Lane-length-compensating race game

Abstract

Connected to the contestant game pieces of a J-shaped racecourse game are pull cords guided at a semi-circular turn by laterally-spaced guide members and at the finish line by laterally-spaced upper guide holes in the top wall, whence the pull cords pass through radially-spaced intermediate cord guide holes on a pivoted lane-length-compensating sector gear, and finally through lower cord guide holes in a fixed guide bar to connections on the winding hubs of multiple geared spools loosely and rotatably mounted upon a stationary cross shaft. The geared spools mesh with an elongated half gear on a drive shaft rotated by an external hand crank and carrying a sector gear drive gear meshing with the sector gear teeth. The teeth terminate in a lock notch engageable by a lock pin normally slidable along the top face of the sector gear until it reaches its foremost position, whereupon the lock pin drops into the lock nut to lock the sector gear until the end of the race. The pull cords wind differently at random along the hubs of their respective geared spools, thereby causing chance to determine the winner. Disengaging the half gear from the gear spools enables the contestant pieces to be pulled along their respective lanes back to the starting gate for the next race.