Thanks again to those who joined us for Homecoming and Mini-Raceday last week. We hope all of you enjoyed reviewing some actual buggy data! This weekend had two smooth days of rolls with no buggy incidents. The most notable thing was a little rain Sunday, and the most notable thing about that was how notable it was (as Pittsburgh is in the midst of a drought)!

Credit to Guillermo Gomez for this Scorch action shot

Welcome to the 2024 Mini Raceday Rolls Report! Thanks to the preparation and very cooperative weather this year, the teams had built up some impressive speed this fall season.The weather was a little chilly but we still had some impressive rolls, read on to see!

Spirit race on Hill 5

This was an eventful weekend out on the buggy course! After two weeks off for Fall Break, the teams returned and wow- we had a lot going on. A team making its season debut, freshly painted Hill 1 lines, mechanical failures in the chute, Buggy Halloween costumes, and a rogue police car causing a very concerning incident on the course.

The Buggy teams returned to the course this past weekend after a week break. Temperatures cooled off, but the buggy teams were heating up with some full Hill 1s, another returning Greek team, and a few incidents that come with teams building speed and helping new drivers try out the course. All the hallmarks of an exciting weekend of rolls- read on for more!

SDC had the most buggies out this weekend- almost the full rainbow

The second weekend of rolls this year brought more good weather, more teams, and more animals and bikers in need of chasing off of the course! A mostly clean Saturday was followed by a Sunday with a few minor incidents to report as the teams bring on new drivers and/or added some speed from last week. All the details below!

Apex and Spirit at the bottom of Hill 1 on another beautiful day of rolls!

Buggy is back for another year: welcome to the 2024-2025 season! A new rolls reporter is on the case this year- and I first want to thank Bryan Arsham for compiling these reports from California last year!

This weekend featured great weather, very few incidents, and even one new buggy! As we start this year, a quick reminder: these reports don’t happen without many people helping out- more details on how YOU can help at the end of the post! Now let’s get to the teams:

Spirit ready at Hill 2 for the first roll of the season, with the new Highmark Center in the background

For our last full Rolls Report of the year (if you want the full Truck Weekend report next week, make sure that you’re a member so that you get the Raceday Preview), we’re pleased to report that we finally got a full weekend of Rolls in! The threat of weather was looming all weekend, and rain on Saturday afternoon and evening did leave the roads a little damp on Sunday morning. But for the first time this Spring, orgs rolled on both Saturday and Sunday. And not only did they roll both days, but they were incredibly efficient. In fact, the 10 human-driven organizations that came out this weekend combined for 163 total rolls across the weekend. And while there were a couple of issues, for the most part teams put themselves in great position for full speed ahead on Raceday.

Rolls were so busy this weekend that even Flat Stanley was trying to get qualified.

With less than 3 weeks to go until Raceday, teams were full steam ahead this weekend trying to get everything up to speed. This meant that, for the first time all year, every single team was on the course on Sunday. Of course, 2 days would have been even better, but the Pittsburgh weather gods decided that’s not allowed this Spring, and brought rain on Saturday morning. Sunday was clear and nice…except that the temperature was in the mid-20s. But that didn’t scare off the 12 orgs and 24 drivers from getting in as many rolls as they could on Sunday. And for the most part, things went pretty smoothly.

The warmest person on the Buggy course

Spring break has come and gone, and with students back on campus, this weekend brought Buggy back to CMU! After a few weeks off for weather and Spring Break, this weekend brought warmer weather on Saturday…and then a rain storm early Sunday morning that caused Rolls to be cancelled (only to be filled with sunshine throughout the rest of the day). But it wasn’t just the buggies that had been rolling before Spring Break that were out. We saw a few brand new buggies make their debuts, as well as a couple of older buggies making their return to the course for the first time this year.

This picture-filled Rolls Report is brought to you by…the fact that no one uploaded photos to our gallery. Please upload them if you have them!

With the last weekend before Spring Break, mother nature decided to play a cruel trick on teams. Sunday rolls were cancelled early in the week due to expected temperatures in the low 20s, but teams decided to brave the upper 20s on Saturday to get some practice in. Unfortunately, teams couldn’t get as many trips through the roll order as they probably hoped. Scratches, stops, and snow led to a short, cold day of rolls for 8 racing orgs (and 1 robot).

It was a “proper pushing attire is a winter coat” kind of morning.