WELCOME, RACER!
Thanks for joining the 2026 Mario Kart Derby Night at Warragul! This rulebook covers everything you need to know about building and racing your car. Please read through it before race day — especially the new Mario Kart mechanics and team sections that are new for this year.
Bring your car for registration 15 minutes before the 6:30PM start to help us get racing on time.
New to Pinewood Derby? Try searching Pinewood Derby Race or Building a Fast Pinewood Derby Car on YouTube for tips and inspiration. If you just want to show up with a basic car, focus on the Car Body Rules and Size & Weight sections to make sure your car is track-legal.
MARIO KART MECHANICS NEW 2026
This year every registration comes with a random selection of Boost & Chaos cards to play during the races. Cards can change the outcome of a heat — but strategy matters just as much as speed.
- When you register your car you will receive a random selection of Boost & Chaos cards.
- Before each heat, a 5-minute window opens where cards can be played.
- Only the owner of a car in that heat may play a card — cards cannot be played into someone else's race.
- Cards range from time reductions (Boost) to time penalties (Chaos) and apply to a lane is a specific heat.
- Chaos cards are assigned to a random lane — but watch out, there's a small chance it could land on your own car!
- Race mechanics are designed so a slow car cannot simply buy their way to victory — but the fastest car won't automatically win either. The right card played at the right moment can decide the individual prize.
- Additional Boost & Chaos cards will be available for purchase on the night — extra cards may be especially useful for the team game.
- Full details of specific cards and their effects will be distributed closer to the event and on the night.
CONSTRUCTORS' CUP NEW 2026
Alongside the individual race, there is a team competition — the Constructors' Cup. Form a team of three racers and combine your race points throughout the night to claim the Cup.
- Teams consist of 3 racers. Find your crew before race night, or teams can be formed on the evening.
- Each team will be assigned a Mario Kart character as their team captain — assigned on the night.
- Teams accumulate points throughout all heats. Points are added together across all three team members.
- A car eliminated from the individual race still contributes any points already earned to the team total — so keep racing hard as long as you can.
- The team with the most combined points at the end of racing wins the Constructors' Cup.
- Additional Boost & Chaos cards can help rack up extra points for your team — it may be worth saving some cards for team strategy rather than individual glory.
BEST IN SHOW
The Best in Show prize is back for 2026 — but with one important condition: your car must have a Mario Kart theme to be eligible. A car themed around a Mario Kart character, item, or location qualifies. All eligible cars will be judged on design, creativity, and craftsmanship.
- Car must incorporate a recognisable Mario Kart element (character, item, track, etc.).
- Judging is based on overall design, creativity, and quality of build.
- Cars that do not meet the Mario Kart theme requirement will not be considered for this prize regardless of how impressive the build is.
RACE DIVISIONS
Racers will be placed into one of two divisions based on age:
- 12 & Under — for children 12 years old and younger
- Open Division — for everyone else
When two or more people contribute to building a car, the age of the person who contributed the most significant elements to the design determines which division the car enters.
Cars must arrive for registration 15 minutes before the advertised start time of 6:30PM to allow for a prompt race start. Racers who do not register in time may not be able to race.
CAR BODY RULES
The block of pinewood plus the wheel and axle set provided meet the derby rules as supplied and are ready to race. Modifications are encouraged — but all cars must comply with the specifications below.
- The car chassis must be made of pinewood.
- Additional materials (plastic, metal, etc.) may be added provided they are firmly attached, non-moving, and within size limits.
| Dimension | Limit |
|---|---|
| Width | Max 70 mm |
| Length | Max 175 mm |
| Height | Max 75 mm |
| Weight | Max 150 g (scale accurate to 1 g) |
| Ground Clearance | Wheels only may touch the track. Centre guide rail is 6 mm high. |
| Centre Rail Width | Wheels must clear guide rail — minimum 43 mm between wheels |
| Wheelbase | Min 110 mm centre-to-centre; axles no more than 28 mm from leading/trailing edges |
- The front edge must be no more than 25 mm above the track and at least 15 mm wide at the centre. No narrow pointed front ends.
- When placed in the starting position, no part of the car may protrude beyond the starting pin.
- At least 4 wheels must be attached to the sides of the car body using the axles provided in your kit.
- Wheels must not be angled (canted) more than 20 degrees from horizontal.
- The front-most and rear-most wheels must be positioned directly across from one another.
WHEELS
Only the wheels provided in the kit may be used for racing.
- All lettering and numbering (inside and outside) must remain complete and visible with the wheel on the car.
- Fluting, spokes, and other markings on the outside wheel area must remain intact.
- Minimum wheel diameter: 29.5 mm
- Minimum tread surface width: 7.5 mm
- Tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore.
- Rounding of the tread surface
- Grooving, H-cutting or V-cutting the tread surface
- Removing material from the inside tread surface or inside sidewall
- Drilling holes in the tread, sidewalls, or spoke area
- Removing material from the sidewalls or spokes
- Filling wheel tread with any material
- Filling wheel bores and re-drilling
- Truing the tread surface with sandpaper, straight edge, or lathe to correct out-of-round wheels
- Truing and shaping the inner edge of the tread surface
- Narrowing the tread surface to the minimum 7.5 mm to achieve straight edges
- Applying wheel bore treatments such as polish and wax
- Tapping the wheel bore
- Truing and re-coning the tip of the inner hub
- Removing the double step from the outer hub
- Balancing the wheel by adding material (e.g. glue or nail polish) to the inside
- Adding a transparent cover to the inside of the wheel to reduce air drag
AXLES & LUBRICATION
- Only the metal axles provided with the kit may be used.
- One-piece axles extending through the full width of the car to support both wheels are not permitted.
- Only dry lubricants are permitted — graphite powder or Teflon.
- Lubrication must be applied before registering the car. No lubrication may be added once the event has begun.
- Over-application resulting in excessive shedding onto the track is not allowed.
NOT ALLOWED
The following items are prohibited and will result in disqualification:
- Springs
- Starting devices or propellants
- Electronic or lighting devices that interfere with race electronics
- Liquids, wet paint, oil, sticky substances, or powders of any kind (other than permitted axle lubrication)
- Glass or excessively fragile parts
- Bearings and/or bushings
- Hubcaps covering the nail head
- Loose or moving objects on or in the car