Thanks for the comments everyone, glad to know the new series is up to scratch so far

And Martyn, the answer is no, you didnt, and Disco 5 is in the next heat so unless I see stats shortly I shall have to dig some out.

And on that note, here is the Sumo:

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BATTLE RAPTOR 5

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Battle Raptors aim here is to last thirty seconds in the ring with Shunt, an as the house robot gets off the mark, Richard starts off by tuning his machine broadside on...perhaps an unwise move, but applying the power to the four go-kart motors and dodging the initial charge of Shunt, skidding the rear end of the robot around to mount its own attack, the two machines approaching as Shunt turns its own scoop to meet its foe, and the two robots meet, snowplow to forks, neither really gaining an advantage...both machines move around in something of a table, the combination of vectors causing a slow robotic dance in the middle of the dohyo. After a few more seconds of this the competitor backs off, Richard coming in for another push to get a better grip on the house robot, but meeting Shunts scoop head on...the forks slide up the bulldozer blade edge, Richard realising something is not right, trying to reverse off to the left, but his robot merely leaving the front scoop and the rear two wheels of Battle Raptor finding and passing the edge of the sumo ring, pushed in an arc and sideways by Shunt and toppling down onto the tyres.

Battle Raptor 5 - 19 seconds

***

HYPERTENSION MK. 3.5

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Again, Shunt starts with a simple charge while the competitor chooses to go in a different direction, Matty swinging Hypertension out of the way of the house robot and turning to get the front blade to face Shunt, aiming to get Hypertension in underneath the side of the house robot and prevent it from moving. And little time is wasted by the team in doing so, coming in just as Shunt begins to turn and jamming the wedge shape beneath the bars supporting the house robots lifting scoop, causing a whining sound to fill the air as both of the wheels on Shunt are left spinning in the air, not getting any traction on the floor. Matty grins up in the control pod, this is all he intended on doing, but tentatively pushes his controls further forward, in an attempt to gain total victory by pushing the house robot off the platform entirely, but the progress is very slow...the weight of Shunt just in front of the front wheels isnt helping matters, causing the rear wheels to lift slightly off the ground due to the levarage this produces, so there is little grip being gained by the rubber tyres on the dohyo surface, but it is no matter; the seconds tick down and the status quo is maintained.

Hypertension Mk. 3.5 - Survived

***

DARKESTAR

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Last time this game was played with Darkestar, the prongs on the front almost effortlessly defeated the plough of Shunt and Alex got a comprehensive victory...and he slams on the amps as the start is signalled, charging in to meet the house robot, which does likewise, slowing down just before contact in the hope that the spikes will go up the scoop rather than beneath it...but as the two collide that hope is misplaced, and the 48 volt Lynch motor driven tracks of Darkestar barely bog down under the load of Shunt, following through and sending the house robot once more toppling on to the tyres and out!

Darkestar - WON in 6.5 seconds

***

BACK TO ROCK III

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Shunt moves a fraction of a second before the Dutch machine does, but they both accelerate quickly towards their foes, picking up speed, and they go scoop to scoop just beyond the centre of the dohyo...but this time its the house robot whos the lower, harvesting the front extensions of Back To Rock up onto the hardened shovel edge, and now pushing with intent back towards the edge of the circle! Marti thinks quickly, putting one side of the drive into reverse and scrambling free of the scoop just as they reach the perimeter, backing away to leave the house robot in a broadside on position. Shunt turns, facing the competitor, and Back To Rock countermaneuvers to avoid the second thrust, but is leftexposed to the side attack by the house robot, which comes in...only to be stopped by the skirt and the grip of the six wheeled Back To Rock. Marti tries a different tactic, reversing his robot and planning to come back to the centre of the ring to defend that position...but Shunt is still pushing, and the result is that both robots move in an arc around the top of the circle...and one of Shunts wheels slips near the edge and drops! Martijn can see this from his position, backing up his machine to come in for a final shove...but as the wheels of the house robot spin, Shunt fires the axe, hitting naught but thin air and overbalancing, sending Shunt tumbling side over side onto the tyres!

Back To Rock III - WON in 22 secs

***

MEGA MASHER 2

Richard nervous in the pits, so far his machine has been the only one to be pushed off the platform. Chris has 19 seconds to beat...

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Chris starts quickly, moving forward towards Shunt, who after a brief pause responds in kind, the two machines accelerate towards each other, and as is the norm in sumo, they impact against each other in the middle of the ring, wedge front to scoop edge...and although neither is getting an advantage as far as ground clearance and leverage are concerned, Mega Masher is moving backwards somewhat, the wheels spinning but not getting any grip on the dohyo floor. Chris senses something is wrong, backing Mega Masher up and turning to come in for a better angle of attack, but Shunt follows through on the earlier push, coming in on Mega Masher with the scoop...which hits the corner of the front wedge, forces it backwards, and allows the other half of the scoop to slide beneath the six millimetre ground clearance at the side, effectively hanging Chris machine sideways on the scoop! Chris can do little now, the drive reverses for some last second attempt at bringing the fight back into the centre, but theres no grip, and Shunt simply bulldozes Mega Masher up to and over the edge, forcing it down onto the tyres in defeat.

Mega Masher 2 - 10 seconds

Leaderboard
1: Darkestar - Victorious
2: Back To Rock III - Victorious
3: Hypertension Mk. 3.5 - Survived
4: Battle Raptor 5 - 19 secs
5: Mega Masher 2 - 10 secs

*Joey and Richard in pits, watching the final stages of Mega Mashers turn on a large screen*

Richard: Come on...its coming back...
Joey: Shunt has about ten seconds to push Mega Masher off if youre to go through...
Richard: Damn, its going to escape now *laughs*...wait...

*Mega Masher goes over the edge*

Richard: Yes! *punches air*
Joey: *looks at watch* ...ten seconds...that puts you fourth, and through...how do you feel?
Richard: Relieved more than anything, really relieved. I thought I did quite well early on, and then Matt survived and Alex and Marti got Shunt out of the ring, so I was starting to think...ah well, guess Ive got to start charging the batteries now, Im here for another round.

*Chris wheels Mega MAsher out of the arena, joined by Joey*

Joey: Bad luck Chris.
Chris: Yeah...I thought I could get under him, but clearly that wasnt the case. I didnt seem to get too much grip either?
Joey: Yeah...what are these wheels made of?
Chris: Uh...dont know if Im honest, but they were grippy enough in testing...Im not sure if it was the arena surface or the tyres but I think something different may be in order for next year.
Joey: Probably...thanks for coming though, its been great having Mega Masher here.
Chris: No problem, got to work on the others now.

The Chevron Championship Series 2: Medium Medium Speed Ones
Heat A
Semi Final Draw
(Sponsored by the Vote For Both Kane And Mike Because Theyre Both Fairly Decent People And Seem Nice Enough campaign)

Darkestar (1) vs. Hypertension Mk. 3.5
Back To Rock III vs. Battle Raptor 5

Tactics, comments, predictions, sea kittens?