ROCKER COVER RACE RULES
HOW TO BUILD ROCKER COVER WHEELS
I was introduced to rocker cover racing by Reg Courteney who borrowed 2 from a friend from the Sporting Car Club.
They had plastic wheels with ball clearing centres.
At our meeting they were fast but didn't suit our track and bottomed out in the dip, axles were too far back.
My grandson and I decided to build our own racers, one with 120mm wheels and the other with 150mm max size.
The smaller wheels were cut from an old computer door using a large hole saw mounted in a press drill, the inner bearing hole was cut last.
Skateboard bearings were used, at first they were pressed in but the wheels dished so we changed them, leaving them loose and gluing them in with Araldite - not the 5 minute version. The large wheels were cut out of Lexon with a jig saw then trued up on an 8" bench grinder with a jig mounted to it using the pilot hole for the bearing as a centre before the bearing hole was cut.
For an axle we used threaded rod . As you can see the smaller wheels are easier to make but we didn't want 2 cars the same.
Alan Reddy used this plywood with bearings glued in and they were very successful - he is very hard to beat.
The wood and the plastic wheels are delicate and easy to break, so care has to be taken not to hit anything.
Once you have finished the cars you will then have the pleasure of trying to get them to run straight on the track.
Rob Green
ROCKER COVER RACE RULES
Maximum weight 3 kg / 10 lbs
Maximum length (o/all) 750 mm / 30 ins
Maximum o/all width 380 mm / 15 in
Maximum ground clearance 50mm / 2in
Maximum overall height 250 mm / 10 in
Wheels maximum diameter 150 mm / 6 in
& non metallic contact with track surface
There must be 4 wheels
80% of the race must be a genuine rocker cover from an automobile engine (wheels etc makes up the rest)
Nothing may extend beyond the front or rear of the rocker cover
There will be NO form of propulsion
No adjustable weights
The course will consist of launch (ramp) six feet (min) length, the rear no more than 60mm (2ft) high followed by a run of
20ft / 6 meters, containing two lanes not less than each 450mm (18 in) wide, the mechanical start not less than 600 mm from
rearmost edge start ramp.
Cars will be run off in heats, eliminating as progressing until an ultimate winner is proclaimed by judges who will be whisked
away at conclusion to a safe and secure location, this for protection.
Car (racers must NOT cross to the other lane (disqualified
If neither car finishes, the car traveling furthest wins that heat
As mentioned earlier these rules and specifications are guidelines but accepted general and used by many for good fun
“races”.
There are many ways to build one of these “racers” and it is quite interesting to see how different people go about the process, but there is usually a good fun time spent as a group
ROB GREEN has the "good oil" on buiding your racer
Find out more at:- RockerCoverInfo
Article ID: RUN170