Author Topic: Battle Mountain 2019  (Read 14140 times)

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #25 on: 15 August, 2019, 04:27:46 pm »
They are USAnian and haz a custom trailer.  See the launch video on their Farcebok page.

Quite extraordinary. Looks like one of Saddams old Scud missiles.

I was reminded of the R7, on account of the "let's just add more engines" principle.

Too neat and shiny to be Scud, and it's the wrong shape for Soyuz (no biconic wrap-around boosters) - if we're going with rockets rather than my initial suggestion of aircraft bits, I'm getting more of a Titan 23G vibe from Sprocket Rocket.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_23G
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #26 on: 15 August, 2019, 07:09:28 pm »
it's the wrong shape for Soyuz (no biconic wrap-around boosters) -
"We can rebuild it."

Oh, biconic. Never mind.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #27 on: 15 August, 2019, 09:29:42 pm »
That has induced my first foray into farcebork for about 6 months. 

That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #28 on: 15 August, 2019, 09:43:03 pm »
That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover

I'm guessing that's where the trailer comes into play, although that raises questions regarding getting the truck and trailer out of the way for the run - is the acceleration up to terminal speed slow enough that the truck could get down to the other end without being caught? Is there a convenient bit of hard-standing at the side of the road with enough room to turn Sprocket Rocket around to head back to the start?
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #29 on: 15 August, 2019, 10:00:52 pm »
it's the wrong shape for Soyuz (no biconic wrap-around boosters) -
"We can rebuild it."

Oh, biconic. Never mind.

"We can have an indecisive plenary, then break for lunch, get distracted by Steven Universe and sparkly BDSM gear, and sort it out with a lengthy argument on the internet later."?

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #30 on: 16 August, 2019, 06:31:13 pm »
Ah, very good! No, I was thinking of "the $6 million man". https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071054/
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #31 on: 16 August, 2019, 06:45:30 pm »
Ah, very good! No, I was thinking of "the $6 million man". https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071054/

I'm familiar with it.  Lots of running in slow motion, IIRC.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #32 on: 16 August, 2019, 07:35:14 pm »
That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover

I'm guessing that's where the trailer comes into play, although that raises questions regarding getting the truck and trailer out of the way for the run - is the acceleration up to terminal speed slow enough that the truck could get down to the other end without being caught? Is there a convenient bit of hard-standing at the side of the road with enough room to turn Sprocket Rocket around to head back to the start?

They wouldn't be allowed to send the truck and trailer down the road ahead of the HPV unless they're the first vehicle on the road in $HEAT (we can usually get four vehicles off at two-minute intervals before we have to re-open the road) and possibly not even then.

They could conceivably pull it off to one side, let the SR go and then follow it down the road - all the HPV's are followed by a chase vehicle in case of problems - though strictly speaking chase vehicles with trailers are Strictly Forbidden.  I understand the team is in discussion with my grate frend Arnold Ligtvoet, the chief start official, to work out a feasible way of doing it.

Turning space at the five-mile start is OK but not at either the start of the qualifying course or the finish.  At the latter they'd probably have to drive another mile down to the Buffalo Valley/Copper Canyon junction to find the space.

In other news Liverpool have announced their rider lineup, with veterans Ken Buckley and Yasmin Tredell joined by n00b Milo Dixon.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #33 on: 16 August, 2019, 08:03:31 pm »
That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover

I'm guessing that's where the trailer comes into play, although that raises questions regarding getting the truck and trailer out of the way for the run - is the acceleration up to terminal speed slow enough that the truck could get down to the other end without being caught? Is there a convenient bit of hard-standing at the side of the road with enough room to turn Sprocket Rocket around to head back to the start?

They wouldn't be allowed to send the truck and trailer down the road ahead of the HPV unless they're the first vehicle on the road in $HEAT (we can usually get four vehicles off at two-minute intervals before we have to re-open the road) and possibly not even then.

They could conceivably pull it off to one side, let the SR go and then follow it down the road - all the HPV's are followed by a chase vehicle in case of problems - though strictly speaking chase vehicles with trailers are Strictly Forbidden.  I understand the team is in discussion with my grate frend Arnold Ligtvoet, the chief start official, to work out a feasible way of doing it.

Turning space at the five-mile start is OK but not at either the start of the qualifying course or the finish.  At the latter they'd probably have to drive another mile down to the Buffalo Valley/Copper Canyon junction to find the space.

In other news Liverpool have announced their rider lineup, with veterans Ken Buckley and Yasmin Tredell joined by n00b Milo Dixon.
Two options spring to mind; get out and lift it up to turn it around, it can’t be that heavy; braces attached to the seats and leg holes below each rider, this idea has the added comedy value of a pantomime horse dragon - a pop up dragon head could be added for even more comedy value. An award could be awarded for added comedic performances especially to encourage this latter idea  ;D
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #34 on: 16 August, 2019, 08:09:39 pm »
That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover

I'm guessing that's where the trailer comes into play, although that raises questions regarding getting the truck and trailer out of the way for the run - is the acceleration up to terminal speed slow enough that the truck could get down to the other end without being caught? Is there a convenient bit of hard-standing at the side of the road with enough room to turn Sprocket Rocket around to head back to the start?

They wouldn't be allowed to send the truck and trailer down the road ahead of the HPV unless they're the first vehicle on the road in $HEAT (we can usually get four vehicles off at two-minute intervals before we have to re-open the road) and possibly not even then.

They could conceivably pull it off to one side, let the SR go and then follow it down the road - all the HPV's are followed by a chase vehicle in case of problems - though strictly speaking chase vehicles with trailers are Strictly Forbidden.  I understand the team is in discussion with my grate frend Arnold Ligtvoet, the chief start official, to work out a feasible way of doing it.

Turning space at the five-mile start is OK but not at either the start of the qualifying course or the finish.  At the latter they'd probably have to drive another mile down to the Buffalo Valley/Copper Canyon junction to find the space.

Fair enough!  :)
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #35 on: 16 August, 2019, 09:37:19 pm »
That thing must have a worse turning circle than my Land Rover

I'm guessing that's where the trailer comes into play, although that raises questions regarding getting the truck and trailer out of the way for the run - is the acceleration up to terminal speed slow enough that the truck could get down to the other end without being caught? Is there a convenient bit of hard-standing at the side of the road with enough room to turn Sprocket Rocket around to head back to the start?

They wouldn't be allowed to send the truck and trailer down the road ahead of the HPV unless they're the first vehicle on the road in $HEAT (we can usually get four vehicles off at two-minute intervals before we have to re-open the road) and possibly not even then.

They could conceivably pull it off to one side, let the SR go and then follow it down the road - all the HPV's are followed by a chase vehicle in case of problems - though strictly speaking chase vehicles with trailers are Strictly Forbidden.  I understand the team is in discussion with my grate frend Arnold Ligtvoet, the chief start official, to work out a feasible way of doing it.

Turning space at the five-mile start is OK but not at either the start of the qualifying course or the finish.  At the latter they'd probably have to drive another mile down to the Buffalo Valley/Copper Canyon junction to find the space.

In other news Liverpool have announced their rider lineup, with veterans Ken Buckley and Yasmin Tredell joined by n00b Milo Dixon.
Two options spring to mind; get out and lift it up to turn it around, it can’t be that heavy; braces attached to the seats and leg holes below each rider, this idea has the added comedy value of a pantomime horse dragon - a pop up dragon head could be added for even more comedy value. An award could be awarded for added comedic performances especially to encourage this latter idea  ;D
HPV racing x Mummers plays. Don't let the UCI know!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #36 on: 16 August, 2019, 09:50:06 pm »
Now starting to make me think of The Goodies with their trandem and "whacky music"
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #37 on: 17 August, 2019, 03:28:43 pm »
Word outta Tokyo is that they may have found a way to smuggle their bike out of the country.  Ear -> ground.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #38 on: 17 August, 2019, 03:51:49 pm »
Word outta Tokyo is that they may have found a way to smuggle their bike out of the country.  Ear -> ground.

They've told TPTB that the bike is for hunting down land-based whales in a scientific cull?  :demon:
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #39 on: 21 August, 2019, 02:50:30 am »
Just heard from our Sinister Agent at the Lander County Convention & Tourism Authority that the first team has already arrived in Battle Mountain :o.  They haven't said who, but my suspicion is Delft-Amsterdam.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #40 on: 22 August, 2019, 06:20:33 pm »
I notice that the copilot is at one end. Could they sit the other way round and pilot the way back? I don’t imagine the others have much view anyway. Just needs a reverse gear (or a fixie pedalled backwards) :demon:

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #41 on: 23 August, 2019, 10:39:17 am »
Short answer: no, because
  • Time, and
  • Policemen
We can only close the road for twenty minutes at a time and while the local Highway Patrol are very firmly on our side I suspect they would draw the line at allowing that thing on an open public highway.

NB: I do realise the question was not entirely serious  ;D
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #42 on: 23 August, 2019, 01:44:00 pm »
Short answer: no, because
  • Time, and
  • Policemen
We can only close the road for twenty minutes at a time and while the local Highway Patrol are very firmly on our side I suspect they would draw the line at allowing that thing on an open public highway.

NB: I do realise the question was not entirely serious  ;D
Are the locals generally supportive of the whole endeavour as well, or do you get a lot of grumbling about all the inconvenience the road closures cause?
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #43 on: 23 August, 2019, 06:09:06 pm »
How is the multi-person multi track slower than the single person multitrack?  Just no-body riding that?

Yes.  Multirider machines are rare enough as it is; I can only recall four appearing at Battle Mountain, all bikes.  Adding extra wheels also adds a new level of complication.  The other thing is the venue; IIRC the Vector record was set at the now-demolished Ontario Motor Speedway just outside LA.  It was basically a clone of Indianapolis, at much lower altitude and likely even flatter than Route 305.  No shortage of power in the thing.  A chap named Phil Norton is active in the FB group; he competed in the events of the late 1970s/early 1980s and says that Mr Barczewski's thighs were the same diameter as his waist, meaning custom-built trousers ;D

The Sprocket Rocket is a sight to behold, being a long shiny cylinder with pointy ends.  I'll try to post a picture when I'm on a Proper Computer.  I reckoned that the RAF dropped one on the Bielefeld Viaduct in 1945.

Bit of a late question but wasn't Mr. Barczewski a pro rider of that epoc. The name looks somehow familiar.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #44 on: 23 August, 2019, 06:42:20 pm »
Short answer: no, because
  • Time, and
  • Policemen
We can only close the road for twenty minutes at a time and while the local Highway Patrol are very firmly on our side I suspect they would draw the line at allowing that thing on an open public highway.

NB: I do realise the question was not entirely serious  ;D
Are the locals generally supportive of the whole endeavour as well, or do you get a lot of grumbling about all the inconvenience the road closures cause?

The locals are mostly in favour; since the demise of the Pony Express car race more than a decade ago we're pretty much the only event that brings in outsiders and their money*.  We do get the odd gripe from drivers, but since you can be stopped for half an hour at road works on USAnian roads I think most of them are used to it.  There isn't much traffic on the road we use anyway; drive the ninety-odd miles down to Austin and it's a busy day if you encounter a double-digit number of vehicles going the other way.

* which the Sheriff's Department is usually keen to get its share of
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #45 on: 23 August, 2019, 11:14:36 pm »
double digits, man that's heavy traffic.

I've ridden 30km without seeing a car in the wilds of Fenlandia
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #46 on: 29 August, 2019, 05:18:05 pm »
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" according to Laozi, but he nowhere mentioned having to engage in a protracted fight with a knackered Canon inkjet just to try to print a boarding pass.  The git.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Mr Larrington

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Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #47 on: 31 August, 2019, 05:29:05 am »
Now in Phoenix.  It is hot.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #48 on: 31 August, 2019, 02:57:09 pm »
Professor Field Marshal Minister Timelord Nogami says the results will appear on the event home page this year: http://ihpva.org/whpsc/
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Battle Mountain 2019
« Reply #49 on: 01 September, 2019, 09:14:20 pm »
Now in Phoenix.  It is hot.

There is a slight element of redundancy in this post.  ;D
What's this bottom line for anyway?