Christine Carrillo Nine-year-old Andree Busto sketched his...

Christine Carrillo

Nine-year-old Andree Busto sketched his derby car outline on a

graph before drawing it on the small piece of pinewood that he hoped

to eventually transform into a speed racer.

Finally satisfied with the drawing, Andree took his No. 2 pencil

and started drawing the outline on the wood. He then erased the

outline and drew it yet again, repeating the process until he got it

just right.

Like the other fourth-grade boys in his Cub Scout den, Andree

wanted to fashion the most aerodynamic pinewood derby car possible

because he wants to win the Pinewood Derby Grand Prix on Jan. 28.

The race, which is sponsored by Harbor View Elementary School in

Corona del Mar, is expected to attract more than 100 people anxious

to see the boys race their cars on a 50-foot track.

On Sunday afternoon a group of Webelos from the Dragon Patrol den

in Corona del Mar started working toward that goal.

“I want mine to be aerodynamic so I did it long in the front,”

said 9-year-old Connor Garrett, who learned from the more creative

yet less streamlined car he made the year before. “I’m going to paint

it and put decals on it.”

The boys, all of whom were dressed in their official Cub Scout

attire, were focusing on the initial carving and sanding of the wood

and were reliant upon the adults for help.

As the boys finished sketching their outlines on slabs of wood

that were about 7 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide, they passed

them on to the dads with the tools.

As the boys gathered around the table to work on their sketches,

the men huddled around the power saw to discuss the finer points of

carpentry, sculpting and building.

“The best thing is that it’s a way for the boys and their father’s

or guardians to get together,” said Joe Garret, Connor’s father and

co-cub master. “It’s exciting making it together ... it’s a family

event and it ends up being a bonding event between the fathers and

the boys.”

Getting a head start on racing while they waited for their cars to

be carved, the boys used old derby cars on the concrete driveway and

hollered and cheered as they sped, flipped and spun down the driveway

and over a metal strip at its base.

“They have a lot of fun but hopefully they learn about how to make

things and they’ve learned too, about aerodynamics,” said Nancy

Pollard, the den leader. “[The competition is] good natured but they

want to win ... they are boys.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at [email protected].