A close friend with a kid in Cub Scouts recently let me in on a little secret. Pinewood Derbies can be serious business. Tricks like negative camber (for less frictional loss), hollow axle nails, etc. can cut down times and win an erstwhile Weblo a badge worthy of popping champagne. So we knew the Pinewood class of racer could be hardcore, but were still completely astounded when we laid eyes upon Sam Francis' Pinewood Audi R18 TDI.

Now rest assured, Sam isn't an elementary school boy genius or a kid with a dad with a major competitive complex. Rather, Sam is a Cub Scout leader and as such he likes to build a showcase car each year in order to teach his scouts what is possible. Last year he did the batmobile and arguably this year he did too.



If you're beginning to think this is a bit more than a block of wood, well you're right. Mr. Francis is also an electrical engineer. As such, Sam's scale wooden R18 is nearly as LED-laden as the real thing. Needless to say, we're most impressed.

You can read the full story about Sam Francis' Pinewood Derby and catch out many, many more photos via the link below on Autoblog. Check it out after the jump.

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