Spring semester is in full swing, and Sweepstakes has had permits to roll since the beginning of February. So why is this the first time you are hearing from me? Remember all the times I boasted about great Pittsburgh weather in the Fall? Well, Mother Nature had its vengeance and so far we have not had good enough weather to roll. Pittsburgh produced very consistent snow/sleet and cold temperatures this winter.
We couldn’t leave our buggy fans without some news from the teams any longer, so I’m here with a few quick notes on what has been going on this spring. Let us know in the comments if you have more to add!
We continue to need volunteers to help make Raceday run smoothly- please sign up here!
It’s sunny in this picture but so, so cold.
General Observations:
- New Buggies: A number of orgs will be debuting new vehicles in the spring. We expect to see new builds from Apex, Fringe, CIA, SDC, and SAE (and maybe Spirit). With no rolls, pictures have been hard to come by, but here is one of CIA’s new build – Starling – at capes.
Starling: CIA’s 2025 Build
- More News:
- A total of 9 organizations have caped at least 1 buggy this semester: Spirit, SigNu, PiKA, Fringe, DG, CIA, SDC, Apex, and SigEp. Two more could potentially still join in- SAE and AEPi. I hear SAE may be caping very soon!
- Sweepstakes has passed some modifications to driver qualification for this Raceday:
- Returning drivers need at least 9 total rolls, with at least 3 in the spring.
- New drivers need at least 15 rolls total, with at least 6 in the spring.
- All drivers need at least 9 rolls in their Raceday buggy, and rolls must come on at least 2 different weekends.
- Remember we told you that last year’s winning Women’s buggy- CIA’s Goldfinch – was involved in a accident and sustained significant damage. We are happy to report we expect Goldfinch back soon, pending capes.
- Lastly, we need to highlight a very special project, the brainchild of Lewis from SDC. In the spirit of showing that a buggy could be built quickly and cheaply, without compromising safety, SDC built Gluttony out of wood and other simple materials. No one expects speed, but we hope it shows some students they can have fun and build their own buggy without a serious monetary commitment.
This. Is. Gluttony!
- Raceday is in 23 days! Here are some things to look forward to:
- Push Practice begins this week!
- March 15/16 and 22/23 are the only two weekends of “normal” rolls. Expect action packed reports!
- March 22 is our 2024 Raceday Rewatch! More info here.
- March 29/30 is Truck Weekend! If you are in town come out to see and help time the teams!
- Expect your Member’s Only Raceday Preview to hit your inboxes that first week of April!
- April 4/5 – RACEDAY! For all things Raceday, head over here!
Some highlights from Fall 2024
Don’t forget, we have a sign-up to cover rolls here. We especially need help on Truck Weekend! That sheet also has links to upload photos (updated every week). Let us know if you do so we can give you credit (DM Barsham or data at cmubuggy dot org). Once again, you can reach me on discord or email with any rolls notes or corrections.