Abstract:
A vehicle racing board game includes a racetrack having a start/finish line crossed by lanes and a pit area connected to the lanes. The lanes and the pit area are divided into a plurality of spaces including starting positions and a crash zone. Toy vehicles are used as playing pieces for advancing around the racetrack according to numbers generated by dice. The dice also are used to determine starting positions that set the order of play and identify a “crash”. Points are awarded for winning the pole position, winning a lap and finishing position in each race of a season to determine a champion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates in general to board games and, in particular, to a game for toy vehicles such as cars and trucks and to a game board used to play the game.  
           [0002]    Board games are well known. Some board games have provided intellectual stimulation, such as Scrabble® and Trivial Pursuit®, by supplying questions to answer or words to form from a given set of letters. The person who correctly answered the most questions or formed the most words in the shortest amount of time generally was declared the winner. Other board games, such as “Monopoly®”, which imitated real estate acquisition in Atlantic City, N.J., attempted to simulate real-life circumstances. Still other board games have attempted to simulate sporting events, including football, baseball, and basketball. Board games, regardless of whether they simulate real-life circumstances, provide intellectual stimulation, or simulate a sporting event, typically utilize a game board, game pieces, chance devices, such as dice or a shuffled deck of cards, and a means for recording a player&#39;s score.  
           [0003]    Automobile racing, most notably the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) racing circuit, has seen a large increase in popularity in recent years. An increasing number of races per year, rising attendance and national broadcasts on radio and network television, have all contributed to the booming popularity of the sport. “Open-wheeled” racing, including Formula One (F-1), the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indy Racing League (IRL) racing circuits, also continues to be popular. As the popularity of auto racing has increased, numerous board games have emerged attempting to simulate the thrill and excitement of an automobile race. These games generally consist of a game board laid out in the shape of a racetrack, game pieces in the shape of racecars, a means for the players to move the game pieces around the racetrack, and a means for scorekeeping.  
           [0004]    The U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,673 discloses an auto racing board game with a game board laid out in the shape of a racetrack and game pieces in the shape of automobiles. The game board is divided into lanes that simulate positions on a racetrack. Players advance around the track by drawing cards from a shuffled deck. The cards make provisions for actual racing conditions including good handling, contact with other racecars and, of course, racecar crashes.  
           [0005]    The U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,522 discloses a stock car racing board game with a game board laid out in the shape of a “tri-oval” race track, which is also divided into lanes, and tokens that represent racecars. Players advance around the track by rolling dice. In addition, cards from a shuffled deck are utilized to simulate mechanical problems, and the lanes are divided into ‘drafting’ lanes, where the actual drafting technique of racecar drivers is simulated to allow cars trailing other cars to draw nearer to the leading cars.  
           [0006]    While the above examples of prior art all relate to board games that simulate automobile racing, the above examples require a good deal of familiarity with the intricacies of automobile racing and associated mechanical failures and conditions of the racecars. In addition, the prior art does not teach a board game designed for simulating a race season. While the prior art could possibly be adapted to simulate a race season, the myriad of rules and specific mechanical problems provided for in the prior art are not conducive to producing quick games to simulate an entire racing season.  
           [0007]    It is desirable, especially for children, to provide a board game that is easy to learn and understand. It is also desirable to provide a board game where an entire racing season may be simulated in a manner that is rapid and easy while keeping the individual races interesting to the players. It is desirable to provide a game with quick and exciting action that does not get mired in the minutiae of racing strategy or the various mechanical problems and failures that are possible in an actual racecar. It is also desirable, though, in order to appeal to those with more knowledge of automobile racing, to provide a board game that does present some degree of realism by simulating some of the more familiar features of an actual automobile race.  
           [0008]    It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an automobile racing board game that is exciting but also easy to learn and play, especially for children.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the invention to provide an automobile racing board game that simulates a racing season, by allowing players to race a set of races in order for a winner to be determined after the last of the set of races.  
           [0010]    It is still another object of the invention to provide a board game that simulates an automobile race that is quick and easy to play, yet also provides some details for those familiar with automobile racing.  
           [0011]    It is yet another object of the invention to provide an automobile racing board game that may be utilized with toy vehicles already in possession of the players.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The present invention concerns a game for entertainment that uses toy vehicles on a racetrack. The racetrack is printed on a game board that can be folded and easily stored. The game includes the game board, a twenty-sided die, a twelve-sided die, a six-sided die, and markers (for identifying name and lap). The game optionally includes the toy race vehicles. Numerous variations of the game and game board can be contemplated.  
           [0013]    The present invention allows players to enjoy the thrill and excitement of an automobile race and a racing season, but does not require detailed knowledge of actual racing strategy or mechanical failures of racecars. The present invention does, however, provide some of the particulars that are encountered in an actual automobile race. The racetrack printed on the foldable game board is preferably divided into at least three lanes. The racetrack contains both straight sections (“straightaways”) and curved sections (“curves”.) The racetrack lanes are further divided into spaces for the toy race vehicles and simulate an actual racetrack by providing additional spaces in the outermost lanes, thereby giving an advantage to those players situated in the inside lane.  
           [0014]    In order to begin play, players twice roll all the dice in order to determine the pole, or starting point positions for their respective toy vehicles. The player with the highest roll total will become the pole leader; the players with next highest successive roll totals will take the next positions. Up to nine players may race in a single game. Three rows of three race vehicles are the preferred pole positions. The players continue the race by rolling the twelve-sided die until the race, preferably five laps of the racetrack, is completed.  
           [0015]    After the pole positions are set, the players begin the game by rolling the twelve-sided die in their pole position order. A player may change lanes, but may not ‘leapfrog’ or drive through other players&#39; vehicles. Pit stops are required, providing a degree of realism in the present invention. A player must make a pit stop twice during a five-lap race, and cannot drive two consecutive laps without making a pit stop.  
           [0016]    The present invention also provides a degree of realism in that a player&#39;s race vehicle will crash if the player is driving too fast (rolls too high of a number) in any one of the crash zones, which are located on the turns of the race course. When a crash occurs, the crashed race vehicle preferably blocks two of the three lanes and the remaining race vehicles slow to one half of their speed, as determined by the roll of the twelve-sided die. This provides a further degree of realism, in that trailing vehicles may now draw nearer to the leading vehicles. No lane changes are permitted when maneuvering through the racetrack curves.  
           [0017]    The present invention provides a further degree of realism, by allowing the last place car to ‘draft’ by rolling the six-sided die, as well as the twelve-sided die, when driving to simulate the extra speed gain possible when utilizing the drafting technique of professional race vehicle drivers. The last place vehicle is allowed the full amount of the draft roll in a crash situation, allowing the last place vehicle to quickly draw nearer the leading vehicles.  
           [0018]    The present invention provides a means for determining the winner of the race by providing points for pole positions, winning laps, and finish positions. The present invention further provides a means for determining the winner of a racing season by summing up the points for the individual races. The present invention accomplishes this by providing uncomplicated rules that lead to quicker games. The present invention does not utilize cards to simulate mechanical failures, strategy decisions or the like, and is thus easier to learn and quicker to play, while still providing exciting action during play. The quicker games lead to enhanced enjoyment of the game by all players involved because the players realize that misfortune in one game can be regained by a better performance in the next game or later in the racing season.  
           [0019]    The present invention may provide toy vehicles for game play, but optionally, players may utilize their own matchbox toys or similar size toy vehicles. Thus, the present invention does not require race vehicle game pieces and allows players to use their favorite toys to play the game. This provides an opportunity for a game to be more personal, with players&#39; own vehicles racing against each other. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of a game board used for playing a race vehicle game according to this invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a top view of a second embodiment of a game board used for playing a race vehicle game according to this invention; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a top view of a third embodiment of a game board used for playing a race vehicle game according to this invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a game for entertainment is indicated generally at  10  in FIG. 1. The game simulates a vehicular race wherein miniature vehicles such as cars and trucks are used with the game board  10 . Specifically, the game board  10  is sized to accommodate a popular size ({fraction (1/64)} scale) of toy vehicles (not shown) sold under the trademark “Matchbox.” Other brands of {fraction (1/64)} scale toy vehicles can also be used with the game board  10 . Preferably, the other brands of toy vehicles will have a similar length and width as the Matchbox brand of toy vehicles. The toy vehicles may be provided with the game  10  or, alternatively, may be provided by the game&#39;s players (not shown.)  
         [0025]    The game board  10  includes a racetrack  12  having a start/finish line  14  preferably marked by alternating black and white rectangles. The track  12  includes a straight section  16 , a first turn  18 , and second turn,  20 , a backstretch  22 , a third turn  24 , a fourth turn  26 , and a pit area  28 .  
         [0026]    A series of rectangular spaces  30  are provided on the straight section  16 , the backstretch  22 , and the pit area  28 . Spaces  30  are also provided between the turns  18  and  20  and turns  24  and  26 . The turns  18 ,  20 ,  24 , and  26  include curved spaces  34 . A series of transition spaces  36  are provided at the beginning and finish of the pit area  28 .  
         [0027]    Each of the rectangular spaces  30  is sized to fit one toy vehicle. For example, a preferred {fraction (1/64)} scale line of toy vehicles is accommodated by spaces  30  having approximately three inches in length and approximately two inches in width. Preferably, the game board  10  of FIG. 1 includes spaces  30  of approximately three inches in length and approximately two inches in width so that the overall dimensions of the game board  10  are approximately forty-four (44) inches in length and twenty-eight (28) inches in width. Preferably, the game board  10  is divided into two equal sections and folded along a mid-line of its length.  
         [0028]    The spaces  30  are divided into at least three circumferential lanes  31   a,    31   b,  and  31   c,  so that a player can pass the other players during a game described below. For clarification, lane  31   a  will be referred to as the inside lane, lane  31   b  will be referred to as the middle lane, and lane  31   c  will be referred to as the outside lane. In turns,  18 ,  20 ,  24 , and  26 , there is only one curved space  34  in the inside lane  31   a,  while there are two curved spaces  34  in the middle lane  31   b,  and three curved spaces  34  in the outside lane  31   c.  This provides an advantage to those players in the inside lane  31   a,  in that a player can use less spaces to complete one lap of racetrack  12 .  
         [0029]    A game played with game board  10  is described below. The game is intended for play of two to nine players (not shown.) The game preferably includes the game board  10 , a twenty-sided die (not shown), a twelve-sided die (not shown), a six-sided die (not shown), and markers (not shown) for identifying name and lap for use with the game board  10 . The game optionally includes toy race vehicles (not shown.)  
         [0030]    The game starts by the players twice rolling all three dice (not shown) to determine their respective qualifying, or starting, positions A through I. The roll totals may be recorded on a qualifying sheet (not shown.) The player with the highest roll total receives the first, or pole, position A. The player with the second highest roll total receives the second starting position B. The player with the third highest roll total receives the third starting position C, the player with the fourth highest roll total receives the fourth starting position D, and so on, until the player with the ninth highest roll total receives the ninth starting position I. Race vehicles (not shown) are then placed in their respective starting positions A through I. Although only nine players may compete in a given race, up to twelve players may attempt to qualify for a race.  
         [0031]    After the pole positions A through I are set, the players begin the game by rolling the twelve-sided die in their pole position order and move the toy vehicles in a counterclockwise direction around the racetrack  12 . The toy vehicles are moved the number of spaces  30  equal to the roll of the die. The players continue the game by rolling the twelve-sided die until all players finish the race, preferably five laps of the racetrack  12 . A player completes a lap when the player has completely crossed the start/finish line  14 , but not counting the first time the player crosses the start/finish line  14  at the beginning of the race. Players may move into adjacent spaces  30  only and may not move backwards, or in a clockwise direction around the racetrack  12 . A player may change lanes  31   a  to  31   b,  to  31   c,  but may not ‘leapfrog’ other players&#39; vehicles. No lane changes, however, are permitted when the player is located in any of the spaces  34  in curves  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24 . Stopping in the pit area  28 , referred to as making a “pit stop”, is required. A player must make a pit stop twice during a five-lap race, and cannot drive two consecutive laps without making a pit stop. The pit area  28  has numbers that preferably correspond to the player&#39;s starting position. A player must stop in the appropriate space in the pit area  28  before continuing out to the racetrack  12  via the transition spaces  36 .  
         [0032]    A player&#39;s toy vehicle will crash if the player is driving too fast (rolls the highest number on the die) in any one of the crash zones, indicated by shaded spaces  30  and  34  on the racetrack  12 . The crash zones are located in all of spaces  34  in the turns  18 ,  20 ,  24 , and  26  and in the spaces  30  provided between the turns  18  and  20  and turns  24  and  26 . Alternatively, crash zones may be placed at other locations along the racetrack  12 . A player may avoid crashing by making an emergency pit stop if he or she can advance the required number of spaces  30  to the pit area  28  with the roll. If not, the toy vehicle moves the number of spaces  30  and crashes at that spot. When a crash occurs, the crashed race vehicle preferably blocks two of the three lanes  31   a,    31   b,  or  31   c,  and the remaining race vehicles slow to one half of their speed, as determined by the roll of the twelve-sided die, rounding up in the case of odd numbers. The crashed vehicle is removed when it becomes the crashed player&#39;s turn to roll, and the remaining players resume normal speed after the crashed vehicle is removed.  
         [0033]    The last place vehicle, the toy vehicle in the farthest position in the outermost lane, is allowed to ‘draft’ by rolling the six-sided die, as well as the twelve-sided die, when it is the last place player&#39;s turn to roll. This simulates the extra speed gain possible when utilizing the drafting technique of professional race vehicle drivers. In addition, the last place vehicle is allowed the full amount of the draft roll in a crash situation, providing a further way for the last place vehicle to draw nearer to the rest of the field during a crash situation.  
         [0034]    Alternatively, the players may use the twenty-sided die to advance around the racetrack  12 . The twenty-sided die is preferably used when a physically larger track is utilized, for example racetrack  200  noted below. The use of a twenty-sided die will assist in keeping the game moving at its preferred quick pace.  
         [0035]    The present invention provides a means for awarding points to the players by providing points for obtaining the pole position, for winning individual laps, and for the final race placing positions. The present invention further provides a means for determining the winner of a racing season by summing up the awarded points for the individual races. Points may be tallied on a point standings card (not shown) and are awarded according to the following table:  
                                       Placing in Race   Points   Notes                    1 st   Place   20 points            2 nd  Place   16 points        3 rd  Place   14 points        4 th  Place   12 points        5 th  Place   10 points        6 th  Place    8 points        7 th  Place    6 points        8 th  Place    5 points        9 th  Place    4 points       10 th  Place    3 points   Non-qualifying cars still win points even               though they don&#39;t race       11 th  Place    2 points   See 10 th  Place Notes       12 th  Place    1 point   See 10 th  Place Notes       Bonus Points       Winning pole    1 point       Leading a lap    1 point                  
 
         [0036]    The player amassing the most total points at the end of a ten-race season is declared the season champion.  
         [0037]    A second embodiment of a game board according to this invention is indicated generally at  100  in FIG. 2. The game board  100  includes a racetrack  112  having a start/finish line  114  preferably marked by alternating black and white rectangles. The racetrack  112  includes a straight section  116 , a first turn  118 , a second turn  120 , a third turn (180 degrees)  122 , a fourth turn (180 degrees)  124 , a backstretch  125 , a fifth turn  126 , a sixth turn  127 , a pit area  128 , and starting positions A through I. The racetrack  112  also includes crash zones indicated by shaded spaces  130  and  134  on the racetrack  112 .  
         [0038]    As in game board  10 , the spaces  130  are divided into at least three circumferential lanes  131   a,    131   b,  and  131   c,  so that a player can pass the other players during the game described above. Similarly, lane  131   a  will be referred to as the inside lane, lane  131   b  will be referred to as the middle lane, and lane  131   c  will be referred to as the outside lane. Lanes  131   a,    131   b,  and  131   c  are provided in the straight section  116 . The racetrack  112  narrows to lanes  131   b  and  131   c  through the first, second, third, and fourth turns  118 ,  120 ,  122 , and  124 . The racetrack  112  expands back to lanes  131   a,    131   b,  and  131   c  on the backstretch  125  and continues until the start/finish line  114 . Also as in game board  10 , the number of spaces  134  in turns  118 ,  120 ,  122 , and  124  is the greatest in outside lane  131   c.  Similarly, the number of spaces  134  in middle lane  131   b  is greater than the number of spaces  134  in inside lane  131   a,  but less than outside lane  131   c.    
         [0039]    When spaces  130  are approximately three inches in length and two inches in width, the game board  100  is approximately forty-four inches in length and twenty-eight inches in width. Preferably, the game board  100  is divided into two equal sections and folded along a mid-line of its length.  
         [0040]    The game board  100  can also be played according to the game rules as outlined above.  
         [0041]    A third embodiment of a game board according to this invention is indicated generally at  200  in FIG. 3. The game board  200  includes a racetrack  212  having a start/finish line  214  preferably marked by alternating black and white rectangles. The track  212  includes a straight section  216 , a first turn (180 degrees)  218 , a second turn (180 degrees)  220 , a third turn (180 degrees)  222 , a backstretch  223 , a fourth turn (180 degrees)  224 , a fifth turn (180 degrees)  226 , a sixth turn (180 degrees)  227 , a pit area  228 , and starting positions A through I. The racetrack  212  also includes crash zones indicated by shaded spaces  230  and  234  on the racetrack  212 .  
         [0042]    As in game boards  10  and  100 , the spaces  230  are divided into at least three circumferential lanes  231   a,    231   b,  and  231   c,  so that a player can pass the other players during the game described above. Similarly, lane  231   a  will be referred to as the inside lane, lane  231   b  will be referred to as the middle lane, and lane  231   c  will be referred to as the outside lane. Lanes  231   a,    231   b,  and  231   c  are provided in the straight section  216 , in backstretch  223 , and in each of turns  218 ,  220 ,  222 ,  223 ,  224 ,  226 , and  227 . Also as in game boards  10  and  100 , the number of spaces  234  in turns  218 ,  220 ,  222 ,  223 ,  224 ,  226 , and  227  is the greatest in outside lane  131   c.  Similarly, the number of spaces  234  in middle lane  231   b  is greater than the number of spaces  234  in inside lane  231   a,  but less than outside lane  231   c.    
         [0043]    When spaces  230  are approximately three inches in length and two inches in width, the game board  200  is approximately sixty-six inches in length and twenty-eight inches in width. Preferably, the game board  200  is divided into equal third along its length for folding and easy storage.  
         [0044]    The game board  200  can also be played according to the game rules as outlined above.  
         [0045]    Alternatively, the game boards  10  or  100  may be printed with racetracks  12  or  112  on opposing planar sides of the game board  10  or  100 , as they are contemplated to be approximately the same size. Similarly, game board  200  may be printed with racetrack  212  and a similar-sized racetrack with a different configuration on opposing planar sides of the game board  200 . In this way, players in the game could race on alternating courses through the length of the season, adding another element to the games, and increasing the enjoyment of the players.  
         [0046]    In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope. For example, other tracks and variations may be designed for the game boards  10 ,  100 , and  200 . Other rules, scoring means and variations may be designed for use with the games described above.