ALLEN PARK, Mich. – As the holiday season descended upon Ford Performance headquarters, a group of engineers were looking for a fun way to raise some money to provide a charitable donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) in time for Christmas. After some discussion, it was decided that they would hold an inaugural “Ford Performance Pinewood Derby” with entry fees given to support JDRF in time for the holidays all while giving engineering team members the opportunity to get creative with a different kind of vehicle design in a fun and competitive landscape.

So it was that the first annual Ford Performance Pinewood Derby was held in the main hallway leading to the Ford Performance offices along the Rouge River in Allen Park, Michigan, on Friday, December 8, 2017. It would seem this event is destined to become a Ford Performance classic in the making, as it featured more than 30 entries from a variety of disciplines throughout the organization.

The Pinewood Derby-style races followed the traditional format that the Boy Scouts of America use to determine the fastest vehicle to roll down the track, with classes in both Pro Stock and Outlaw. The wide variety of entries showcased creativity and a passion for many different automotive designs with a very Pinewood Derby-specific model from Product Development’s Mark Osborne taking the victory in the Pro Stock class.

The Outlaw class was won by Ken Sands, an engineer from the interior design team, with a rather extreme design focused on weight balance, aerodynamics and low rolling resistance. His strong time was attributed to his use of lightweight materials (employing a hollow wood frame with a carbon fiber skin), plus high-performance wheels and an aerodynamic shape. He was able to hold the combined weight of the body, wheels and axels to just 1 ounce, with 4 ounces of weights precisely balanced over the chassis to meet the 5-ounce minimum. Quite impressive!

The overall Best Design winner turned out to be a 3D-printed model incorporating wild bodywork and electroluminescent paint. It was selected by none other than the new director of Ford Performance, Hermann Salenbauch. This Pinewood Derby racer was developed by members of the Advanced Technology team.

Enthusiasts know that Ford Performance is a proving ground for automotive innovations in performance vehicles, motorsports and performance parts, thanks to employees who are very passionate about their work. It was clear to see that same spirit of innovation had even filtered down to the Ford Performance Pinewood Derby, where team members who participated used their own free time to create something unique and noteworthy in different ways, utilizing some of the same skills they use on the job – and often taking it to the next level. A good number of builders also used this project to spend some quality time with their kids, while others created entries with coworkers as an engineering team.

“This was a great first-time event and everyone really enjoyed it,” said April Zuk, Ford Performance business analyst organizer for the first-ever Ford Performance Pinewood Derby. “Expectations were high and the engineers’ confidence was even higher. We look to expanding this event to an inter-department competition in the future.”

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY ISAAC IRELAND