Cub Scouts tested their physics know-how at RAF Lakenheath’s annual box car racing finals, where handcrafted slot cars competed against each other for the top prize.

Cub Scout Pack 219 hosted their Pinewood Derby at the Base Exchange, on the US Air Force installation, where the cubs tested their gravity racers.

The Pinewood Derby is a yearly event held by US Cub Scouts. It was created in 1953 by Boy Scouts of America Cubmaster Don Murphy, from Pack 280C and is traditionally held every spring.

“I have very fond memories of doing this with my father,” said Lieutenant Colonel David Kuch, 48th Medical Support Squadron flight commander.

“I remember being in the garage with him and getting to use tools I had never seen before to build these cars. Now, I get to do it with my son.”

The derby is not just a competitive sport, with the educational benefits emphasised by the Scouting Association.

“I spent two days sanding my car for aerodynamics with my dad,” said nine-year-old Garrett Kuch. “He taught me not to do it all in one day and to just let the ideas come.”

The event is taken seriously by Boy Scouts of America, with regulations requiring all cars are made from a seven-inch piece of pine and have a final weight of five ounces.

Captain Zackery Kalinauskas, 48th Medical Group disease manager and Pack 219 Cubmaster, said: “It was great to see all the different cars and hard work demonstrated.”

Winners of RAF Lakenheath’s derby contest will compete in the Mayflower District race at RAF Feltwell on March 28.