The Race

You are free to run your event however you would like but this is the way that we usually do things and we find that this way usually works the best.  (The times here are estimates.  Don't worry, we're flexible.)

6:00 - Krayola Express arrives to begin setting up the track

Usually we'll select one side of the room to set up the track, this makes it easy to run a crowd control barricade along one side of the track, ensuring that the track is kept safe, the crowd has a good view, and the cars have a place to be kept once they've been checked in.

Usually we'll borrow two long tables (provided by the host facility).  One is set up behind the barricade near the starting gate and serves as a place to store and line up all of the cars that have been checked in.  The other is set up just in front of the barricade as a check in area, with the official scale (we bring a scale but you may use your own if you wish) and a space for our laptop computer which we will use to help run the race.

At the other end of the track we'll set up a small table (again, usually provided by the facility) to hold our projector.  If you have a projection screen (most facilities, particularly LDS chapels, do) then we'll borrow it, otherwise we'll use the wall.  This is where we'll project ongoing race results for the spectators.

6:45 - final preparations

By now we're ready for the early arrivers.  Anyone who comes early can weigh their car and have it checked in by the race officials (usually Steve).

We also will use this time to do some trial runs on the track and make sure that everything is working properly.

7:00 - event starts

Racers check in their cars by handing them to the officials who check the cars for rules compliance and weight restrictions.  Cars that pass inspection are placed on the staging table and the racer's name is entered into the computer.  Cars don't need to be numbered for our events (although they can be if you like).  We'll line the cars up as they're checked in and the spectators will confirm that we have the correct cars for each heat.  We've never mixed them up yet.

We usually race all the cars in one big heat or else do a few separate heats for each of the dens.  (If enough adults want to race cars then let them have their own heat.)  The first three cars are placed on the track and raced.  The race times are automatically entered into the computer and our custom software displays the racers on the screen along with their times and average speed.  The cars are then rotated for the next race.  The first car is rotated out, the other two are shifted over one lane, and a fourth car is rotated in.  In this way, each racer races exactly once in each lane and their average time indicates their performance in the heat.  If there are fifteen cars in a heat then the heat will take only fifteen races to complete.  Having a fully automated race system allows us to run more than one heat a minute which means that the heat can be done in less than fifteen minutes.  Of course we can go at a more leisurely pace if there's no rush.

Usually we then select the top three or four fastest cars to run in a special championship heat to determine first, second, and third place.  While not strictly necessary (since we have average times from the first heat), we find that this is an exciting part of the evening because having the fastest cars race against each other makes for some very competitive races.

Meanwhile, cub leaders may have been carefully looking over the cars on the staging table to determine other award categories such as "fastest looking car", "best paint job", "most realistic car", and so on.

7:30 - the race over, it's time to give out awards

This is your job.  We don't provide awards and we don't tell you how to give them.

Usually a pack will award a special prize to the three fastest cars (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) and other awards to each of the other cars (so that no one feels left out).  Sometimes it's almost as rewarding for a cub to be told that his car looks the coolest as it is to be told it's the fastest.

One idea that we think works very well is to have a prize table with a selection of small prizes (candy works really well) and then call each cub up to receive their award, beginning with the slowest car and ending with the fastest, and allow them to choose one of the prizes from the prize table.  This way the cub with the slowest car gets first pick of the candy.

As each cub receives their recognition their car is returned to them and proudly displayed to the crowd.

7:45 - the event is nearly over, time for open racing

We're happy to run additional races for anyone who is interested.  We like watching the cars race just as much as you do so we're thrilled when cubs bring us their cars and ask us to run them against their friends.

8:00 - the event's over, time to pack it up

We'll handle tearing down the track and loading it in our van.  You get to run a broom over the room.  (We can help with that too.)

If we haven't yet received a check from you, this would be a good time to see that we get it.

8:15 - we're done

After we arrive home, we'll convert the race results into a PDF file and email it to you so you can display it proudly on your pack bulletin board.  Click here to see a sample of what that looks like.