[jluetjen]

Thinks haven't changed much since 35 years ago when I did it with my Dad. The same tricks worked for me then that people are saying now. I won the pack, was 2nd in the town and 1st in the region. The only other trick that I seem to also remember is to put the ballast in the back.

More importantly, given that I'm now a parent -- I think that the first thing is to agree on the goals with the scout. Do you want to win? Look good? Have fun? By the way, I mean what the scout's goals, not ours. Once that's figured out, try to accomplish the goal first and foremost, while doing the best that you and the scout can. If you build a winning car and the scout doesn't care -- who cares??? If you come in 5th, but your scout always remembers the experience in a positive way -- you'll have a life-long memory.