Rules : Drafted by the SFVISBF
Most of the below is borrowed from the sfvisbf ...The NJUSBF gives them full credit but WILL NEvER conform to there MEMBERSHIT RULES ...We know we're worthy and Dont need their approval. We settle any terms or discrepancies on the HILL. Any racer or team betting is not affiliated with this site or the NJUSBF.
Rain will deter some but not all and the ones that race will certainly have the respect of their soapbox brethren.
-P. de Valera
(GODFATHER)
Car Construction
Car construction rules are important for safety reasons and ease of play. Although the NJUSBF 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 weight or size restrictions, however, keep in mind that cars must be transportable to and from the race locations.
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. This exclusion can and should apply to most lean-steering cars. Lean steering cars simply cannot react quickly enough and are thus prone to accidents. You can put it to a vote and if the drivers are cool with it then you can let it fly.
2. Cars cannot have a motor or drive train of any kind.
No gas motors, no electrical, no solar powered, no shifting counterweights 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 NJUSBF.
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.
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. Vehicle weaponry is enticing but the ensuing arms race would escalate until someone lost an eye or got a punctured lung etc. It’s better not to delve in these areas.
5. Cars can be excluded because they are grossly too big, heavy, have spikes or other weapons, or are obviously unsafe.
You should take a group consensus on the eligibility of a questionable car. 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 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. Just stop being a pussy and race.
Race Rules
The guidelines may need to be changed to suit each chapter, but our methods are the official NJUSBF way to race and if you’re down with us, then you race like us. Several components make up an NJUSBF race: namely Set up, Start, Race, Finish and Trophies.
Official Race Rules:
1. There shall be no entrance fee to race.
Racing is free and no individual driver will be charged an entrance fee to race at a NJUSBF soapbox 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 should be lined up at the given starting line evenly in a row that will accommodate the most cars. If you have a high number of cars that one row will not suffice, you’ll have to make two rows. If this is your first race and you don’t know who will be the fastest or it’s the first race of the season, car placement will be done by an arbitrary dealing of numbered spaces. A pack of ordinary playing cards, numbered, will work well for this application. Shuffle the cards together equal to the number of cars and pass them out. If you can fit say eight cars across then numbers 1-8 will line up in the first row, then numbers 9-16 in the second, 17-24 in the third etc. Try to keep only two rows, more give the people in front too much of an advantage. Cars can be a few inches apart at the start and still have a clean take off. If you are doing a later race, faster cars (ones placing in the top five or ones that have won any race) will have the back row. The slower cars are in the front. Trust us, it’s not much of an advantage, the fast cars will pass the slower cars quickly. This gives the slower cars a chance to get our front, and the faster cars a chance to wreck; once again mixing it up is more fun. If a fast car is in pole position, they will all ways win and that will be less fun for others. 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.
There are no push starts in the NJUSBF. 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 count down.
4. All cars shall race at the same time.
There are no time trials, no elimination heats etc. Everyone races all at once, all together; this is the NJUSBFit is what makes us hardcore and all other soapbox crews pussies. 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? Well it is.
5. Starting the race and releasing the brake.
Once your cars are in line the call to race will be given. Before the call, give a “Ready on the right, ready on the left” call to make sure everyone is ready and focused. Everyone should have their brake applied and ready to race. The countdown is done by a selected driver to call a 3 count. The count is 3,2,1 letting go of your brake upon the utterance of “1”. Not 3,2,1 then go, you go upon the utterance 1.
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. Realize that the bar for aggressive driving will rise as your drivers gain more confidence; by the end of our first season the races were more akin to a running demolition derby than a race.
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. Outside interference by bystanders is strictly forbidden.
We have enough to worry about with out some idiot throwing water balloons at you. A water balloon can really mess someone up at 50 miles per hour, so don’t do it.
9. Winner is first car to pass the traffic cones/ traffic cones denote the finish line. The first car to cross the finish line (traffic cones) shall be declared the winner. The cones are ubiquitous orange things you see all over the place. The cones you use for the finish line must be gotten through surreptitious means. You cannot go out and buy traffic cones, understand this.
10. 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, perhaps with more fanfare. The trophies must be made from some metal bits, nothing purchased please. Each winner and loser is welcome to put some decorations on the trophies; we recommend macaroni and gold spray paint.
11. Awarding of Race Completed stickers and NJUSBF teeshirts.
Drivers that get their car past the finish line 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 race sessions in different months gets a NJUSBF 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.
12. 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 should wear a full-face helmet, gloves, and any other protection they deem necessary. 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, chin guards, all used to useful effect. Only a fool would race without a helmet, there are dumber ways to die but not much. Higher speed courses you’ll need safety glasses as the high speeds will cause your eyes to water, not to mention a pebble flicking into your eye at 50 mph will smarts really bad. Protect yourself; you’ll be better for it as you can race again. Not that we enforce this, but being fit does help keep your bones in place when you go skittering across the pavement. Most stunt riders, and extreme sports practitioners spend some time in the gym, fitness can’t hurt. Big fat slobs are of course welcome, you can even smoke while you race, we really don’t care.
Promotion
How do you get this thing off the ground? To start you have to have at least two people willing to race and a loaner car. The loaner car is key as it will give people a taste without having to spend any time building. A couple of loaners are better than one. Once you have some interest amongst your friends, it’s time to promote. Flyers that denote the race time and location can be left anywhere people congregate. You should make two flyers, one with the complete race dates and one for each race with the location and time of that months course. Grocery stores, record stores, hobby shops, etc. are a good place to start. Places where people build stuff like motorcycle shops, hot rod auto parts stores are good as well. It may take some time, but keep it out there for the public to grab and you’ll create interest. Displaying of your cars at the local hot rod gathering is a great place to generate interest as well. In addition to these more traditional methods, a website or e-mail list is good to keep the interest up. Use what works best in your area. Pictures of your races and of course video footage are great tools to get people out there that have cold feet.
End of Season
The end of the race season should be a big to-do. Have a party, you’re still alive with all your limbs intact, and it’s a cause to celebrate as good as any. At the end of the season, get together and decide who wins the various NJUSBF awards that can be earned throughout the season. The categories are as follows:
Best Crash:
Awarded to the driver that wrecks the best during a race. Number of flips, amount of broken car, damage to self and property should be weighed in for this decision.
Lack of self-preservation award (biggest balls):
Given to the driver that consistently exhibits a blatant disregard for their life and continued well being during the race.
Biggest shit talker:
Given to the driver that talks the most crap during the course of the season, a highly sought after accolade.
Biggest whiner:
Awarded to the driver that complains the most.
Excuses not to race:
Given to the driver that missed the most races or after a bad wreck made them scarce on the track. Sleeping in, hung over, wrestling with sexuality, dog ate my soapbox car, threatened with divorce; we’ve heard em all. Shut up and race.
Coolest car:
The car that looks the best or has the highest level of craftsmanship should get this award.
What happened?:
Given to the driver that talked all this crap about how they were going to bring some bad-ass car and rule the circuit leaving all you punks in the dust, but it never happened, did it? You wound up at the back of the pack holding your brake or you kept wrecking or your car kept breaking. What happened?
Perfect attendance:
Given to drivers that completed every race.
Danger to self and others:
This esteemed accolade is given to the driver that crashes the most often or their erratic driving skills has put more cars on the side of the road than anyone else.
Smelliest driver:
Given to the driver that is the most unwashed or has worn an article of clothing to the point of putrescence.
Biggest cheat:
Given to the driver that employs the most dirty tricks and underhanded cheating, we salute you.
You can make other categories if you like. Fill out the template and present it to the driver along with some Mc Donald’s gift certificates.
Belonging to the mighty NJUSBF
Your chapter is part of a federation. The inclusion in it’s mighty ranks will require that you step up to the plate and stand brave in the face of bold opposition and carry the name of SFVISBF admirably and adhere to our standards of true soapbox racing.
You will be expected to communicate with the founding chapter of the SFVISBF
in The San Fernando Valley of Southern California in order to keep us informed of your racing participation numbers, courses (they better be good), and other chapter shenanigans.
We reserve the right to revoke any NJUSBF sponsorship if we feel that your chapter is not living up to our standards of down and dirty soapbox racing. So, race proud, race strong and you will have the honor and might of our bold federation behind you.
Viva la Soapbox Racing!