RACE TRANSCRIPT
LEG 1
It's a beautiful day here at Mt St Hilary. The seven racers are revving at the start line and they're off!
Wheeljack has a good start
Bluestreak looks to have a sluggish start
Sideswipe kicks it into gear
Red Alert stalls, doesn't look good
Hot Shot fires past admrably but...
Crosswise and Hot Rod are off to a flying start. Crosswise is sharing first place with Hot Rod and won't have an opportunity to let those missles fly.
It's Crosswise and Hot Rod in the lead, followed closely by Hot Shot and Wheeljack with Sideswipe hot on their heels and Bluestreak and Red Alert making up the rear.
LEG 2
Wheeljack shows us he's the king of the drift, capably taking the lead with some smooth cornering.
Bluestreak is also making these woods his home, making a real comeback in this leg
Although this ground is not his territory Sideswipe is holding a steady pace.
Red Alert. Oh Red Alert. Whats going on. He is suffering a serious breakdown, maybe even the mechanical sort, just crawling through his leg.
Hot shot is holding it steady but we can't say the same for Crosswise as he releases a targeted shot at the young Hot Shot. It's enough to rattle the youngster as Crosswise gains some ground on him.
Hot Rod is not liking this leg at all, these turns are really throwing him and he has slid back in the order equal with Sideswipe and Crosswise.
The leaders of Leg 1 have really taken a pounding. At the end of this leg it's Wheeljack first, Bluestreak second, Swipe, Streak and Wise sharing third and Red Alert far far behind.
LEG 3
We're now in Centre City and the race is still anyone's game.
Wheeljack is really in his groove, top speed and keeping the lead
Bluestreak is keeping up the pace
Sideswipe is also keeping pace
Red Alert has seem to have rediscovered his gearbox, shifting out of first and clawing his way back.
Hot shot has activated his Cyber Key Power!!! He surges ahead and snatches the lead!
But oh wait Crosswise has his sights set on the young Autobot and unleashes a terrifying barrage of missiles! It has really caused some damage and Hot shot falls back into second place.
Meanwhile Hot Rod is keeping an even footing with Crosswise, perhaps waiting for an opportunity to gain a couple of places and avoid being the spy's next target?
At the end of Leg 3 Wheeljack is still the race leader by a good few seconds followed by a sore Hot Shot, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Crosswise & Hot Rod and lastly Red Alert.
LEG 4
It's the paprika plains. We're hoping to see a decisive split in the race order here.
Wheeljack has lost a lot of the pace we've seen in earlier legs. However he still has the lead. Let's hope Crosswise doesn't see this as his chance to take down the race leader.
Bluestreak is gaining ground on Wheeljack
But Sideswipe cuts him off from the outside claiming second place!
Red Alert... I think the race is over for poor Red Alert. These plains are not doing him any good at all.
Young Hot Shot is battered but is still hot on the heels of the front order.
Now what will Crosswise do? Oh he's certainly got something against bots named 'Hot'. He goes all out on poor Hot Rod, making the turbo revvin young punk lose a full 6 seconds!
It's Wheeljack still in first, Sideswipe second, Bluestreak third, followed by Hot Shot, Crosswise, Hot Rod and Red Alert.
LEG 5
Lookout mountain. This is Wheeljack's territory. I would be amazed if he loses the leader from here.
Wheeljack, not doing as well as he should out on the mountain but thats okay, nobody else is doing very well either it seems.
Bluestreak seems to be suffering from compression issues, losing what ground he gained last leg.
Sidesipe is maintaining pace but not enough to snatch the lead.
Red Alert... Red Alert...
Hot Shot is suffering as well. The kid has really lost a golden opportunity to make it to the front of the pack.
Much to everyone's surprise Crosswise is feeling very much at home despite his poor handling. Who's he gonna go for this time? Oh no he's got his sights on Wheeljack! Unleashing a punishing barrage that has swatted him back to equal second.
Hot Rod is watching in sympathy, or perhaps fear as he drives it conservatively in this penultimate leg.
LEG 6
We're finally here at Autobot City. It's still a close race! Which racer will snatch victory???
Wheeljack is speeding for the finish!
Bluestreak digs deep and surges ahead to claim first place!
But wait, Sideswipe isn't giving up and kicks it up a gear to stop him.
Red Alert hasn't had much hope since leg 3. I'm just glad the poor guy made it here without being shot by Crosswise.
Hot Shot maintains pace but the Cyber Key Power usage earlier is costing him now, his engine is burnt out and he gains no ground.
Crosswise really has it in for Wheeljack, however his shots are largely off target costing Wheeljack only a second in time and gaining Crosswise nothing.
Hot Rod speeds it up but does not gain any places.
The question is now, who will make it to the finish first? Sideswipe or Bluestreak? Both these racers had sluggish starts but a combination of good luck and inspiring driving has resulted in these two fighting for the finish.
The last 1000 metres now. 500. 250. 100. They've hit the finish line! And.. and... and... ITS A DRAW!!!
Bluestreak and Sideswipe equal first. Wheeljack second. Hot Shot and Crosswise equal third and Hot Rod and Red Alert bringing up the rear.
RACE RESULTS
Man you got the first 4 racers but unfortunately it was a draw on first and third
I'm honouring the Sideswipe Win. You have won 140 Credits!
Sorry I didn't draw the cars starting order. Good idea for next time!
Unfortunately you have lost all your credits
Good betting! You have won 175 credits!
You have also won 175 credits!
Thanks for playing all, I'll try to set this up well in advance for next years cup. If theres enough punters interested I may even run some races before then.
For those who are interested I ran multiple 'heats' of this race to iron out balancing issues. There are still strong and weak racers but trust me this particular outcome was not one that was previously experienced!![]()