Alex Lloyd finally got his trip to the Beach for one of Indy Car’s signature races, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Alex Lloyd driving the #19 BSA car has won numerous times on the Indy Lights series in 2007 but has never run on the streets of Long Beach before.

“It certainly is challenging coming to a new street circuit like this when most of the other drivers have had years of experience here,” commented Alex. “We were pleased with the progress we made over the weekend and feel we learned a lot which will help us when we get back on the street circuits this summer.”

Alex would start the race from row 11 along side Graham Rahal. Alex won the battle to the first turn and would end up improving as the race went on. Late in the race the leaders had finally caught Alex, but the talented Brit was running very strong lap times and they would find it difficult to put the #19 car a lap down. Ryan finally was able to squeeze by and eventual second place finisher Justin Wilson would also try an aggressive move to get by.

Justin was almost up to Alex’s rear wheel at turn in. Justin’s front wing got into Alex’s right rear tire causing an immediate flat tire. Alex was forced to limp back to the pits costing him valuable positions to get new tires and fuel.

Relegated back Alex would soldier on with good lap times, closing on Formula 1 veteran Takumo Sato, before the checkered would come out and reward the Boy Scout car with 19th place.

The Boy Scouts of America Indy Car contingent had a great weekend of events at Long Beach. The local Long Beach Council had Bay Street closed off for Scout Alley. Show cars, displays, Pinewood Derbies, and Soap Box derbies were the highlight.

Of interesting note Alex beat team owner Dale Coyne by .2 seconds in the Soap Box derby on Friday evening. Of more interest is that Alex’s wife Samantha beat Alex by a similar margin.

The team now prepares for the beginning of the seasons oval swing of races. First up will be the 1.5 mile high bank oval of Kansas in two weeks time, followed by the famed month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 20, 1.1 million volunteers, and nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.

More information about 100 Years of Scouting can be found at www.scouting.org/100years.

About Dale Coyne Racing
For more than 27 years Dale Coyne Racing has competed in Indy car racing. The team enjoyed a successful 2009 IndyCar Series season with a win at Watkins Glen, and finished 9th in the IndyCar Series championship. Please visit www.dalecoyneracing.com for more information about the Boy Scouts of America #19 IndyCar.

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Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
Story by Lance Cpl. Courtney White

Cub Scouts line up along the caution tape surrounding the race track while preparing to watch their car compete against other cars for the fastest speed. Chatter fills the room as the scout master puts up two fingers, a move that all of the children mimic. With the signal for everyone to be quiet, the race is ready to begin.

Tri-Command’s Cub Scouts celebrated an annual Pinewood Derby at Galer Elementary School’s cafeteria aboard Laurel Bay, Saturday, Feb. 13.

The Pinewood Derby is a race that Cub Scouts participate in yearly after building their own race car with their personal, unique style, using materials given to them.

“This is a great opportunity for the children to build something useful with very few materials,” said Maj. Charles Bercier, the scout master for pack 283. “The main focus of these activities is to get the families involved in their child’s life and to teach the children different skills.”

The 60 Cub Scouts who participated ranged from first through fifth grade. Each child was given a block of wood and materials needed to build a wooden car no heavier than five ounces.

A wide variety of creative pinewood cars were raced showing each child’s uniqueness. Some children cut their car for a sleek design while others maintained a box-shaped car, and each car was painted differently. Some children painted military-style cars, a plain favorite color or a motivational character such as Cubby, the scout mascot.

The cubs are given about a month to complete their box car during Cub Scout meetings and at home with the assistance of their family. There were various rules and restrictions on the car such as the car could not be longer than seven inches, the wood provided in the kit had to have been used and wheel bearings, washers and bushings were prohibited.

“We had a difficult time getting my car to be at the right weight, but it was still fun building it,” said Joshua Fuson, the Cub Scout who won first place in speed. “My favorite part of the derby was seeing everyone’s cool car. I’m looking forward to next year’s derby.”

The Cub Scouts have been a part of the Tri-Command Community since the 1970s, offering a chance for the children to learn a wide variety of skills.

“Cub scouting is a great family program that gets the children off of the couch and away from electronics,” Bercier said.

The children competed for first second and third place in categories for both the speed of the car and the most creative design. However, all Cub Scouts received a certificate and patch for participating.

Each box car raced in all four lanes offering the Cub Scouts a chance to watch their car compete multiple times. After the race was completed, all of the scores were added together to give a fair score.

“Once the children have participated in one derby, they become much more excited about the next one and how they can improve their car,” said Amy Albert, a Cub Scout parent. “The children always improve over the years, and the changes are visible as their imagination grows.”

The Cub Scouts will continue to work together and host more events such as the upcoming Blue and Gold Banquet which will give the children a chance to get together.

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Once again Dremel is partnering with Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and the Boy Scouts of America to provide the Dremel Pinewood Derby® Days program. This is the second year of this collaborative program to help Scouts create a winning Pinewood Derby car. The 2009 event was hit or miss based on the store and the Pinewood Derby “expert” that was brought in, you can read some of the comments on the 2009 Pinewood Derby Days program.

According to the Dremel Days website, these are the workshop dates and times:
Saturday, Jan. 16th, 11 am – 1 pm
Saturday, Jan. 30th, 11 am – 1 pm
Saturday, Feb. 6th, 11 am – 1 pm
Saturday, Feb. 20th, 11 am – 1 pm
Please contact your local store prior to event to ensure they are having the workshop and that the date and times are correct!

The workshops provide a program on how to build a winning Pinewood Derby® race car. It will also demonstrate the Dremel Pinewood Derby® Rotary Tool Accessory Kit which includes an official Pinewood Derby® car kit and 18 Dremel accessories for carving, sanding, polishing and cleaning the race car. As a special bonus, Dremel will provide everyone attending the in-store demonstrations a 2010 Pinewood Derby® Days patch (while supplies last) and 10% off the total purchase of any Dremel tool, attachment or accessory purchase.

If you can’t attend one of the Dremel Pinewood Derby Days workshops, at least check out the Dremel Derby website. Take a look around this site for car-building ideas and speed tips, help in designing a stunning derby car, and the supplies and tools you need to complete a one-of-a-kind car that is truly “built for speed”!

If you attend one of the 2010 Dremel Pinewood Derby Days workshops, let us know what you thought in the comments below.

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