Testing on official hills is forbidden.
You test on a course; you raise awareness of what we are doing. This allows angry homeowners to have time to prepare an attack. By testing you’re saying, “hello I’m here” we don’t want that. Some people as you all know have nothing better to do with their time but spoil other peoples fun, these kind of people are everywhere, we race in their neighborhoods.
This has nothing to do with power, we want to keep doing this, the rules are in place to create longevity, and by testing on official hills you jeopardize that. This is not about just you and your fun; it is about everyone’s fun.
If you figure out where the course is, just keep it to yourself. Don't e-mail this information or post it on a website. You can of course invite your friends to come watch or film. The more footage we get the better.
Car Construction
Car construction rules are important for safety reasons and ease of play. Although the AIGRF has a few mandatory rules (listed below), we leave the ins and outs of car construction up to you, as finding out what works best is part of the fun. There are no exact weight or size restrictions, however, keep in mind that the cars we race are built at home not at NASA. This is street racing and we do have some sharp corners so when building your cart please keep that in mind.
Car Construction Rules:
1. All cars must have 4 or more wheels.
Your car must have 4 or more wheels that actually are used in the stability of the car. Things like bicycles that have training wheels or faux wheels are not allowed. Skate boards, luge boards and their wheels are not allowed as well. Trikes simply don’t work well; they have been ran with poor results. Trikes are unstable, prone to washing out, flipping and do not fare well in collisions and friendly bumping that occurs in every race, thus no trikes.
2. Cars cannot have a motor or drive train of any kind.
No gas motors, no electrical, no solar powered, no shifting counterweights, pedals, etc. Nothing. Get it? Gravity is the only source of power and speed attainment that is allowed. Do not get any clever ideas; you can’t be clever because you’re in the AIGRF.
3. All cars must have a braking system of some kind.
You have to have the ability to stop your car at the finish line at least. Braking systems are up to you, simple scrub brakes to 4 wheel disc brakes have been employed, budget and ingenuity will determine what works best for you.
Braking systems must be on a minimum of two wheels. Single wheel brakes are not acceptable.
Types of acceptable braking systems: You must have at least one of these on your car.
- Scrub (a plate or pad applied directly to the wheel)
- Drum (a drum with a set of shoes that grab the drum)
- Disc (a caliper and rotor set up much like a car)
- Band (similar to a drum brake, utilizing a band around a braking surface)
- Bicycle (drum, disc, V, U, Y, center pull, caliper, coaster)
Types of unacceptable braking systems: You will not be allowed to run with these systems.
- Drag (utilizing the ground as the braking surface)
- Feet (no Barney Rubble, stay home)
- Anchor (a heavy object cast from the car to create drag)
4. Vehicle weaponry of any kind is forbidden.
No spikes, no Ben-Hur chariot style spinners, nothing that shoots or drops stuff, no oil slicks, flour tossers, Paintball guns, ketchup shooters etc. Nothing. You may have bumpers on your car, nerf bars around the wheels etc. It’s just you, your car and the road, that is all that is allowed and all that you will need.
5. Cars can be excluded because they are grossly too big, heavy, have spikes or other weapons, or are obviously unsafe.
The Tech inspector’s job is to make sure that everyone’s car is safe, they check for sharp objects, braking systems, and other unsafe things. If the tech inspector wants to look at your car, you need to pull it out and show him/her. If the tech inspector deems your car unsafe, you can’t race. Refusal to let the tech inspector check your car, you don’t race. Other things that you should not have: Sharp edges or other protrusions that could potentially gash or impale other drivers in a wreck. A driver should be able to load their car unassisted into a truck or van, if you can’t it’s too heavy. Cars should not be excluded just because they are markedly faster, tougher, or cooler than your car. Nor should a car be excluded just because you don’t like the driver, we’re big kids: child-like, not childish. When in doubt, a group vote determines the eligibility of a given car.
6. No deliberate weighting of one’s car is allowed.
You can no longer add weight to your car; it must be run at its natural weight. No ballast. This means, no lead weights, no weight-lifter weights, jugs of water, no sandbags, sacks of potatoes, no pregnant women tied or nailed onto your cart etc. A car with low rolling resistance and a good areo package will carry the day; you do not need a 500 lb behemoth to get to the cones first. This is a safety issue. In a crash little objects can fly this way and that, those objects are often times weights that have been ejected from the car. A ten-pound weight going 40+ mph can pack a wallop. Also, heavier cars will not be able to manage turns well nor will they be able to stop. Do you want 400, 500, or 600 lbs of car and driver plowing into you if they can’t stop? No you don’t.
7. No bullshit.
The no bullshit rule is left to be vague for the guy that is looking for a loophole in the rules to gain an unfair advantage. Just because every possibility was not covered does not mean you should go on and do it. We reserve the right to DQ your car for any reason. We will be fair, Veteran drivers keep in mind your long tenure does not confer any special treatment, everyone is subject to the rules, please follow them.
Race Rules:
1. There shall be no entrance fee to race.
You may pool and or collect money to pay for promotional materials (i.e., flyers, posters, videos, etc.) but no one will pay to simply enter a car and race.
2. Car set up at starting line
Cars will be lined up (can be a few inches apart and still have a clean take off) at the given starting line evenly in a row that will accommodate the most cars. If we have a high number of cars that one row will not suffice, we’ll have to make two or more rows. A pack of ordinary playing cards (handed out at meeting place) will be used to decide pole positions. When we get to the track every body needs to get their carts ready to be lined up asap so that when your number is called you can get your cart in position and ready to roll. Some tracks we race have light traffic and we don't want to sit around any longer than we have to. The quicker we can get unloaded and lined up the more runs we will get.
If everybody is lined up ready to go and you are not there the race will start without you.
After the trophy run (first run) cars can line up however they wish, best to let the guys in the back get up front, it’s only fair, give everyone a chance to get out there. Cars must be lined up straight and the driver must keep their car in place by holding down their brake. You cannot have an outside holder as a holder can easily become a pusher, and pushing is forbidden. You should not have your feet out at the start, as you may get hurt.
3. You cannot have a pusher, nor can you do a “wheelchair start”.
There are no push starts in the AIGRF. No one may assist your car by pushing, nor are you allowed to roll your wheels wheel chair style to gain speed. Gravity and gravity alone is your only source or speed. Each racer must apply their own brake at the starting line and release it upon the completion of the 3-2-1 go count down.
4. All cars shall race at the same time.
There are no time trials, no elimination heats etc. If you broke things up into heats and the police came and broke it up you’d have half the drivers not being able to race, no fun. Everyone races all at once, all together. Racing a stopwatch is boring, too much time is taken up in elimination heats, all the action at once, the most intense experience you may ever have, did I mention it was more fun this way?
5. Starting the race and releasing the brake.
Once your cars are in line the call to race will be given. Everyone should have their brake applied and ready to race. The count is 3,2,1 go letting go of your brake upon the utterance of “go”.
6. Rubbing is Racing.
During the course of the race the adage “rubbing is racing” does apply. It is legal to hit other cars. You engage in this rough trade at your own level. Higher speed courses will spread the group out quickly, but keep your contact with other cars to a minimum unless you want bad accidents, just a suggestion. Lower speed courses contact is less likely to create bad accidents, not saying it has not happened though, be warned.
If a car is passing you, it is the best policy to let them pass. Deliberately cutting off faster cars can cause wrecks and tempers will flare, best not to do it. If someone is faster than you just let them pass, they earned it.
7. The first heat is the trophy heat.
The first race of the morning is the trophy heat. It is this first race that determines the 1st place winner, 2nd place, 3rd place, etc. All proceeding heats are “for fun” heats and trophies are not exchanged. After the first race of the given session, line up and placement for proceeding races are less important as the trophy has been won, so go have some fun and mix things up a bit.
8. Winner is first car to pass the traffic cones.
You must pass in between or over the cones to finish the race. The first car to cross the finish line (traffic cones) shall be declared the winner. last place is given to the last car across the line. If a car doesn't finish then that car is given last place, if there is more than one car that doesn't finish then the car furthest from the cones is awarded last place. If something happens to your cart and you can't roll to the finish line it's ok to drag, kick, throw, carry or push it there to get a place and race completion sticker.
The important thing to remember here is that this is for fun. If you are in this just to win then you are in it for all the wrong reasons.
9. Awarding of trophies.
1st place winner shall keep the winning trophy until the next month’s race where they present it to the next winner. The last place car gets the skunk trophy. The skunk trophy is passed along just like the winner trophy. Each winner and loser is welcome to put some decorations on the trophies.
10. Awarding of Race Completed stickers and AIGRF t-shirts.
Drivers that get their car past the finish line (that means in between the cones) in the first heat get a race-completed sticker. Stickers go to the car, not the driver, one sticker per car per session. If you crash, you have to drag your car to the end if you want a sticker. You cannot truck it down to the end, you crashed, and you push it. A driver that completes two separate sessions, not two races but two different trophy dashes in different months gets an AIGRF DRIVER t-shirt. The reasoning for this is if you race once you’re a fool, if you come back after a month and race again, then you know, thus you’re a driver.
11. No bullshit.
Again, the no bullshit rule is left to be vague for the guy that is looking for a loophole in the rules to gain an unfair advantage. Just because every possibility was not covered does not mean you should go on and do it. Just stop being a pussy and race.
Safety Gear
Drivers must wear a full-skull helmet, gloves, and any other protection they deem necessary. You cannot race without a helmet. More protection can’t hurt; it has been the difference between severe injury and walking away from a wreck. Any part of the car you’re driving that can come in contact with your body in a collision should be padded or you should wear some padding. Leather Jackets, welding jackets, riding leathers, sports pads, Sumo suits, chin guards, all used to useful effect. Only a fool would race without a helmet, there are dumber ways to die but not much. Protect yourself; you’ll be better for it as you can race again.
Who could forget last time?
It wasn't for lack of trying or going extremely hard, but no major stacks this time. Ton O' Fun gave it a good crack. Look at the flex on that! Obviously, keeping that fourth wheel on the ground creates too much drag on high speed corners...
It's a cool hill though, and we had 13 racers ready to have a crack.
Kymbo blitzed it. While some of us were having trouble getting off the start line (we may have started just a little bit beyond the crest), Kymbo was turning 'the corner of death' and on his way to another race win. Writing off White Lightning hasn't dented confidence at all.
Old47 made its AIGRF debut at a blistering pace. It's massive, and that proved a bit of a hassle when it came to getting back up the hill to make a second run. We hear a purpose-built street racer is in the works.
Paddles made a comeback. We all wish we had a quiver of racers we could choose from depending on what track we were running. Especially when they're all guaranteed to finish at the pointy end of the field. Obsession ran strong but was controversially disqualified for a wheelchair push start. I don't think he really minded: he got to fly really fast down a big hill and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.
Subrid sported some new bodywork, but is still plagued by some technical issues. It's only a matter of time before it starts posting some wins.
Bootylicious also sported some new bodywork in the form of a bright pink racing suit. It's all about coordination, she was the envy of all the boys!
Death Ray has struggled with form recently and only just held out against Trollywood. The old wheels, a new bonnet and scary red eyes should have seen it further up the rankings.
It may have been cautious cornering on those tall wheels that held Red Rocket back this month, but the start position wouldn't have helped either.
But the big race was actually between Quicksilver and the Blue Bandit. History will show BB won in race one, but what happened in the real, real contest in race two when they lined up side by side? Well, history will show BB won that too. But it was close! Quicksilver looks forward to BB coming back in January for a rematch...
