Elders Quorum Extreme Pine Wood Derby!!

Just look at that track! It was a monument to precision structural engineering - and we didn't even have the instructions. You know that any event that has things held up by chairs and folding tables is an indicator of good times to follow.

Tonight we held our second annual Elders Quorum Pine Wood Derby race. We also had a chili and cornbread cook off to round it out with a little food and socializing. Food is a must for any EQ function and it is fun to taste other people's chili recipes. This year we decided to have the spouses and kids join us and that proved to be a great choice. The kids ran and ran in the gym and I was able to have my own cheering section. While the turn out was smaller than I thought it would be, the quality of the entants into the derby certainly made up the lack of numbers.

Every hard core racer knows that half the battle is mental. After a while of sizing up each others cars we took to the track for a pre-race track fit. When I had first approached the race line, the jeers about its slim profile and simple design were loud, but quickly diminished. You'll notice the look of concern on my worthy opponents face as I talk confidently about my car's closer-than-a-blade power.

Here is a nice photo of perhaps the two most dangerous cars to enter a pinewood derby. It made for an excellent evening.

Two of the contenders lined up for the first heat. On the left is Earl Vosika's explosive military vehicle. He had loaded the cannon with hydrogen gas and assured us the plug attched by fishing line would have wiped out the other cars. Sadly though, his desire to avoid casualty in the race stands (much to our appreciation) meant he had to settle for third place.

The crowds began to pour in. Ezra eagerly handled his Dixie "megaphone" while waiting in his high-dollar box seat. There was definately excitement in the air.

Despite the cold, we had a strong turnout on race day. The stands were full of eager race fans looking for the drama of competition and the high probability of pine wood wreckage. With sagging bellies of cornbread and chili they lined the track.

Here is a photo finish (notice no other cars in the photo?). Even though my "ultra-shaver" didn't have the masculine appeal of the other racing cars, it was a strong second place winner. I thought the car had a sleek look with its custom paint job by Summer. The hecklers were quickly silenced as the competition fell one right after the other... until the "beast."

Javier's "RC beast" managed to stay on the track (most of the time) and tore down the track with wildly impressive speed. The motor was a high-power brushless motor capable of double digit speeds. On the last and final race between it and my red "ultra-shaver," the "beast" finally threw a wheel and jumped the track into the spectators. It was just like NASCAR.

Here are the contenders proudly displayed. It was a broad mix of supercharged RC, hydrogen combustion, electric shaver, and plain ol' pine and lead.

It was fun night filled with intensely competitive pine wood car racing. Can't wait for next year.