Race 20, Skippy's Revenge

Thank you to our support crew. Every race they start us off, take good footage and most importantly, keep us safe. It's early, cold, sometimes wet and doesn't carry the same glory the pilots get. But without them, we'd be going nowhere. We appreciate their effort, especially when semis are involved.
We were going to race somewhere else this month, but the weather and some roadworks made that track a bit dumb, so it was off to old reliable Skippy's Revenge. It's not super-fast or super-steep (that's why we run it when the weather's bad), but it can prove deceptive if you haven't run it before and the 90° left hand turn to finish at the base of the hill in the wet is always fun.
And so there are some surprises. This is the official view the other competitors had of The Force, winner of the first place trophy. Some others may have been faster, but to finish first, you must first finish. There was a touch of Steven Bradbury to this result. This track has always finished around the corner and you need good brakes and steering to pull it off.

Official Results:

1. The Force
2. Death Machine
3. Paddles
4. Chariot of the Dogs
5. Flash (Crashed – pushed over line)
6. Bootylicious (Missed corner – pushed over line)
7. Enterprise (Missed corner – pushed over line)
8. Trouble Maker (Two flat tyres, but got there eventually)
9. Whispering Assassin (Missed corner)
10. Midnight Special (Crash – DNF)
    

Paddles was a bit miffed to get beat by a "novelty cart", but that's racing. As you can see, there is the start of some new bodywork, which may help in the aerodynamic department.
Don't be fooled by the body moulded contour seat, Chariot of the Dogs is built for speed. Perfectly balanced, lightweight and nimble, it picked up a respectable fourth place.
Although it did get a bit amorous and try to mount Death Machine. Bad dog! DM powered on to a worthy second place with it's ability to turn corners like it's on rails and a good build up of speed on these longer runs.
Enterprise hasn't raced this hill before so missed the corner in the first race to take a disappointing seventh, but was doing warp factor five when it crossed the line in the second race. So great was the heat generated that the front right wheel bearing melted into oblivion causing catastrophic vehicle steerage failure resulting in a massive crater. That means lots of work in the shed, because it's sister car...
...Flash made it's AIGRF debut. Nice red paint, good brakes, but the 90° left hand turn to finish at the base of the hill in the wet proved too much for the traditional rope billycart steering.
And Flash went crash!

Yet it still managed to beat this. After being parked for a few months, Trouble Maker is back with a new paint job. The last time this cart was white with red scallops, it didn't end well. It didn't start well this time with the front tyres going flat overnight meaning a very s-l-o-w run. Went better later when they were pumped up. Even though the pinstripes are outstanding, I liked it better when it was grey with teeth.
Bootylicious had a temporary pilot who missed the corner and just missed a top 5 finish. It got down the hill plenty quick though.
Midnight Special hadn't raced this track before either and so probably wasn't expecting the last corner to come up so fast. It should have – everything comes up fast in this thing. In spectacular fashion it spun out and mounted the gutter sideways, smashing both left wheels. Luckily there were no injuries and we look forward to seeing it back, hopefully to have more than one run with us.
The Whispering Assassin showed it had the pace, but after witnessing Midnight Special's pirouette á la gutter it decided discretion is the better part of valour and declined to take the 90° left hand turn to finish at the base of the hill in the wet and lived to race another day.

Watch the movie here.

Race 19, Meet the Flinstones

It was time to go to Bedrock again and Meet the Flintstones. Sadly, the council has not seen fit to resurface the road and we are a couple of cameras poorer because of it.
Seriously, they shook right out of their extensively engineered mounts!

Pictures of Old 47 are like pictures of Kymbo – rare. They're usually too far in front to be captured, and if they are they're blurry. 'What was that?' 'Dunno. Looked like Flipper.'
Bootylicious scored a top 5 finish, keeping her carefully applied race-face intact at all times.
I don't even know what this big cart was called. Sometimes I don't pay attention.But this is what a lot of us saw of it.
I do know it's a sister cart to the ever fast Obsession, that suffered from a poor grid position and got caught up in a bit of traffic.
If you just glance at this photo it looks like Quicksilver is a competitive cart...
...but sadly, this picture tells a more accurate story.
Despite his best efforts, Death Machine didn't break anything and finished all three runs. Here he is looking back up the track to get some more footage after a trademark end of race spin.
Teammate Death Ray tries to pass on some tactical information before passing Quicksilver. Or maybe he's just saying 'Hey, your front wheel's turning!'
The Force's repulsorlifts were working perfectly, and it positively glided down the hill with it's newly mounted lipstick camera getting some great footage.
Trollywood had a new pilot who held his nerve and got up on two wheels at the finish. He described the handling as 'a bit wobbly...' He'll be back.
Purpose built to compete in the AIGRF, Paddles always has someone new he wants to beat. At the moment that someone is Whispering Assassin, seen here sporting a new hi-tech windscreen. They were both at the pointy end and it was close.
Right behind them was Ton O' Fun. This thing should be the same speed as Quicksilver. It isn't. It's much, much, much, much, much faster. Some say it's something to do with the pilot...

Official Results:

1. Old 47
2. Whispering Assassin
3. Paddles
4. Ton-o-fun
5. Bootylicious
6. Death Ray
7. Obsession's Sister (or whatever it's called)
8. Death Machine
9. Trollywood
10. The Force
11. Obsession
12. Quicksilver

Our support crew rock, even the ones who have to be dragged hungover from their nice warm beds after only 2 hours sleep and then have to be supervised because they're probably still drunk. The sober ones are even better and the racers appreciate their dedication and acknowledge they wouldn't be going anywhere without them looking out for their safety. Thank you!

Watch the movie here!

Race 18, Weekend Detention

What better detention than to stir up the local suburban streets with 13 karts all pushing for the converted glory of being number one.

After the usual banter and psych up, we’re ready to roll – in literal terms.

Welcome home Blue Bandit. After a few months travelling the world, seeing the sites and searching for new tracks, BB is back with vengeance.

Whether in or out of the seat, Old47 felt at home on this track like a monkey with poo on his finger! It was first or nothing.

Paddles enjoyed a good clean run and worked its way up the leader board.

My God get a tan on those things… Chariot of the Dogs bearing skin in a chance that it may blind enough drivers to crash out.

Kymbo, like gravity, attracts a mass of bodies around it at the start. Don’t be fooled though, when in warp speed – not many can keep up with it.

Showing its mid-rear-end-field dominance, Quicksilver showing others the inside line.

There is nothing like sibling rivalry, with Bootylicious and Ton-o-Fun pushing each other. Champagne for one and tears for the other.

Strong finish for a strong kart, Enterprise had a good run on its maiden trip.

After the near write-off last month, Death Machine had plenty of work to do just to make it back on the track. The repairs must have worked well as DM had another strong race and survived this time without any scars.

Motion blur photography? Nah, it’s just The Force showing its true nature and doing what it does best.

How is that for speed? Death Ray is actually overtaking a car and leaving it as though it was standing still.

DMax and The Force pushing hard to beat the sunrise.

Would you pick this man up at your local bus stop? Wearing a really cool shirt and one hand on the two-way – have a guess which hand!

As always, we would like to thank all supporting crew that help make this happen.

Official results:

1. Old 47
2. Kymbo
3. Ton-o-fun
4. Death Ray
5. Death Machine
6. Paddles
7. Bootylicious
8. Chariot of the Dogs
9. Enterprise
10. The Force
11. Blue Bandit
12. DMax
13. Quicksilver

Movie will be uploaded very soon.

Race 17, Snappy Hour

It has been quite a few months since this track has felt our presence - but it hadn’t forgotten us. Last time, the weather had turned, being wet and damp. This time the sun was shining and the dust was flying.


Whispering Assassin focused and ready to go.


With chunky tyres and a broad wheelbase, Ton-o-fun literally ate this run with a well-deserved first place.


Death Machine pushing the boundaries of gravity with a before…


…during…


…and after shots.


With eyes of a great white shark, Bootylicious is looking for its next prey.


Talking about facial expressions, check out this stunned mullet. DMax’s first race went exceptionally well and made it to the bottom without any problems.


Chariot of the Dogs catching its breath and admiring the sunrise. It maybe a whippet in size but definitely has a nasty bite.


Rematch time between the rock wall and Quicksilver. Last time saw the rock wall deliver a crushing blow to Quicksilver however this time QS just pulled its pants down and said "screw you".


Death Ray and Red Rocket pushing hard, in fact a little too hard on the right hander, with Red Rocket rolling...


…and rolling.


Followed by some precision driving by Bootylicious.


Not to be outdone by Booty, Whispering Assassin shows some neat drifting skills to miss traffic.


Dust from the carnage ahead meant that Paddles had to drive blind and hope for the best.


The Rocket shows its ticker and get back on track.

As always, we would like to thank all supporting crew that help make this happen.

Official results:
1. Ton-o-fun
2. Red Rocket
3. Death Ray
4. Paddles
5. Whispering Assassin
6. Bootylicious
7. DMax
8. Quicksilver
9. Chariot of the Dogs
10. Death Machine

Race 16, Tower of Terror

Tis the month of festivities so why not spread the fun in suburbia by running the Tower of Terror again. A sharp steep drop followed by a nasty left-hander seemed the best way to commence our Christmas cheer. Numbers were low for this race but didn’t mean that the intensity wasn’t there.


Kymbo sporting the Christmas looks and delivers the goods with ease, taking the win with style and grace.


Off and racing. Bootylicious doesn’t mind mixing it up and splitting the boys. In most cases out muscles the men with ease.


More speed in a straight line? Nah, Death Ray proves that going sideways is not an issue and handles it on any course.


Midnight Special taking the lead and on the way to a first place… whoa hang on, would have been first place but ended up carrying too much speed into the left hander, kissed the curb with enough force to retire for the day and also require a few stiches on top of the dislocated knee! Sorry no gore shots!


A veteran runner but sporting a new set of wheels, Chariot of the Dogs made its debut and survived the Tower. Look out in future races for Dogs as it will be there leading the pack.


As one new kart starts, another one retires. Sad to see but Fruit Loop officially retired after this race to greener pastures (to the back shed – to give the red backs something new to play with). The driver will return with a new ball breaker, but not with the same ridiculous paint job though!


Another race, another podium for Ton-o-fun, this time showing the skills of racing in a straight line and only using three wheels. Four wheels are overrated!


Where there’s smoke, there’s the Death Machine. As usual, from the first ever race to now; only ever applying the brakes after the race has finished. Crazy!


The epic battle of all times – Good v Evil – Luke v Vadar, well maybe a slight stretch but the Force is giving Ton-o-fun some serious pressure.


Just cruisin’, Paddles in the overtaking lane about to round up Fruit Loop. Probably the closest two karts on the day with the Loop just managing to scrape home by a whisker.



Check out Whispering Assassin, the body just reeks of speed and proved so with a podium finish even with a flat tyre after hitting a big pothole halfway down the hill. Can’t wait to see its speed on the longer runs.


As always, we would like to thank all supporting crew that help make this happen, especially this time of year when things are most hectic.

Official results:
1. Kymbo
2. Ton-o-fun
3. Whispering Assassin
4. Death Ray
5. Death Machine
6. Bootylicious
7. The Force
8. Fruit Loop
9. Paddles
10. Chariot of the Dogs
11. Midnight Special (D.N.F.)

Race 15, Grizzly Adams Has A Beard

Out to the boondocks for this race. You wouldn't think anyone would call the police on us way out here, would you? You'd be wrong.
But they were very nice gentlemen, professional and courteous. Just wanted to make sure we didn't have any motors and weren't doing anything too stupid. We assured them we weren't and we'd finished anyway. Everyone was happy.
Trollywood was the first casualty. A new driver and a bit too much air in the tires saw a blowout, but luckily just a spin and no flip.
Quicksilver did nothing. Went better in the third race of the day when someone else drove it. Obviously nothing wrong with the cart then...
Agent Orange chugged along nicely until Quicksilver's pilot drove it in the third race. Then it needed a push off the line and lost a wheel at the end. Can you see a pattern here?
Trouble Maker has new paint. Not sure why, everyone liked the teeth. It's said to be inspired by the cover of the 2008 Street Machine Hot Rod Annual. Needs work. Performed well enough though.
This race saw the long-awaited debut of The Force, an awesome Luke Skywalker Land Speeder complete with non-functioning thrusters. One of them fell off, but that will never happen again. This cart doesn't actually have wheels, but floats along the ground.
And eighth in its first time out is pretty respectable. The pilot has been with us since the beginning and has been a regular driver of Trollywood. It was worth the wait.
Another debut was Chariot Of The Dogs, replacement for the retired Superkart 3000. Another good first time result, with better sure to come once pilot and machine get used to one another.
Bootylicious was once again towards the front, skillfully avoiding the Trollywood mishap, making up places on the course with some devilish manoeuvres and racing for position until the very end.
Everyone should have an obsession like Obsession. Politness prevents me from revealing the age of the pilot, but I sure hope I'm still that fast and dedicated when I get there.
Death Machine was the sole representative of Team Death this outing and certainly didn't let the side down. The signature hard racing, flourishes of speed and trademark spinout finishes were all there.
Ton O' Fun also provided a spectacular finish, literally disappearing in a cloud of tyre smoke while doing a 540 spin before coming to rest mere millimetres from the guard rail before the bridge at the finishline. The pilot was worried about trolls living under the bridge and decided to stop before it.
Kymbo made a valiant second place finish despite starting at the very back of the field. Shows how fast this thing really is. Sometimes there's not much footage of Kymbo because nobody can get close enough to record it.
Our worthy winner made a big effort to be a part of the AIGRF. Leaving at 3.00am and travelling from out Penrith way to race with us at 6.00am requires dedication. But it paid off, with Midnight Special taking first place in its debut AIGRF race. This thing not only goes like a rocketship, it looks like one too!
The cockpit is fantastic and it rivals The Force in the looks department.
Magnum PI, although unfinished, had a run in the second race. It probably shouldn't have and is now even more unfinished. Oh well.

Official Results

1. Midnight Special
2. Kymbo
3. Ton O' Fun
4. Death Machine
5. Obsession
6. Bootylicious
7. Chariot Of The Dogs
8. The Force
9. Trouble Maker
10. Agent Orange
11. Quicksilver
12. Trollywood (DNF)

Note: Red Rocket raced too, but not in the trophy race.
Big thanks to support crew for big support once again. Movie up here!

Race 14, Who's Your Daddy?

Who could forget last time?
It wasn't for lack of trying or going extremely hard, but no major stacks this time. Ton O' Fun gave it a good crack. Look at the flex on that! Obviously, keeping that fourth wheel on the ground creates too much drag on high speed corners...
It's a cool hill though, and we had 13 racers ready to have a crack.
Kymbo blitzed it. While some of us were having trouble getting off the start line (we may have started just a little bit beyond the crest), Kymbo was turning 'the corner of death' and on his way to another race win. Writing off White Lightning hasn't dented confidence at all.
Old47 made its AIGRF debut at a blistering pace. It's massive, and that proved a bit of a hassle when it came to getting back up the hill to make a second run. We hear a purpose-built street racer is in the works.
Paddles made a comeback. We all wish we had a quiver of racers we could choose from depending on what track we were running. Especially when they're all guaranteed to finish at the pointy end of the field. Obsession ran strong but was controversially disqualified for a wheelchair push start. I don't think he really minded: he got to fly really fast down a big hill and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.
Subrid sported some new bodywork, but is still plagued by some technical issues. It's only a matter of time before it starts posting some wins.
Bootylicious also sported some new bodywork in the form of a bright pink racing suit. It's all about coordination, she was the envy of all the boys!
Death Ray has struggled with form recently and only just held out against Trollywood. The old wheels, a new bonnet and scary red eyes should have seen it further up the rankings.
It may have been cautious cornering on those tall wheels that held Red Rocket back this month, but the start position wouldn't have helped either.
But the big race was actually between Quicksilver and the Blue Bandit. History will show BB won in race one, but what happened in the real, real contest in race two when they lined up side by side? Well, history will show BB won that too. But it was close! Quicksilver looks forward to BB coming back in January for a rematch...

Official Results:
1. Kymbo (awarded 1st)
2. Old 47
3. Paddles
4. Ton-o-fun
5. Subrid
6. Bootylicious
7. Death Ray
8. Trollywood
9. Blue Bandit
10. Quicksilver
11. Red Rocket
12. Death Machine (awarded the skunk)
13. Obsession (DQ for wheelchair start)

Race controllers, as always, kept us safe and got us going. We'd be lost without them. Thank you! Awesome movie coming soon!

Race 13, Baker’s Delight

13 karts for race 13, was this an omen or just perfect planning?

After the previous postponement, we finally were cleared to race the mountain. Not just any downhill run but the Mount Panorama of billy kart in Australia. 3km long and the possibility of 100kph plus!

Not that you could tell by the relaxed state of the drivers…
With the usual chinwagging underway, it was time to pullout the gravity beasts and see some new and improved karts.
Ton-o-fun, with the full body kit looks just as menacing as its master. Can’t wait to see it next to the purposely-built Ferrari, Ton-o-seriously-fast-fun?
Dogmatic, all primed and ready to go, had received a makeover since the last run. After placing a close second last time, will it be enough to get it over the line first this time?
Team Death must have had a special deal on the gas struts. With Death Machine sporting the new boot last race, Death Ray arrives with a new bonnet (or one massive air brake if it comes up mid-race). Wonder if the tradition will be kept alive for the next race and we’ll see another gas strut…
Race time. What a feeling, sitting at the top of the mountain, ready to go and someone yells out "are you shitting yourself?" Hell yes and loving it.
Ton-o-fun and Death Ray battling it out. Experience versus youth. Size against maneuverability. We can see this fight will go for many races to come.
Another bullet like performance, Obsession finding it easier going on the other side of the road.
Over the two races on the day, it was hard to separate Agent Orange and Fruit Loop. On both occasions Agent Orange toppled Fruit Loop, even with a tyre blow out on the last race.
Now please take note of this image and see if you can spot the difference with the next image.
White Lightning cruising in first place, a mile in front (well, mostly likely would have been if it had finished to whole race) had a little dance and a twirl with the asphalt at over 100kph and parked it next to a tree. That’s it unfortunately for White Lightning – rest in peace. You will be sorely missed.
Can that really read 89kph? The impressive figure of Bootylicious clocked an impressive figure on the dial as well, placing it on the podium. Another great Booty drive.
With teammate White Lightning out of the race, Kymbo takes on the competition and finds some breathing space.
On a ride as wide as this one, Trouble Maker luckily didn’t live up to its name and had a trouble-free run. Good to see Agent Orange and Fruit Loop still fighting each other in the background.
Trollywood, now with a regular driver, is making consistently fast runs and threatens the top runners. Imagine a fleet of these at your local shopping centre. Although this driver has his own, very impressive ride near completion so would anyone who thinks they can handle the fame and speed of the Trolly please stand up.
What a track to test a new kart on but this didn’t worry Illusion at all. With a few minor tweaks before the next race, this one will fly.
As always, we would like to thank all supporting crew that help make this happen and remember, you are most welcome to jump into our karts and have a run.

Official results:

1. Ton-o-fun
2. Death Ray
3. Bootylicious
4. Obsession
5. Trollywood
6. Kymbo
7. Death Machine
8. Dogmatic
9. Trouble Maker
10. Agent Orange
11. Fruit Loop
12. Illusion
13. White Lightening (DNF)

Check out the movie