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Starting ramp
If you have a ramp, please
advise
entrants of the angle of the ramp to the ground so that they can design
their trolley to clear it. If you build several narrow ramps, rather
than one wide one, be aware that some trolleys may be so wide that they
will have to use two ramps.
There is a ramp being used that holds the rear wheels. This is a bit tricky. To be fair, the winning trolley should be the first to get the REAR wheels over the finish line.
Testing your hill
To get an idea of how fast
a hill is, roll your car down the desired course. The fastest open
class trolleys may be quicker than your car and if the hill has corners,
some will handle them better than your car (some will not).
Borrow or build a slow 'soap box' and test the course to make sure that most of the trolleys will make it to the finish line.
Braking area
The course should have a
safe braking area, preferably level or uphill.
Short or downhill braking
areas should have plenty of safe room for spectators as this is where they
will see the most crashes.
Loop road
A loop road is excellent
for getting trolleys to the start line without disrupting racing.
Derby types
There are several types
of derby in New Zealand.
The Gravity Drag down a
short steep hill.
Long winding runs more like
rallying.
Slalom
Grass track
Push start
Helmets, gloves, shoes, covered arms and legs are a must.
Haybales in front of any immovable object. Nowadays we can get bales of plastic milk bottles. These are excellent crash barriers. Talk to your local recycler.
Racing should not begin while any vehicle is in a position where it may be hit by an errant trolley. Many trolleys will fit under a vehicle, causing severe injuries to the driver.
Ensure the course is clear
before each race. I vividly remember sliding around a corner at Chelsea
Sugar Refinery, on hard opposite lock, to find a brown Honda Civic coming
up the hill towards me.
| In an April 2002 derby a
helper completely wrecked the bodywork of a visiting trolley, after
being told not to pick it up by the body. "These things happen"
he said. "Only if you don't $#@% listen" replied the irate competitor.
Instruct helpers to listen to the drivers. That young kid does know more about how his trolley should be handled than you do, after all, he helped design it, build it, paint it, decorate it, prepare it and guess who is most likely to wreck it??.......YOU!! |
Truck
Drivers should be transported
with their trolleys to look after their loading and unloading. Some
trolleys are not as rugged as they appear and
many are damaged in transport.
It is not uncommon to see a helper rip the entire bodywork off a kid's
trolley because he tried to pick it up by something that looked solid,
but was really only cardboard and sticky tape disguised with a good paint
job.
At a recent meeting, I had two tyres simultaneously go flat after the trolley had been transported in a nearly empty truck with no restraints and nobody on the back of the truck to stop it crashing from one end to the other. Not many competitors have two spare wheels.
My trolleys have had four major crashes, but most of the damage I repair comes from transporting on trucks and trailers (plus some from kids playing with them in the pit area).
Do not stack trolleys on top of each other without the drivers consents.
In general, lift trolleys by their chassis, suspension or wheels as these are (hopefully) designed to take the weight of the trolley. Covered in trolleys pose the most difficulty as you have to make sure you are lifting the chassis, not just painted cardboard.
If you are not going to permit
drivers to accompany their trolleys on the truck or trailer, say so when
you give them the rules so that they can bring a more rugged trolley, decide
not to attend or make other arrangements for getting their trolleys up
the hill. If you have a long, steep hill this may cause some congestion
and delays.
If the road is closed and
the drivers behave responsibly and sit down, the local constabulary will
not object to passengers on the back of a truck or trailer.
Flat deck trailer
Better, don't have to lift
trolleys so high.
Fish bone tow ropes
e.g.. five per side.
Fun, but you better be able to steer with one hand.
Tow ropes
Some derbies specify that
all trolleys should have tow hooks front and rear so that they can be hooked
into a train with short ropes. This is a lot of fun, but don't put
a hoon with a trolley that is really a half finished hot rod with disk
brakes on the rear of the train. Also, don't hook a lightweight trolley
on the front to a high tow bar or it will flip upside down as soon as you
take off.
Lots of fun. Recommended.
