AUGUSTA — Jeremy Collamore, a Pittsfield 11-year-old, carefully placed his red, white and blue Pinewood Derby car with fins on top and weights attached to the bottom and rear — for speed — into the starting gate from atop a set of portable steps at the peak of the metal, four-lane track.
Meanwhile, his mother, Amanda Collamore, took a photo of him from the floor below before heading to the finish line, camera ready, to await her son’s car’s finish.
Once the three other boys Jeremy was racing against in that heat also had loaded their cars, Russell Cahn, assistant pack leader for Cub Scout Pack 684 in Augusta, counted down, joined by many of the crowd of 500 made up of Scouts and their family members, “3-2-1,” and the cars were released with a pull of a lever, to race roughly 35 feet to the finish line.
Jeremy’s car, dubbed The Arrow of Light Saber, a name combining Scouting and “Star Wars” themes, is the fifth car Jeremy and his parents have built in as many years, and he qualified for the districtwide race in each of those years by finishing in the top three in his pack.
Jeremy, asked whether his car was fast, was quick to respond with a “yes.” Asked what the secret to building a fast car was, he pointed to his mother.
“You want to know the truth, ask this person,” said the youth in a blue Scouting uniform and red vest covered in patches.
About 180 Scouts competed Saturday in the Kennebec Valley District Pinewood Derby, with each of their cars rolling down the track four times — once in each lane — with the fastest total time for the day becoming the winners in each age group.
Jacob Gay, 9, and his grandfather Ron Gay, of Gardiner, entered a car they built together for the derby for the third year. Ron Gay carried an old tackle box full of tools and extra parts should any repairs need to be made to the low-profile red car with a black stripe.
Jacob said his favorite part of working on the car was painting it.
They did research online before settling on the car’s design, trying to get details, such as where to place weights, right so the car would be competitive. They said they built a fast little car, but their participation isn’t all about competition.
“Our whole thing is just to make a good showing. If we don’t win, we know we did our best,” Ron Gay said of his and his grandson’s joint effort.
Andy Madore, Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 684, host of the event in vacant retail space donated by Roger Pomerleau at 13 Marketplace Drive, said Scouts get a basic block of wood, four wheels, and nails, and the rest is up to them and their parents. While parents can certainly help — especially with power tools used to shape the cars — Madore noted the boys are expected to the majority of the work, including designing the roughly 7-inch-long cars.
Inspections before the race check to make sure the cars don’t exceed allowed dimensions or weigh more than 5 ounces, and also seek to ensure that the boys, not just adults, were involved in building the cars.
“You do have some boys that are extremely talented,” Madore said. “It’s important it is the boys doing the work, so they get that sense of pride that comes with that.”
A table of about a dozen cars chosen as “best in show” for their design and craftsmanship featured some unique creations, including cars designed to look like the Batmobile, an old-fashioned toboggan, a football stadium, a car with working lights, and a wedge of cheese with a mouse in the driver’s seat.
A large turnout delayed Saturday’s start. The line of participants snaked out the door as boys waited to have their cars inspected.
Madore noted stores in the surrounding Marketplace at Augusta were having special activities, such as craft tables, to help occupy Scouts and their families between races.
Madore said including the racers and their families, the event probably drew about 500 people.
He said it wouldn’t be possible without the help of roughly 50 volunteers.
Tucker Pomerleau, 8, of Winslow, was competing in the event for the first time. His father, Robie Pomerleau, said he cut out the basic shape of the car; but Tucker did almost everything else on their entry, a silver and black car with a big fake engine protruding up out of the hood.
While he did help build it, that’s not the part of the Pinewood Derby that Tucker Pomerleau liked best.
“I like racing my car,” he said of his favorite part.
Keith Edwards — 621-5647
Twitter: @kedwardskj
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