The 2008 District Pinewood Derby was held at the Orlando Apopka Airport (see map below) on March 22nd. We held the derby inside one of the hangars at the airport which is only a few minutes from Apopka! Everyone who attended had a great time watching their cars race down the track. A special thanks to Matt Rakoczy and Jun Tobias of Pack 630 who made sure the track and timer system operated properly and made the derby run smoothly from start to finish. Along with Matt and Jun, there were several others who helped from Packs 630, 22, 230, and 414, without whom the derby would not have been possible. We would also like to thank Pack 630 for allowing us to use their track and timer system again this year.
This year's derby consisted of 31 racers representing 10 of the 17 Packs in our district. Each car raced twice in each of the four lanes and their time was based on the average of those races, minus their lowest time. There were five classes of racers, one for each rank and an open class for siblings and adults. The winners of each class and their unit number are listed below:
| Tiger | Wolf | Bear | Webelos | Open | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | Kyle T. - P357 | Garrett D. - P248 | CJ V. - P630 | Brandon V. - P630 | Mackenzie T. - P357 | Brandon V. - P630 |
| 2nd Place | Hayden M. - P414 | Zachary W. - P46 | Heath M. - P414 | Andrew D. - P230 | Jeff M. - P414 | CJ V. - P630 |
| 3rd Place | Brennan W. - P46 | Richard M. - P248 | Jeremy C. - P230 | Jacob B. - P630 | Alyssa D. - P230 | Heath M. - P414 |
We have already set the date for next year's District Pinewood Derby. It will be at the same location on February 28, 2009. Mark your calendars!
We would like to thank Mullinax Ford in Apopka for contributing to our derby again this year. Since our district's first Pinewood Derby, Mullinax Ford has sponsored our derby as well as provided us with an excellent location to have our derby at their dealership on SR 436 in Apopka. This year we want to welcome an additional sponsor, Ron Albright of RT Albright LLC & Bentley Aviation. Along with donating the space for the event and parking, they have also made a donation towards the cost for food to allow us to once again offer food free of charge. The continued increase in attendance at our derby has made it necessary for us to find a larger location, which is why we are at the Orlando Apopka Airport this year.