Usually, we get to see a couple more days of rolls after Mini-Raceday, before winter sets in. That was not to be this year, as consistent rain hit the course the following two weekends. So, while you haven’t heard from me in a few weeks, I wanted to give you all one more report! This will be a Fall Rolls-In-Review post, where we will go through some stats & storylines from the semester.

And highlight photos, too!

Homecoming Weekend has come and gone! It was great to see some of you back on campus, and always great to meet more students who came out to chat and grab a donut (sorry we didn’t have enough for everyone, that won’t be a problem at Raceday!). Thanks especially to our volunteers!! There were some changes to Mini-Raceday this year which made it more exciting, although the weather was quite uncooperative, shortening our time to roll significantly.

We had heats this year!

Hello, it’s back to your regularly scheduled rolls reporter this week! Thanks much to James for filling in in my absence. Many happenings this weekend, including a single day of rolls due to not having quorum on November 1st. We saw buggies in Halloween costumes, successful and aborted pass tests, and teams doing Hill 1s to get ready for Mini-Raceday next week. I hope to see you there! Message us if you are coming and can help us time the teams, or just come for the action (and donuts).

Someone missed sweeping up this Redbull can in the chute

It was Great Race Weekend in Pittsburgh, which means no permits for Sunday Rolls. In past years that meant cancelling the full weekend, but this crew didn’t let that stop them; they still rolled on Saturday morning. This was a very efficient day of rolls, with almost no incidents to speak of. The teams got a lot of practice and another returning organization made their season debut, read on!

Who’s that coming up the hill?

Another weekend of beautiful weather for buggy! We had two smooth days of rolls with only a few incidents, and all were just the type of actions you would expect to see as new drivers start gaining speed. We saw the same 6 orgs out again this weekend, we hope to see a few more returning teams back soon, read on for more details!

Roadrunner rolling out, one of 5 CIA buggies from this weekend

Welcome to Sweepstakes 2026! Dan Becerra, your duly elected rolls reporter, back for another year where I will do my best to report on the teams, the incidents, and the storylines leading up to Raceday (April 9 & 10!). This is the earliest calendar date for rolls since the BAA has kept records of this (back to at least 2008). Kudos to the five large independent orgs and Robobuggy making a quorum for this early first weekend. Read on to see which buggies came out this year including at least one not seen for a while!

Blue skies, empty lawns, and a group of people staring at one very specific patch of road – it’s buggy season!

We had an exciting (and very damp) Truck Weekend. As always, this report will be a short one- for all the details from this weekend, our predictions, and more exclusive buggy content, you will need to be a member so you can receive your Member’s-only Raceday Preview. For how to do that go here!

SigEp at the line

This is a jammed-packed rolls report with only Truck Weekend between us and Raceday. No further intro needed!

One of several closer-than-you-want pass tests this weekend

Spring is almost here, and Saturday this week at least felt like it! We had 10 organizations rolling with numerous buggies, including 4 new builds and a few old ones we hadn’t seen in a while. Very limited incidents made for a smooth and busy day- read on!

Fringe’s fleet with NB2025

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.

• 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