Valve Cover Car Specifications
Body and Chassis
- The racer must be built from the valve cover of any air-cooled Volkswagen (VW) model engine, Type 1,2,3, or 4. The cover can be a stock VW or Porsche 356 valve cover or any after-market valve cover type as below:
- The valve cover may be modified (e.g. holes drilled for axles, add-ons, etc., and/or creating a cockpit) but cannot be cut into multiple pieces. The valve cover must retain the general and overall appearance of a stock VW or after-market cover. It can be mounted upside down or covered with a faux body if necessary
- The racer may be painted or unpainted. The use of graphics, decals, external add-ons, decorations, lights, etc. is encouraged. Vehicle design is up to you, so show your innovation and creativity. There is a BEST OF SHOW trophy awarded for the coolest design at each ACME Cup race.
See this page for Valve Cover Racer Examples and Chassis / Wheel options
Wheels
- The racer must have at least 3 wheels/tires. Each wheel/tire may not exceed 6 inches in diameter and can be of any materials. Metal washers or discs, CD’s, skateboard wheels, in-line skate wheels, roller skate wheels, or homebuilt wooden or polymer wheels are acceptable. The only real condition of wheel design is that for “safety concern” of the judges and participants, the wheels of any materials can NOT be sharp or tapered to a “knife or razors” edge. During tech inspection, if you wheels are deemed unsafe in this manner, you will not be allowed to race
- Wheels may be mounted either inside or outside of the width of the valve cover (the overall width of the racer must not exceed 9 inches), and bearings may be used as well as washers and bushings
- Only dry lubricants such as graphite or powdered Teflon “white lube” will be allowed for lubricating the wheels. Internal bearings may be oil based, but no liquid lubricants can be used on the outside of the car or sprayed on the axles direct for any reason as to not foul the track
Dimensions and Options
- Due to the width of the track and length of the starting line, the dimensions must be adhered to for the racer to fit on the track. There is no maximum height restriction
- The bottom of the nose of the valve cover racer (VCR) has a maximum allowable height of 3 inches, measured vertically, from a level surface, and no part of the VCR is allowed to extend in front of the nose (see illustration). This is required to allow the starting gate to function properly
- No propulsion of any kind allowed – this includes but is not limited to: moving weights, springs, magnets, liquids, compressed air, and electric motors