Take the W, be a king about it, and remember that a little planning and effort goes a long way when other people aren’t bothering.
If it’s just a race for fun, though, it might be more enjoyable to go in there without a plan or strategy, and to see what you can come up with on the spot just like anyone else – that’s assuming nobody else has watched the video, anyways!
