10.20.06
Priority Designs fastest at IDSA Derby Car Competition.

Our engineering staff loves a good challenge. For example, take the cars we built for the 2006 IDSA Derby Car Challenge. Held as an annual national competition, the Derby is a no-holds-barred contest to see who can build the fastest gravity racer. The only rules are that the cars have to fit a designated size and maximum weight, and they must be powered only by gravity. The real point of the contest is to creatively interpret the rules without breaking them. 

We knew relying solely on the initial ramp descent would not be enough to win. So, we decided to give our car a mechanical “kick” that increased its speed while still remaining gravity powered. On top of this idea, we decided making one fast car wasn’t enough. So we made two—each having a completely different mechanism that shot the car ahead of the competition. Watch the animations to see how they worked.

Out of 24 entries by the nation’s top industrial design groups, our two cars posted the top two fastest recorded times. But, as fate would have it we had to race against ourselves in the semi-final eliminating one of our cars and sending us home with 2nd and 3rd place trophies. Down, but not out the Priority Designs racing team has vowed to return again next year. Read about our upcoming 2007 IDSA derby car.