TSAR (Tri-State Auto Rally) held a Div 35 duel on Sunday, September 9, 2052.  The Division 35 event was played in the newly constructed HUD.

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

Victory conditions were normal: 80 points starts the 5 second clock, with an instant win at 100 (2.5 full kills).

Also in effect were jumping points and a no-dropped weapons penalty zone. Each jump that resulted in the front of the car crossing three yellow lines in the center of the HUD would earn the player 20 points. Each ½ X ½ counter of dropped weapons, regardless of how they were triggered, on the center platform or the area in front of the ramps would result in a –10 point penalty.

The design technicians have finished the schematics for the participants:

Gate 3: Jeff Dodge: All American Cheese: Sloped Compact with CA frame, Ext Hvy Chassis, Hvy suspension, medium electric PP with PC/SC, 4 solid radial tires, driver only. Laser right, sand discharger front, 2 ice dischargers left, 2 stickyfoam dischargers right, pyrophoric oil discharger rear, 2 flaming oil dischargers under. HRSWC, HTMs, active suspension, spoiler/airdam, 2 10 pt wheel guards back, 2 10 pt wheel hubs front, HD shocks, fake ramplate, 4 bumper triggers, 2 links. 10 pts FP CA armor on driver. Driver wears standard body armor and carries PFE. LR Metal/ normal plastic: F 6/30, B 6/30, L 6/30, R 6/30 T 0/5 U 0/10. $34,814.30, 4440 lbs, Accel 5, TS 95, HC 5.

Gate 7: Empty

Gate 1: Joe Reynolds: NNN: Mid-sized, hvy chassis, hvy suspension, blueprinted 200CID engine, 6 gallon HD tank, 4 solid tires, driver only. Targeting laser LGL’d to BTC VFRP w 30 AP shots front, oil jet back, sand discharger front, flaming oil discharger left, ice discharger back, flame cloud discharger under, paint discharger under. HRSWC, 6 links, FE, ramplate, HD Shocks, safety seat, 2 fake hubs front, 2 fake guards back, spoiler/airdam, snow tires. Driver wears standard body armor and carries PFE. Normal Metal/Normal Plastic: F 8/30, B0/31, L0/27, R0/27 T 0/13, U 0/13. $33,544, 5,280 lbs, Accel 15, TS 87.5, HC 3.

Gate 5: Joe Barlow: Maximum Damage: Sloped/Streamlined Compact, Xhvy Chassis, Hvy Suspension, 150 CID blue’d, tubed, VP’d, supercharged, 5 gallon econ gas tank, 4 PR steelbelted racing slicks. Anti-lock brakes, spoiler/airdam, HD Brakes, HD Shocks, ramplate, active suspension, safety seat, roll cage, 2 1 pt wheelguards back, 4 1 pt wheel hubs. Normal Plastic armor: F 90, B 32, L 32, R 32, T 1, U 7. $33,459.70, 4438 lbs, Accel 20, TS 112.5, HC 6.

Gate 4: Dave “Teflon Cobra” McGee: JUG: Sloped Compact with CA Frame, Xhvy chassis, hvy suspension, 150 CID with VP Turbo and tubular headers, 5 gallon economy gas tank, 4 solid racing slicks, driver only. VMG front with extra magazine (38 HD shots). Anti-lock brakes, 4 fake wheel hubs, 2 fake wheel guards, HD Brakes, HD Shocks, HRSWC, spoiler/airdam. Normal Metal armor/Normal Plastic armor: F7/35, B 6/22, L 8/30, R 8/30, T 1/1, U 3/5. $34,995.65, 4,439 lbs, Accel 15, TS 85, HC 5.

Gate 8: Curt Lindmark: Aurora Borealis: Sloped Mid-sized, Xhvy chassis, hvy suspension, large electric PP, 4 solid radial tires, driver only. Turreted gauss gun with extra magazine (16 shots), sand discharger front, 2 ice dischargers left, 2 flaming oil dischargers right, stickyfoam discharger back, 2 flame cloud dischargers under. Ramplate, 4 9 pt LR wheelhubs, 4 9 pt LR wheel guards, HRSWC, HD Shocks, LR spoiler/airdam, 4 bumper triggers, 5 links, HTMs, snow tires. 10 pts CA around driver, driver wears standard body armor and carries PFE. LR Plastic armor: F50, B20, L20, R20, T19, U11. $33,884.40, 5749.8 lbs, Accel 5, TS 90, HC 3.

Gate 2: Bryon Gray: Destiny: Sloped Mid-sized, Xhvy chassis, hvy suspension, 150 CID with turbo and tubular headers, 5 gallon economy gas tank, 4 HD radials, driver and gunner. Turreted pulsed twin laser. Laser Battery, HRSWC, spoiler, 2 10 pt wheel guards back, 2 10 pt wheel hubs front. Normal Metal armor/ Normal Plastic armor: F 7/27, B 5/30, L 5/35, R 5/35, T 0/4, U 0/5. $33246.60, 5,760 lbs, Accel 10, TS 70, HC 4.

Gate 6: Eric Freeman: Navigator ’52: Luxury, gas engine, driver & gunner, 4 tires. Targeting laser LGL’d to three rocket launchers right (27 guided shots, 3 unguided), HRWSC to laser, ramplate, spoiler/airdam. The remaining details of this design are classified.

Newly installed arena cameras were able to get a few snapshots of the high-paced and furious action.

Our eye in the sky caught this image just moments before the starting gun. From 1 o’clock, Jeff Dodge in the All American Cheese, down to Joe Reynolds in the NNN (No Name Needed), Joe Barlow in Maximum Damage , Dave “Teflon Cobra” McGee behind the wheel of the JUG, Curt Lindmark with the Aurora Borealis, Bryon Gray at the helm of Destiny, and last, but not least, Eric Freeman driving the Navigator 52.

As the cars race out of the gates, the duelists have an instant to fire on their neighbors. Of those that can, only a few miss. Navigator fires on All American Cheese, hitting with a triple guided rocket barrage. The All American Cheese lives up to its patriotic name, absorbing the damage with little to show for it. Destiny opens up on the Navigator’s front left tire, burning the armored hub off and damaging the tire. Aurora Borealis sends a shockwave of near-lightspeed aluminum spindles across the JUGs windshield, missing by a fraction of an inch.

JUG and Maximum Damage turn towards eachother quickly, and seem to be the first volunteers into what would be a bone-crunching collision. Maximum Damage instead opts to christen the ramps in the HUD, being the first TSAR member to (willingly) leave the ground in a match!

JUG quickly follows suit, lighting up the back of Maximum Damage with a barrage of steel for his trouble.

Navigator and All American Cheese pass within inches of eachother, weaponless side vs weaponless side. All American Cheese wisely opts not to head-on ram against Navigator, for the All American Cheese driver knows full well that his ramplate is fake and his frame is made from carbon-aluminum instead of old-fashioned Detroit steel.

While in mid-air, Maximum Damage attracts the attention of Destiny, who fires two shots at him, both missing. Navigator also tries to send a rocket barrage through the roof of the falling JUG, and misses.

Maximum Damage lands first, followed closely by JUG. JUG continues to send barrage after barrage of lead into the tail end of Maximum Damage, going so far as to run over the debris he causes, being unable to avoid it. Navigator is thrown into the mix, missing with a rocket barrage on Maximum Damage, but forcing him to turn left or face a certain head-on collision with another ramplated car. As Maximum Damage veers left, JUG veers right, taking a rocket barrage on the back from Navigator, which he shrugs off.

Jockeying for position, Aurora Borealis opts not to jump in front of NNN, and takes the long way around, allowing NNN to jump first, and Aurora Borealis jumps after, lighting up the tail end with a hail after hail of aluminum spindles, missing more than he hits.

Sadly, the newly installed cameras malfunctioned briefly, and no images were available of the NNN in flight.

Just prior to landing, NNN opted to violate the no-dropped weapons zone and place an ice sheet directly on the landing square of the Aurora Borealis,

hoping for a tragic end to the Aurora’s first flight. Much to the delight of team Aurora, the landing was shaking, but even a laser hit from the nearby Destiny wasn’t enough

to challenge the driving skills (and luck) of the Aurora driver.

While this mid-air ballet was occurring, the All American Cheese takes the scenic route around the outside edge of the arena, Destiny and Navigator pass by eachother, unable to draw a bead on the other, and circle the center platform, lining up an eventual jump of their own.

Maximum Damage tries to bring his front end to bear on Destiny. Unable to draw a bead, Maximum Damage takes a wide turn, planning on lining up another jump. Navigator, with his guns brought to bear, sends a trio of rockets into the side of Maximum Damage, caving in the armor and obliterating the top of the gas tank. Narrowly avoiding being completely eliminated, Maximum Damage turns sharply and spoils any further aim Navigator may have had.

Having managed to safely land, Aurora Borealis chases after the speedier NNN, getting one last shot before losing line of sight altogether.

As NNN ducks out of sight, he sets his sights on the back of All American Cheese, and let’s a laser-guided sixpack of VFRP rockets loose into his target. With the paint removed, the layer of metal armor shrugged off the damage completely. Realizing the futility of any future attacks, NNN switches to JUG as he comes into view.

Meanwhile, Destiny, Navigator and Maximum Damage have all managed to get to three different ramps at roughly the same time. A mid-air collision is highly anticipated:

A carefully captured frame by frame shows a tactical move unparrelled in the history of the HUD:

We see that Destiny, on the left, has considerably slowed down just prior to lift off, and is at a much lower altitude than Navigator and Maximum Damage.

As the cars near, it looks for certain that Navigator will be cut in half by the dedicated ram car Maximum Damage.

With a bone-jarring impact, Maximum Damage collides with the left side of Navigator, forcing damage inside, but not nearly enough to obliterate him, as the fans had thought.

What is unexpected is the what happens next: Destiny fires *thru* the undercarriage of Maximum Damage, killing the driver and scoring the first kill of the match!

Destiny was unable to score points for his jump due to his slow speed. Slowed down by the impact, the remains of Maximum Damage was unable to score points posthumously for his 2nd jump. Navigator, battered but not beaten, lands on the ice left by NNN at an odd angle, and holds on for dear life.

Meanwhile, All American Cheese circles the HUD, Aurora Borealis lines up from a long way away to follow Destiny over the ramp, and NNN pulls behind JUG,

and shears off JUG’s back right tire in the process with a hail of laser-guided rockets. Scraping paint on the wall, JUG and NNN narrowly avoid colliding with the outer wall.

As JUG and NNN come out near the landing ramp, they wind up dead in the sights of the just landed Navigator.

Navigator sends another barrage of rockets, this time at JUG’s front left tire, shearing that off, and making the JUG the second (mobility) kill of the match.

After a tap on the quarter panel from NNN, the JUG gets spun around and careens up the ramp, skidding and throwing sparks.

Our cameras were able to catch this right as Aurora Borealis was at the peak of his second jump:

NNN and Navigator engage back and forth, and Navigator shears off yet another tire, this time off of NNN. Struggling for control, NNN turns to bring his laser to bear, but is unable

to lock onto his target.

Meanwhile, the just landed Destiny is hit from behind by the laser of All America Cheese, and loses his back left tire. Turning slightly, Destiny spins out of control, coming to a dead stop. Aurora comes off the ramp, and fires at All American Cheese, missing by inches. All American Cheese and Destiny both fire lasers at Aurora’s side, with the driver thanking his lucky stars for the laser-reflective armor.

Navigator has started his second jump, and uses the extra altitude to his advantage, sending a rocket barrage down through the roof of All American Cheese. Having only two of his three rockets seek home, he breaches the roof but is unable to finish off All American Cheese.

Opting for a ram on the near-helpless Destiny, Aurora plows into the front end, doing enormous damage, with little effect to the well-armored front of Destiny. Forgetting to turn off his bumper trigger, Aurora drops sand from the collision, half inside the no-dropped weapons zone, costing him 10 points. All America Cheese takes off another tire on Destiny, becoming the third (mobility) kill of the match!. As Destiny is shoved aside by Aurora, Aurora lets off a flaming oil discharger (now just outside of the zone), hoping for an eventual completed kill from the fire damage.

As this was happening, the remains of JUG completes his 2nd jump, just short of the target line to earn him points:

Soon after, Navigator completes his 2nd jump, earning 20 points, and at 15 turns, the game was called.

The judges have reviewed the footage and the final standings are in:

Eric: 1st 60 two jumps, mobility kill on Dave

Curt: 2nd 30 two jumps, 10 pts penalty for dropped weapons

Jeff: 3rd 20 mobility kill on Bryon

Bryon: 3rd 20 full kill on Joe B, mobility killed by Jeff

Dave: 5th 0 completed jump, mobility killed by Eric

Joe R: 5th 0 completed jump, 20 pts penalty for dropped weapons

Joe B: 7th -20 completed jump, full killed by Bryon