The Derby will be held Sunday, September 17, 2023 at high noon, on the Rogers Street hill from Gorton’s to Massachusetts Electric. Cars and drivers must be present for check-in at 10:30 AM. Please note NO PETS are allowed in the Pit Area unless they are Service Animals.

Rain date is September 24, 2023.

 

All drivers and their cars must be presented for pre-race inspection on Sunday, August 27th, between the hours of 9:00 AM and 11AM. Inspections will be held at 14 Kondelin Rd Gloucester. Cars that are not presented for inspection or do not pass inspection will not be allowed to race. Entries and Inspections will not be allowed on race day. Sorry, no exceptions.

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1. Cars must have ball or roller bearing wheels. Sleeve bearing and all other types of wheels are not permitted.

2. Cars must have four wheels touching the ground, two sets of opposing
   wheels front and rear.

3. Official Z-Glas wheels are recommended and permitted to be used in the Fish Box Derby race.

4. Bicycle wheels and wheelbarrow wheels are the only air-filled wheels authorized.

5. Pneumatic wheels will not be permitted.

6. Cars must be no wider than 48 inches overall.

7. Cars must be no longer than 84 inches overall.

8. Overall wheel diameter must be 10 inches or more, but not more than 16 inches.

9. Cars may not extend more than 16 inches beyond either axle.

10. Ground clearance may not be less than 3 inches, including brake mechanism.

11. Braking systems must be foot pedal friction type. No hand brakes will be allowed.

12. Steering must be column and cable or rack and pinion type. No rear wheel steering or hand ropes will be allowed. No free play will be allowed in steering cables. Rack and pinion gears and joints must be well fitted.

13. Steering motion may not exceed 1½ inches in each direction.

14. Cars must not weigh more than 250 pounds including driver.

15. Weight may be added to achieve this limit, but all weights must be firmly attached to the car. No car will be allowed to race with lose weight. All cars and drivers will be weighed before each race.

16. Cars must be freewheeling. No motors, magnets or motive power other than gravity will be allowed.

17. All entrants must wear helmets. Elbow and knee pads are recommended for open bodied cars.

18. All drivers must be at least eight years old, but not yet fifteen years old, as of the day of the race.

19. All cars must have numbers not less than 4 inches high visible from each side of the car. Numbers will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

20. Each car shall have one driver. No multiple driver entries will be allowed; the same car may not be entered more than once per race event.

21. A participant must not in any way attempt to gain an unfair advantage over another participant.

22. After passing the inspection, a participant is not permitted to make any further repairs or changes to the car before, during and/or after the Race without the approval and supervision of a Race Official.

 

​The Fish Box Derby reserves the right to disqualify any car or its driver at any time it deems the car unsafe or the driver or his or her crew display unsportsmanlike behavior.

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The Spirit of the Rules

The Fish Box Derby Rules are intended to provide fair and uniform regulation governing competition. These rules create competitive opportunities for each division. It is not possible to write individual rules governing every circumstance, therefore the “Spirit of the Rules” shall grant the authority and the responsibility for the interpretation of the written rules to the Fish Box Derby and its appointed committee named for that purpose to fairly supervise and judge all aspects of competition.
 

The Fish Box Derby is not affiliated with the All-American Soap Box Derby, however the AASBD is a good source for complete car kits, wheels, brakes, axles, and other parts.

Visit the All-American Soap Box Derby Site

Also see waycoolkits.com