{"id":1310,"date":"2011-03-28T05:00:03","date_gmt":"2011-03-28T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/?p=1310"},"modified":"2023-09-03T08:39:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T13:39:35","slug":"rolls-report-march-26-27-3-weeks-until-raceday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/2011\/03\/rolls-report-march-26-27-3-weeks-until-raceday\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolls Report: March 26 &#038; 27 (T minus 3 weeks)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Zuke\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-Zvp5mFQ\/0\/957f66bb\/Th\/DSC_8819-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>How do you know it&#8217;s late March in Pittsburgh? \u00a01) It was 20 degrees or less at rolls \u00a02) 8 of the 11 orgs put up their fastest time of the semester this weekend (and the other three were the 1 buggy orgs). \u00a0The cold was killing walkie-talkie batteries, fogging windshields, and fogging my brain, but impressively the buggies were flying.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In Attendance<\/strong> (buggies newest to oldest, <span style=\"color: #008000;\">all buggies qualified with at least one driver<\/span>)<\/p>\n<table class=\"data\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Org<\/th>\n<th>Saturday<\/th>\n<th>Sunday<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>AEPi<\/td>\n<td>Robobuggy<\/td>\n<td>Robobuggy, Kamikaze<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>CIA<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td>Ascension, Frejya, Renaissance, Quasar<\/td>\n<td>Ascension, Renaissance, Firebird<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fringe<\/td>\n<td>Bonsai, Borealis, Bedlam,\u00a0Blizzard<\/td>\n<td>Bonsai, Borealis, Blizzard, Brazen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>KapSig<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Apache<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">PiKA<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>RD2011, Nemesis, Knightfall, Zeus<\/td>\n<td>RD2011, Nemesis, Chimera, Knightfall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pioneers<\/td>\n<td>Chaos<\/td>\n<td>Chaos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>SAE<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Rubicon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">SDC<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Bane, Avarice, Malice,\u00a0Psychosis, Rage<\/td>\n<td>Bane, Avarice, Malice, Psychosis, Rage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>SigEp<\/td>\n<td>Mamba, Pandora<\/td>\n<td>Mamba, Peregrine, Barracuda, Pandora<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>SigNu<\/td>\n<td>Skua<\/td>\n<td>Krait<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Spirit<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Mapambazuko, Seraph, Fuko, Haraka<\/td>\n<td>Mapambazuko, Seraph, Fuko, Haraka<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Observations<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/cmubuggy.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\">Saturday gallery<\/a>)<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"rear hatch\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-X2xZJ5d\/0\/532aa11c\/Th\/DSC_8825-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Zuke in profile\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-mp8KZLd\/0\/deaf3c94\/Th\/DSC_8859-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>Spirit&#8217;s new buggy Mapambazuko (you can call it Zuke) was out and rolling like a pro. \u00a0You&#8217;d know it was a Spirit buggy at first glance, but it does have some distinguishing features. \u00a0The fighter-jet canopy windshield is back and it looks to be a really good fit with the shell which is no simple feat. \u00a0The shell is a bit larger than Kingpin and Seraph with a higher peak, lower ride height, and bit of a segmented line near the tail, but overall very sleek and well formed. \u00a0It looks like a good balance of knowledge handed down and experience gained by the current crew which is a great sign for the organization. \u00a0The one feature that still has me thinking is the rear hatch which is a molded lexan shape that mirrors the front hatch. \u00a0I looked pretty close and couldn&#8217;t see anyone in there, so I&#8217;m thinking it&#8217;s either to aide in filming the buggies they leave in their dust or because they got an awesome discount at the molded lexan store. \u00a0Anyhow, pretty cool.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Bonsai\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-5SCXbnh\/0\/ae44cde6\/Th\/DSC_8938-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Bonsai\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-CJzcmDg\/0\/45a7b1cd\/Th\/DSC_8942-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>Fringe replaced the PJs on their new buggy with primer and gave it a name at the same time: Bonsai. \u00a0The less obfuscating get-up didn&#8217;t reveal anything too surprising, but the rolls did. \u00a0It may already be one the fastest buggies on the course. \u00a0It entered the weekend with only 5 rolls and in the course of 5 more this weekend, it made its way to the very top of the freeroll rankings for the semester. \u00a0Considering it was 2o degrees out, the times were pretty impressive. \u00a0As rlbrown pointed out in <a href=\"http:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/forum\/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=368\">a forum thread on putting new buggies on A team<\/a>, now that Banyan seems to be retired, Bonsai is looking like a likely A team buggy for the defending champs.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Bedlam\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-L7j2H4t\/0\/2b0f53b7\/Th\/DSC_8861-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>Fringe had \u00a0a new driver out which is pretty unusual for this time of year, especially for a team contending for the big prizes. \u00a0She drove Bedlam (which hadn&#8217;t been out this semester) on Saturday, but reportedly had visibility problems. \u00a0She was going plenty slow thanks to a Bruegers bag on the pushbar, but stopped at transition when she couldn&#8217;t see. \u00a0After asking for directions, she continued on, but never turned at the chute flag and came to another gentle stop soon thereafter. \u00a0She did get through the chute on her second try, but then she stopped on hill 3, and the buggy-driver match was deemed not to be. Apparently, they caped Brazen between days of rolls and brought it out for Sunday and found it to be a better fit. \u00a0Brazen was thought to be retired after 10 distinguished years of service, but apparently it&#8217;s trying to give Zeus a run for its money. \u00a0 6 newer Fringe buggies got passed over for the call-up.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Ascension\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-TH2KjhR\/0\/be7c66f0\/Th\/DSC_8850-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>CIA&#8217;s new Ascension had an up and down weekend. \u00a0They debuted its completed paint job on Saturday and it looks pretty slick. \u00a0Their first two monocoques looked a bit like a team&#8217;s first two attempts (i.e. improving but with curiosities), but Ascension is really polished and looks like a top-tier contender. \u00a0On Sunday the chute treated it like any other comer though and broke that new paint job in a bit. \u00a0The driver took a tight line and caught a bad part of the road and the stub or axle failed completely. \u00a0The wheel bounced away while the buggy continued along its line until the friction inherent in a two wheeled tryke caught up to it.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Skua\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-mC89tQV\/0\/c171e37d\/Th\/DSC_8915-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>SigNu made some big leaps in their second week back on the course, showing that they are still a veteran buggy house. \u00a0Skua was rolling much faster on Saturday and their mechanics knew where to put the buggy on hill 2 and where to find it again on hill 5. \u00a0On Sunday, they brought out Krait which is 5 years younger than it&#8217;s mold-mate Skua. \u00a0I was surprised to see them start accumulating rolls on a second buggy given their late start with a single new driver, but if they stick to one or the other and the weather holds up, they should be fine.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Spirit and stop flags\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-5B3bHBg\/0\/81e55d6a\/Th\/DSC_8901-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>It was a good weekend for controlled stops as both Spirit and CIA had buggies come to safe stops while in the middle of pass tests. \u00a0CIA&#8217;s trailing buggies got the brake flag after Ascension\u00a0lost its wheel. \u00a0Spirit&#8217;s buggies stopped after their chute flagger noticed Fringe had stopped on hill 3 (as mentioned above) and pulled out the black &amp; yellow. \u00a0They would have been fine, but you can&#8217;t fault a safety-first call in the heat of the moment. \u00a0One of Spirit&#8217;s trailing buggies had a locked up break or flatted wheel after the stop and had to be unloaded and carried back.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"pika on hill 1\" src=\"https:\/\/photos.smugmug.com\/2010-2011\/Spring-Rolls-Mar-26\/i-3J67Nq6\/0\/9b6e3a83\/Th\/DSC_8868-Th.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>PiKA did at least one full hill 1 on Saturday which I think is awesome. \u00a0Nobody ever does hill 1, but it&#8217;s a pretty big deal hill in this race. \u00a0On Sunday Nemesis had a strange looking crash in the chute. \u00a0It entered with a tight but stable line and was half way through before deviating to the outside. \u00a0If I had to guess I&#8217;d say it hit a crack and broke a steering linkage.<\/li>\n<li>KapSig came out both days, but had trouble with drops on Saturday and didn&#8217;t get to roll until Sunday. \u00a0Brakes are the worst. \u00a0Raise you hand if you&#8217;d rather do away with the whole brakes hassle. \u00a0Votes will be weighted according to the voter&#8217;s height.<\/li>\n<li>Robobuggy made it around the course both mornings without incident. \u00a0I believe it&#8217;s still under remote control, but I&#8217;m not sure. \u00a0Either way, they seem to be making some good progress.<\/li>\n<li>Video of Sunday&#8217;s chute incidents! \u00a0Also, if you&#8217;re the crash videos type, we&#8217;ve got the exclusive on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=v4B15HNP-AY\">SN&#8217;s glancing blow off the outside bales from last weekend here<\/a>. If you&#8217;re reading this in RSS or your email you probably have to visit the site to see the video.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2011-03-27 Ascension and Nemesis crashes\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O713gh3yan0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Only one more normal weekend of rolls before truck weekend, it&#8217;s happening fast this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you know it&#8217;s late March in Pittsburgh? \u00a01) It was 20 degrees or less at rolls \u00a02) 8 of the 11 orgs put up their fastest time of the semester this weekend (and the other three were the 1 buggy orgs). \u00a0The cold was killing walkie-talkie batteries, fogging windshields, and fogging my brain, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rolls-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1310"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9293,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310\/revisions\/9293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmubuggy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}