Times were recorded on the finish line banner as each car came across. In this race the patriot-themed car crossed first, followed by the bug and the wienermobile, while the other cars are coming in behind.
A random mix of people judged for Best Paint Job and Best of Show, including this very young participant who is voting for his favorite among these two.
For pre-race viewing, all competing cars were lined up in their division row. Children's entries are represented here by the stars car in the top row. Women's Division is represented by the fish. In the Grand Prix row is a sleek silver racer.
Already moving ahead as they near the flat section of the track are the stars and stripes car, the racing bed, and the turtle car bearing the slogan "Every moment matters." On the outside track is an eagle and flag patriotic car and the inside rail has Dona Aitken's grooved car.
Cora Woodhouse shows off her winning car for Best Paint in the Children's Division.
Emmy Kats displays her Women's Division Best of Show plant wagon.
OVANDO - While Ovando's fire trucks showed off on the parade route, their fire hall was converted into the site of the first annual Ovando Pinewood Derby. Employing the services of Keith Kallstrom of Great Falls, owner of Keith's Racing, the six-track race course sported an electronically timed finish line and big screen viewing.
One look at the assembled cars made it evident that while some contestants fashioned their cars for speed, others were in it for fun. Among the trim aerodynamic models were sequined bedecked cars; a variety of patriotic-themed cars; an old pickup truck; a red wagon with real plants; an Oscar Meyer wiener mobile, a bull dozer, a fish and a rolling bed with a plastic teddy bear on it. More than one observer was heard to remark on the ingenuity and creativity of the contestants.
Seventy race cars were entered in four divisions: 20 in the 0-12 age group, 13 in the Girls/Women age group, 20 in the Grand Prix group and 17 in the Open Class. Grand Prix contestants were those whose vehicles met exact race specifications: weight five ounces or less and at least 5/8 inches of clearance, or as race announcer Kevin Ertl put it "those who think they know how to race." Cars that did not meet race specifications were placed in the Open Class. First, second and third place finishers in each division received awards, as did Best Paint Job and Best of Show for each division.
Like their larger racing counterparts in the Indy 500, some of the cars lost wheels or suffered other calamities. Ertl kept up a continuous race patter to entertain the audience: "Don't worry folks, the driver was not injured – The safety of the driver is our most important concern - The pit crew is working hard to make repairs. There are many factors that go into the making of a winning race car – humidity, the rotation of the earth..."
There was a lot of race talk among the onlookers, many reciting fond memories of the Boy Scout races of their younger days. Price Williams, who entered an orange train car, said his last race was about 70 years ago. Ian Cochran from Scotland entered the same car he and his dad made 20 years ago when he was a Boy Scout.
Some of the more competitive racers discussed how they filed little spurs off the axle nails of their cars and other methods of improving their speed. Dona Aitken, who placed third in the Girls/Women Division said she used scallop shell biomimicry in her design, etching grooves into the curved top of her vehicle for better airflow.
Each car competed in six rounds, once on each track, so that no contestant suffered from possible anomalies on a given track. The winners were the result of the cumulative scores.
First Place winner in the children's race was Sawyer Hessler; in the Women's Division, April Woodhouse; in the Open Division, Eileen Black and in the Grand Prix, John Farrar.
A complete list of race results will be available at http://www.seeleylake.com after it is released.
Reader Comments(0)