Gavin Courville of Pack 82 Portsmouth displays his Darth Vader car.

Richard W. Dionne Jr.

PORTSMOUTH — Gio Perrotti of Portsmouth took second place in the Narragansett Council Boy Scouts of America’s regional competition as part of its second annual Pinewood Derby competition Saturday.

Gio’s car came in just behind the overall winner, Aaron Fontaine of Pack 7 Buttonwoods.

Seventy-six cars were entered into the local regional, which was held at St. Brendan School in Riverside. 

Gio and the other top 12 finishers advanced to the championship race on April 16 at St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church in Attleboro, Mass.

The Pinewood Derby has been a Cub Scout Pack tradition dating back 60 years. The Narragansett Council, which includes all Cub Packs and Boy Scout Troops in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, will host four regional events in total leading up to the championship race where 48 cars will be featured.

Before each race, Scouts and their parent or guardian build a derby car out of a block of wood, four nails, and four wheels. The pair must decide how to design, construct, and weigh the car so that it is the fastest in the derby. 

If built well, a Derby car can reach speeds of up to 20 mph. The fastest cars from each Regional Pinewood Derby Race will compete at the championship.

Here are the top 12 finishers from Saturday:

1. Aaron Fontaine, Pack 7 Buttonwoods

2. Gio Perrotti, Pack 82 Portsmouth

3. Nathan Simas, Pack 2 Bristol

4. Alex Wrightington, Pack 7 North Kingstown

5. William Godfrey, Pack 2 Seekonk

6. Will Carlson, Pack 28 Pawtucket

7. Ellis Shmitz, Pack 7 North Kingstown

8. Christopher Johnson, Pack 2 Barrington

9. Damien Caetano, Pack 303 Swansea

10. Devin Leonard, Pack 7 Buttonwoods

11. Joey Ricci, Pack 6 Bristol

12. Julian Walk, Pack 7 North Kingstown