TSAR (Tri-State Auto Rally) held a Div 50 race-duel on Saturday, October 12, 2052. The Division 50 event was played in the Double Drum arena, with a few extra twists. A 3 game inch radius around each of the two pillars was labeled as the “Free Fire Zone”. Cars in the FFZ were permitted to use dropped weapons without penalty, and were able to have their tires fired upon. Cars outside the FFZ were penalized 5 points for every ¼ inch by ¼ inch dropped weapons counter they produced, voluntary or involuntary, and their tires were not permitted to be fired upon.

Full laps are defined as traveling from a designated starting point, around both columns, and returning to within 2 inches of the starting point, and are worth 30 points.

Half laps are defined as traveling from a designated starting point, around one column, and returning to within 2 inches of the starting point, and are worth 10 points.

Players in attendance included: Eric Freeman, David “Teflon Cobra” McGee, Bryon Gray, Curt Lindmark, Jeff Dodge, and Joe Reynolds.

While car schematics are still be established, a few fuzzy details are available:

Curt: Sheer Brutality: Mid-sized, gas, driver, gunner, ATG front with sabot warheads, ramplate, spoiler/airdam, radial tires, 8 dischargers.

Jeff : Cheese Whiz: Indy, gas engine, turreted rocket weapon, spoiler/airdam, 4 dischargers.

Eric: Carl Lewis 2052: Lux, gas engine, ramplate, spoiler/airdam, 10 dischargers.

Joe: NNN 50K: Reversed light trike, gas, TL and RL mounted left, spoiler/airdam.

Dave: The Steve Urkel: Reversed X-hvy trike, gas, HVMG mounted left, spoiler/airdam.

Bryon: Grim Reaper Millennium Edition: Mid-sized, electric, twin HMG with incend ammo front, ramplate, spoiler/airdam, slick tires.

And now on to the action:

In the western drum, Eric turns towards the other drum, Curt turns towards the other drum, Bryon shoots Curt. Curt turns back towards Bryon, can’t force a head-on ram, settles for a sideswipe and ices Bryon’s car (-10 Curt, for violating the FFZ), sending Bryon to HC –6. At 40 MPH, -6 isn’t all that bad, and two turns later, Bryon is up at full HC narely the worse for wear. He heads into the eastern drum to work on a full lap.

Meanwhile, in the eastern drum, Joe, Dave and Jeff start circling in a counter-clockwise fashion. As Jeff takes aim on the side of Dave, his computer informs him that he has no shooting solution, so he holds fire. Dave takes aim with his HVMG at Jeff, and his computer informs him that the structural integrity safeguards of his trike won’t allow him to shoot to the side. Cursing his design technicians, Dave also holds fire, waiting for a better shot through his back arc.

Joe accelerates and turns around the eastern hub, starting a half lap. Dave dodges past Eric’s ramplate and accelerates towards the western drum, starting a full lap.

Jeff, however, is not so lucky. Eric catches him in a 90 mph T-bone, and Jeff is categorically demolished by the impact to his racing frame. Full kill for Eric. (40 Eric, -40 Jeff)

However, Jeff’s BT’d ice discharger sends Eric vaulting end over end to plow roof first into the floor, to stop against the wall. Full Kill for Jeff. (0 Eric, 0 Jeff).

The ice discharger, however, was outside of the Free Fire Zone, and cost Jeff 40 points (-40 pts Jeff).

The remains of his wreckage sideswipes the wall, triggering an oil discharger, also outside of the Free Fire Zone (-80 Jeff).

The further remains of his wreckage head-on’s the point of the entrance to the northern tunnel, discharging a sand discharger, also outside of the Free Fire Zone (-120 pts Jeff).

Joe accelerates to high speed and starts making laps.

As Dave exits the northern tunnel, on his way to a full lap, Curt tries to intercept him with his ramplate, but some fancy driving leaves Curt with no chance to connect, much to Curt’s frustration and Dave’s delight.

After Dave avoids getting demolished by Curt, Curt heads into the eastern drum, looking to cut off Joe from scoring his first half lap. However, due to the carnage left by Jeff and Eric, Joe is able to complete his half lap (10 points Joe), avoid Curt altogether, and start a full lap, entering the western drum. Bryon follows Dave around the western drum and completes a half lap (10 Bryon).

Dave rounds the outer marker and turns back towards the eastern drum, sliding through the southern tunnel to find the front end of Curt’s ramcar yet again trying to force a collision. The nimbler Dave is yet again able to escape, and rounding the marker completes a full lap. (30 Dave) The yet again frustrated Curt heads back towards the western drum for other prey (and the completion of a full lap).

As Joe enters the western drum, Bryon pulls in along side, and soon behind the much faster Joe. Joe and Bryon exchange some gunfire to little effect, and the faster Joe easily gets ahead of Bryon. As they round the turn, Curt has come into the fray, having just completed a full lap (20 points Curt). Joe turns to the right, but not sharply enough, and Curt is able to tag his back quarter panel at a bone-crushing 100 mph! Having no side dischargers to ruin Curt’s day, Joe and his C/A framed reversed light trike are crumpled, and Curt’s ramplate is slightly dented but still more than adequate for the next collision..he hopes. Full kill for Curt (60 Curt, -30 Joe). As Bryon passes by the carnage, he completes a half lap (20 Bryon).

Meanwhile, Dave has his foot on the floor and is squealing rubber in the eastern drum, nearly pasting himself on the wall. He completes a half lap (40 points Dave), then opts for the longer laps and heads for the western drum. As he enters the western drum, Curt makes a beeline for him, attempting a head-on at a deafening 250 mph. After some quick math in his head, Curt realizes that with the dent on his bumper from Joe, his odds of survival are greatly reduced. Curt opts to avoid his third attempt at a head-on with Dave.

Having avoided Curt for the third time, Dave circles again, only this time to have Curt turn sharply to follow him. A wild ATG shot doesn’t discourage Dave from his path, but the unnoticed wreckage of Joe’s trike does. Dave brakes hard and turns sharply when he is long on speed and short on room, and is unable to maintain control, rolling at a teeth-jarring 110mph into Joe’s wreckage. Self kill on Dave (0 Dave).

As Bryon drives through the south tunnel on his way to a full lap, Curt completes a half lap (70 Curt). Curt leaves a well placed array of dropped weapons within the FFZ to make Bryon’s return to the western drum difficult. Curt hugs the inner wall of the western drum and quickly completes another half lap (80 Curt). In an effort to make Bryon’s return difficult, he drops more counters, but negligently leaves them on the edge of the FFZ, violating the Free Fire Zone border and costing himself 20 points. (60 Curt).

Bryon completes a full lap (50 Bryon), and avoids all the nastiness that Curt left for him, and starts another full lap. Curt follows him, neither one able to maintain LOS for actual combat.

As Bryon comes back from the eastern drum, he completes a full lap at the same time that Curt completes his full lap (80 Bryon, 90 Curt)

At this point, it becomes clear that Bryon can not get LOS on Curt and kill him in time, nor can he score 20 points before Curt can score 10 to reach the game-ending 100 points. The game is called at this point, and Curt is declared the winner!

Final standings are:

Curt 1st 92 Full kill (Joe), two full laps, two half laps, 30 point penalty, survived

Bryon 2nd 82 two full laps, two half laps, survived

Eric 3rd 2 full kill (Jeff), fully killed (Jeff), survived

Dave 4th 0 self kill, full lap, one half lap

Joe 5th –30 fully killed (Curt), half lap

Jeff 6th -120 full kill (Eric), fully killed (Eric), 120 point penalty