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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - "I won again!" yelled Logan Clarke as he went to collect another first place ribbon.

It was Saturday morning and the annual Kub Kar Rally was in full swing at Northern United Place.

Dylan Vecsei, left, shows his prize ribbons to his fellow Beavers Ryan Burgess and Logan Clarke as they wait for another wooden car race to start at the Kub Kar Rally '09. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

Mainly as an event for the Cubs youth program, members of whom are eight to 10 years old, the races have expanded to include the Beavers - five to seven year-olds who build buggies - and Scouts, 11 to 14 year-olds, who build 18-wheelers. The Cubs themselves build cars.

They race within their different categories to keep things fair, as the buggies, for example, weigh a fair deal less than the 18-wheelers. As well, within the Cubs there are three divisions: A group for the fastest, B group for the mid-range, and C group for the slower cars. Weight differences and other factors in their construction can vary the speed of the cars greatly, so the divisions even out the playing ground.

It takes about three to four club meetings (held once a week) to construct the vehicles and prepare for the event, and the kids, parents, and leaders put a lot of work into it.

A Cub makes his or her car from a kit. He or she carves the main body from a block of pine. There is a 140-gram weight limit and they add lead weights to balance the cars out.

Unbalanced cars can veer off the tracks completely and possibly damage the wooden vehicles, resulting in a disappointed, disqualified kid.

Greg Miller, scout leader and third group commissioner, sports his own car with a twist - the body remains an unaltered rectangular block of wood. He does this to honour the story of a Cub in southern Canada who didn't have a father and whose mother could not help him carve the block so he showed up to the races with a block on wheels, and, to the amazement of the club, made it to the regionals.

Though the kids were generally well-behaved, the races had them riled up and full of competitive energy, and they could hardly stop moving. First, second, and third place ribbons were given out for each race and the kids carried them around the room proudly.

"I've got three firsts," exclaimed Dylan Vecsei as he showed them to his friends.

Trophies were given out at the end of the races for the top winners.