Recycled Vehicle Race

Enter our Recycled Vehicle Race for our Earth Day celebration!

April 27, 2019

In celebration of Earth day, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West challenges you! Create a personalized and unique vehicle from collected materials, and race it down a ramp against the cars of other entrants during our Earth Day 2019 event. Participants learn the value of recycled materials as well as basic principles of speed and motion.

Who Can Enter?

The contest is open to all! Be sure to register for the appropriate age category.

• Class A: Participants 10 years of age or younger on the day of the event.
• Class B: Participants 11 years of age or older on the day of the event (including adults).

Cars should be built by the primary person entering the competition. If the participant is a child, adult guidance is allowed.

Contest Rules

• Vehicles must be made between March 1, 2018, and April 21, 2018, by the primary person entering the competition.
• Vehicles must be no more than 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches long.
• Vehicles must be made using found or recycled materials. With the exception of adhesive materials and paints, these materials must not be purchased for the event, and must have been used before for another function.
• The car must be made of recycled parts and cannot have parts from a toy car or other small car.
• The vehicle must be designed to transport goods or people (but it doesn’t have to have them in it for the race).
• All entries must include the following materials:
  • At least one screw cap from a bottle.
  • At least two containers (food, water, or beauty products).
• Vehicles will race in heats down a ramp approximately 25 feet long. Winners of the preliminary heats move on the semi-final and final rounds.

The track has been built, using predominantly reused/recycled materials. It measures 32 feet with an effective racing distance between the starting gate and finish flag of approximately 29 feet. It is comprised of five racing lanes, each measuring 9 inches in width. The track angle is calculated at just over five degrees—approximately a 10 percent grade.

Registration

Register at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West from 1–1:45 p.m. on the day of the competition, April 27, 2019. Races begin at 2 p.m.

Prizes

• Class A: $100
• Class B: $100
• Judges Choice Award: $100 prize goes to the vehicle with the most creative use of found materials and that best represents the spirit of the competition.

CLICK HERE for a pdf of these guidelines.