We built a balsa wood car with acrylic wheels powered by two mousetraps that completed a 20 foot forward and back course. The car had to move fairly straight as it needed to pass over 2 foot long gates. Our strategy for this project was using 1 of the 2 mousetraps we were given for each direction and wrapping a different string around each axle. For the forwards motion, we made sure that the string was the exact length needed to go the first ten feet before it fell off so as to not hinder the return trip. In order to decrease the skidding between the wheels and the floor we put duct tape on one set and thick rubber bands on the other; we found that this worked best for switching directions quickly. These stratgies and the use of bearings helped us optimize our time so that our car was one of the top ten fastest in the class and we made it to the finals.