First Rolls this year almost didn’t happen. Saturday couldn’t go since sweepstakes was unable to secure the permit. Sunday started out a bit wet with a light drizzle, but after a couple false starts, rolls got underway. For the first day of rolls and crappy conditions, Sweepstakes did a great job as no one crashed or spun out. This could be because it was the first day and everyone was taking it easy, but requiring bags on every buggy every roll certainly didn’t hurt.

I  was actually unable to attend rolls this Sunday, so in my stead, former safety chair Jake Reid took the notes that I will be sharing in this report. If anyone else has notes they would like to add, or pictures to upload, please send us an email at news@cmubuggy.org and upload your pictures to the gallery! This post may get updated as more notes reach me.

UPDATE: I’ve gotten some additional notes from former Apex Chairman Connor Hayes which have been added to the observations section.

There will be no rolls next weekend (even though it’s Ceilidh) because of the Great Race on Saturday. Instead, come check out Tom Wood’s “Evolution of Buggy” presentation that will be happening on Saturday at 2-3 in the UC, Peter/Wright/McKenna room and root on those Tartans!

In Attendance  (Red indicates failed drops)

Org	Sunday
AEPi	Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix
CIA	Orca, Ascension, Freyja
Fringe	Beacon, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA	N/A
ROTC	N/A
SAE	N/A
SDC	Vice, Malice, Rage, Psychosis
SigEp	Mamba, Barracuda
SigNu	N/A
Spirit	Kingpin II, Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko

Observations (Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

The time has come, Raceday will soon be upon us and teams are in the home stretch. Buggies are qualified, Heats to be selected and prep is to be made for Friday this week when everyone will hit the course and compete for the trophy. Going into truck, Many teams were missing rolls or even pass tests, but everyone put the pedal to the metal and with a little help from Sweepstakes managed a staggering amount of rolls. The teams that were all missing pass tests were able to grab them on Saturday, leaving only one real past test on Sunday, but several accidental passes.

Lead Truck Auction is on its way: For those of you who have been wondering, we are in fact doing the lead truck auction again this year. Heat selections are tonight, so the bidding will be ready to go tomorrow morning. More info later in this article.

Raceday Preview: This report will not be nearly as comprehensive as previous weeks since we will be coming out with our famed members only Raceday preview. So make sure you check out this page for more information on how to become a member and be sure to check out the membership roster if you think you already donated this year.

Site Issues and Updates: I try and pride myself on being timely with these reports, but because you all have been so awesome in uploading your fantastic pictures, we ran out of room and had to pull a quick shuffle to get us enough space for what is sure to come this week. So I apologize for this being later than usual, but with all that’s coming out this week, I’m sure you’ll forgive us.

In Attendance

Key: Qualified | Short on Rolls

Org	Saturday	Sunday
AEPi		Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix	Phoenix
CIA	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar
Fringe	Beacon, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan	Beacon, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA	RD2013, Chimera	RD2013, Chimera
ROTC	Shrek	Shrek
SAE	Lucy, Rubicon	Lucy, Rubicon
SDC	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Kraken, Mamba, Peregrine, Barracuda	Peregrine, Barracuda, Pandora
SigNu	Bungarus Krait	Bungarus Krait
Spirit	Kingpin II, Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Kingpin II, Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

We’ve come to the last weekend before truck, which means there will not be a full Rolls Report next week. Instead all BAA members will receive the members-only Raceday preview. So if you haven’t done so yet, now is the time to become a member. Check out this page for more information on how to become a member. Be sure to check out the membership roster if you think you already donated this year.

With a disappointingly slow weekend to end March, April brought us what we have been waiting for and a small taste of what’s to come in under two weeks. There were still a few incidents, but sweepstakes picked it up over last week and was far more efficient at getting people off the course and keeping rolls on schedule. This weekend had pass tests a-plenty which, when combined with some very fast rolling buggies made for many exciting moments in the chute.

This was also the first weekend that we had every org out both days. Everyone is feeling the pressure, and there is no time left to take a day off. Drivers have been getting qualified, but there are still many that need a few rolls here and there, or haven’t yet been able to complete the pass test.  It will be a scramble going into truck weekend as teams try and qualify their remaining drivers.

In Attendance

Org	Saturday	Sunday
AEPi	Kamikaze	Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix	Phoenix
CIA	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar
Fringe	NBXIII, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan	NBXIII, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA	RD2013, Chimera	RD2013, Chimera
ROTC	Shrek	Shrek
SAE	Lucy, Rubicon	Lucy, Rubicon
SDC	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice, Rage
SigEp	“Dora”, Peregrine, Barracuda	Mamba,  Peregrine, Barracuda
SigNu	Bungarus Krait	Bungarus Krait
Spirit	Kingpin II, Zuke, Haraka	Kingpin II, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

After finally starting rolls last week, Teams were getting back into the swing of things. Everyone was rolling well, but it seems like teams are getting in a semester’s worth of stops in these few weeks we have left. Despite the crashes, stops, wheel losses and other issues, most teams are still getting things done and already have a few combinations qualified for Raceday. We still have one weekend left before Truck weekend, here’s hoping teams can sort out their issues and become the lean mean racing machines they need to be.

In Attendance

Org	Saturday	Sunday
AEPi	Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix
CIA	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar
Fringe	Banyan, Bedlam	NBXIII (BAMF), Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA	RD2013, Chimera	RD2013, Chimera
SDC	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice, Rage	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice, Rage
SAE	Rubicon	Rubicon
SigEp	“Dora”, Mamba, Barracuda	Mamba, Peregrine
Spirit	Kingpin II, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Kingpin II, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	ROTC, SigNu	AEPi, Apex, ROTC, SigNu

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

For what has so far been a disappointing start to the year, Pittsburgh finally decided to cooperate and give us our first clear days of rolls.

Despite being incredibly cold, Rolls happened and come Sunday, some teams had already kicked it into high gear. Despite this, both days were a little slow going with some teams going slower than usual, and others having steering difficulties getting through the chute. Overall, everyone was excited to have rolls going again and with only two regular weekends left, teams will need to work hard to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for Raceday.

In Attendance

(The new roll count list hasn’t been posted, so this list might be inaccurate.)

Org	Saturday	Sunday
Apex	Phoenix	Phoenix
AEPi	Kamikaze
CIA	Ascension, Orca	Impulse, B1r, Orca, Ascension
Fringe	NBXIII, Bissa, Banyan, Bedlam	NBXIII (?), Bonsai, Banyan
PiKA	RD2013, Chimera	RD2013, Chimera
SDC	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice, Rage
SigEp	PtE, Peregrine, Barracuda	Pandora the Explorer, Peregrine, Mamba
SigNu	Bungarus Krait	Krait
Spirit	Kingpin II, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Kingpin II, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	ROTC, SAE	AEPi, ROTC, SAE

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

Alright, it’s not actually a rolls report, but there sadly haven’t been any rolls to report on… So here we are…

In the absence of anything to talk about rolls-wise I figure this might be a good time to talk about things that are coming up just a month from now. There’s not a whole lot set in stone just yet but I’ll share with you guys what I know.You could also think of this as a reminder to pay your membership so that we can keep doing the things that we do and so you ensure that you will get the comprehensive pre-Raceday guide recapping the year and giving you our predictions for Raceday. Continue reading →

Sorry for this being a bit late, hopefully you’ll find this a relaxing break before you enjoy some thanksgiving feast.

It’s the last weekend of fall rolls and from what I can tell it was a flurry of activity both days. The teams will now have a chance to sleep in on the weekends instead of sleeping in the afternoons, and make up all those assignments they neglected. By assignments, I of course mean builds, and from what I hear, there’s the potential for several this year. Only time will tell who will come out with new buggies when.

I sadly wasn’t able to make it out on Saturday, but thankfully Stengel was able to snag some pictures for me to look at. Pictures were also posted from the weekend of the 11th

In Attendance

(Saturday roll counts weren’t posted so the buggy lists may be inaccurate.)

Org	Saturday	Sunday
Apex	Phoneix
AEPi		Kamikaze
CIA	Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Firebird	Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Firebird, Quasar
Fringe	Bissa, Bonsai, Banyan	Bissa, Bonsai, Banyan
PiKA	Raptor	Raptor, Chimera
SDC	Bane, Avarice, Malice	Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Barracuda, Pandora	Pandora
Spirit	Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	AEPi, DU, KapSig, ROTC, SAE, SigNu	Apex, DU, KapSig, ROTC, SAE, SigNu,

Observations (Saturday Gallery – Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

Sorry for the delay, being on the opposite side of the earth, my times are a little messed up. I sadly was also not able to take any pictures this weekend. Anyone who was at rolls with a camera should send me all pictures they took so that I can add them to this report.

This was the first day of Mini-Raceday where I believe there is a second on its way (someone please check me on this). Times have not yet been calculated, but there was still plenty of excitement to go around.

Special thanks goes out to Jakes Reid and Rachel Johnson who were able to get me some fantastic notes for this week’s rolls report since I wasn’t able to take some in person.

In Attendance

Org	Saturday
AEPi	Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix
CIA	Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Firebird, Quasar
Fringe	Bissa, Bonsai, Borealis, Banyan
PiKA	Raptor
SDC	Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Mamba, Peregrine, Barracuda, Pandora
Spirit	Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	DU, KapSig, ROTC, SAE, SigNu

Observations (Saturday Gallery) Continue reading →

After two weekends of no rolls, many teams were excited to take advantage of the longest day of rolls thanks to the end of daylight savings. Unfortunately, the longest day is always preceded by the shortest day, which can always feel like a let-down for teams getting only a few rolls.

Unfortunately, Sunday rolls were called early due to weather, citing the precedent set from last year that rolls would not happen below freezing. While it is a little sad that rolls didn’t happen on the longest day of the year, it was nice to not be out in the freezing weather. Sadly this also means that I didn’t make it out to rolls this weekend, so thanks to everyone that I got info from to put this together, and sorry that there are no pictures.

As a note, I will not be able to attend any more weekends of rolls this year and I require volunteers to take notes and pictures so these can continue to happen in my absence. If you are interested in helping out, please email me at ben.matzke@gmail.com. Students and Alumni are both welcome and encouraged to help out. The more information the better!

In Attendance

Org	Saturday
CIA	Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar
Fringe	Bissa, Bonsai, Borealis, Bedlam, Banyan
SDC	Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Mamba, Barracuda, Pandora
Spirit	Zuke, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	AEPi, Apex, AEPi, DU, KapSig, PiKA, ROTC, SAE, SigNu

Observations (No Pictures) Continue reading →

This weekend we finally had the first combo with both Saturday and Sunday rolls. The people around the course also got to see just how bipolar Pittsburgh can be day-to-day. Saturday had temperatures nearing freezing and Sunday was a very pleasantly warm morning.

To follow the weather, the teams decided to match the weather and showed their own version of bipolar. There were no incidents on Saturday and having forgotten my tripod for the stream, I was able to get a lot of different pictures from around the course. The continuous rolling made the frigid morning a bit more bearable. With the warm weather on Sunday, teams seemed to lose their cool and we saw a few crashes and spins.

In Attendance

Org	Saturday	Sunday
AEPi		Kamikaze
CIA	Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Firebird	Orca, Ascension, Firebird, Quasar
Fringe	Bonsai, Bedlam, Banyan	Bonsai, Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA		Raptor, Chimera
SDC	Bane, Avarice, Malice	Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Mamba, Barracuda, Pandora
Spirit	Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko
No-Shows	Apex, AEPi, DU, KapSig, PiKA, ROTC, SAE, SigNu	Apex, DU, KapSig, ROTC, SAE, SigEp, SigNu,

Observations (Saturday Gallery – Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →