A look at the current teams, and some of our past efforts

2011 - Participating Hackerspaces

Pumping Station: One

Team Owner: Patrick Callahan
Team Driver: Beth Callahan / Lindsay Oliver
Car Number(s): #1
Victories: 2 (13 starts)
Notes: 2009 PPPRS CHAMPIONS

Founded all the way back in 2009 known as “The Todd Iaunuzzi Experience” this is the oldest team in PPPRS. It is the only team to be still competing from the inaugural season, and with the first championship forever tucked under their arms one would have thought that the disasters of their 2010 season would have been avoidable. After a massive restructuring for 2011 under team owner Patrick Callahan the team huddled around a conservative chassis design to return to winning ways. With skillful driving from rookie driver Beth Callahan the team ended their 2-year losing streak at Kansas City with a complete domination of the Endurance Race. Though the season lost out of any podium hopes early in Detroit, the team lumbered on to a solid 5th place finish amongst a vastly competitive field. For 2012 Callahan has vowed to return the title to Chicago, but time will only tell if the oldest team in PPPRS still has that competitive edge .

i3Detroit

Team Owner: Nick Britsky / Ted Hansen
Team Driver: Karen Corbeill
Car Number(s): #3
Victories: 2 (11 starts)
Notes: 2010 PPPRS DRIVER’S CHAMPIONS

Some would assume that after the disastrous motor implosion in Kansas City that i3 would step down their efforts to win in 2011. Perhaps they would start rebuilding for next season and keep this year’s operations low key. How wrong were most of us when i3 Detroit returned to the grid, armed with an immensely aggressive Karen Corbeill driving for the team. The frantic recovery, led by Ted Hansen, was the product of overnight work on the car with vast improvements including a brand new 1000watt motor. The team quite literally rose from the ashes of their KC failures and mounted an intense campaign, against all odds. The car was twitchy, tight and downright scary, but nobody told Karen that. She flipped the vehicle in practice and practically drove the wheels off of it during the race weekend. With two dramatic victories, Karen lifted the team 7 positions up in points in a single day. The skills of the team and the driver took the racing to another level and PPPRS can only imagine what this never-say-die team will achieve in 2012.

Milwaukee MakerSpace

Team Owner: Tom Gralewicz
Team Driver: Tom Gralewicz / Royce Pipkins / David Feng / Sean Malloy
Car Number(s): #314 #5 #666 #25
Victories: 3 (11 starts)
Notes: 2010 PPPRS CONSTRUCTOR’S CHAMPIONS

“If I ever win a race I will retire” These were the words of Tom Gralewicz, a man who came so close, so many times to tasting victory in his Pink Barbie Trike. Two seasons of unending frustration all while having the “fastest power wheel in a straight line” left Tom with a sense of something missing; a void perhaps. Things changed, and on a fateful Saturday in Detroit, Tom faced off HackPGH in the final round of the Drag Race, the crowd held its breath as the Pink Trike managed to not snap in two, not burn out a motor, lose bearings or even catch on fire. Tom eased the throttle and won in a fashion that was bittersweet and triumphant. The next day as he finished the endurance race in a typical DNF with a destroyed gearbox, the Pink Barbie Trike was put to rest, thus ending a legacy – and introducing PPPRS to its first officially retired driver. We will see Tom next year helming a microphone, as he takes to the booth to provide commentary and careful insight to power wheel construction. MM also fields three other vehicles, including a yearly title contending “Grave Digger.” I usually get into a rant about these machines, but Tom’s retirement kind of put me in a downer. (I’m going to have to get drunk now –Ed.)

CCCKC

Team Owner: Sharon Mehl
Team Driver: Sean Chartier
Car Number(s): #911 #813 #916
Victories: 0 (8 starts)
Notes: Rookie Family Team from CCCKC whom Hosted KC Event for 2011 Season

Formerly the outfit known as Duct Tape and Zip Ties, the team was so impressed with Kansas City’s hackerspace in a cave that they signed up wholesale. As CCCKC’s works teams retired early in the season DT&ZT carried the hackerspace-in-a-cave’s banner for the remainder of the season. While Detroit’s fortunes for the team left them struggling, and ultimately falling short of a podium finish, the team’s first year’s operations were a complete surprise. Rising against the collective resources of entire hackerspaces, the family-run team battled with some of the best, and even won. With experience from FIRST robotics contests in their illustrious past, it is certainly a bright future ahead for Duct Tape & Zip Ties, as they will lead CCCKC’s PPPRS operations into the 2012 season, and possibly into new title hopes.

Sector67

Team Owner: Chris Meyer
Team Driver: Mr. Lucha
Car Number(s): #67
Victories: 4 (8 starts)
Notes: 2011 PPPRS DRIVER’S & CONSTRUCTOR’S CHAMPIONS

They came from nowhere, the silent and tenacious team from the quiet Madison, Wisconsin. Despite the earnest efforts of 10 other hackerspaces from all over the Midwest, there was not a single thing stopping Sector’s steamroller of domination. The car was built with intense care; dual 500 watt direct drives with disc brakes, regenerative braking and even onboard telemetry that reported back to pitlane. There was no shortage of innovation that saw what PPPRS would simply call “maddening.” The crew, despite donning Lucha masks, showed a level of professionalism that looked more like a racing team than a bunch of very clever nerds.  These boffins should never be underestimated, because they managed to not only race for both wins and moxie, but they successfully created a machine that is the envy of every boy and girl both young and old in the country. As they collected the Tesla Cup this season rest assured that for at least one year they have built the best Power Wheels ever made.

iHacked

Team Owner: Bill Swearingen
Team Driver: ??????
Car Number(s): #457
Victories: 0 (2 starts)
Notes: New for 2011, they Hack the Planet for you!

One of the new privateer teams of PPPRS, i-hacked have made the distinction of being the only PPPRS team in history to use Kickstarter. This is not as much of an amazing feat as much as an astonishing lack of forethought from every other team who failed to utilize something as clever as Kickstarter to fund everything.  If any of us have some marbles left after this season’s insanity we should see an entire field of Kickstarter cars next year.  Also they dug up my personal phone number and made it their car number. Clever girl.

Omni Corp Detroit

Team Owner: Anderson Walworth
Team Driver: Brandon Richards
Car Number(s): #313 #29 #784
Victories: 1 (7 starts)
Notes: 2010 ENDURANCE RACE WINNER Coming back in 2011 with a 4-Car Team

The new strategy for the ages, and a message to the racing world: be loud and party all the time. OCD stunned us in 2010 with a fantastic Endurance dominance and this year shocked the racing establishment with an all-Moxie assault of the points. Andrew WK would be proud. Their “Banana Phone” monstrosity was the toast of the town, and the noise bumped so loudly that a dance party broke out on grid. OCD is a hackerspace in the sense that they build for the pure joy of building. They ignored most commonalities of competition, like building a sleek, low slung car. They destroyed the notion that “fast is successful” by dominating the Moxie points in 2011. Though their “fast” attempts at the races were vested in a vehicle which required a huge hunk of metal to stop one of two drive wheels from spinning, the team’s technical prowess rested in the delicate art of crowd pleasing. OCD was intent on having a good time, and not only did they achieve this, they set a new standard for boom-boxing teams everywhere.

ElectroMagnate

Team Owner: Electromagnate/Maker Tees/Patrick Callahan
Team Driver: Jordan Bunker
Car Number(s): #23
Victories: 0 (8 starts)
Notes: PS:One Spin-off Team for 2011

2009 seems to be too far away for Jordan Bunker. After narrowly missing out on being Power Racing’s first champion the luck for the Bunker legacy has run dry. As of this season Bunker is the most seasoned driver in PPPRS having clocked 12 starts in 3 years. After a disasterous 2010 season as the reserve driver for the broken PS:One team, Jordan again spent most of 2011 sidelined after several unfortunately timed race incidents placed him out of well-deserved finishes. Between a fried motor in Kansas City and GraveDigger sending him into the wall at Detroit, little is left for Jordan to go but up. For 2012 Jordan vows to return with his own team, in a hope to improve his odds and possibly change his fortunes.

Hack Factory

Team Owner: Twin Cities Maker
Team Driver: David Bryan
Car Number(s): #612
Victories: 0 (4 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: fresh from the Twin Cities

Another new team from Twin Cities, their quick debut was somewhat problematic. Their machine, made in only an incredible weekend of fueled insanity was more of a hill climber than a racer. Despite the major handicap the team was incredibly helpful. The other projects that the team focused on at Maker Faire made their PPPRS entry a bit neglected, but we can’t blame a hackespace for over-stretching themselves, it is the Ms. Frizzle thing to do. Anyways it would also be too hypocritical of our PPPRS writing staff who comprise of one tired guy and three stuffed animals on keyboards. One of these days we’ll afford somebody to write something better than that.

LVL1

Team Owner: LVL 1
Team Driver: Jen
Car Number(s): #106
Victories: 0 (2 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: new from Louisville

One of the last-minute teams to sign up for the 2011 season, LVL1 decided to go all out – for moxie. Due to a few issues with the PPPRS staff having too much on their plate and a few too many beers accidentally poured on the servers, LVL1 downloaded the rules…for 2009. This may not be significant to those who aren’t savvy with PPPRS rulemaking (and who could blame you, we hardly are –Ed.) but it basically meant LVL1 constructed a stock-wheeled machine that had to somehow “largely remain a power wheel.” This, predictably, did not bode well in the speed department against our NASCAResque “race car with a production car shell” philosophy. Despite this, they took it in stride and created what is simply a masterpiece of gaudy beauty. Custom light kits, glowing RGB ground effects lighting, working turn signals and a professional body-shop level paint job made the #106 entry a feast for the eyes. They might not have been fast, nor reliable, but they were stunning to look at. We hope to see an entry that does all three next season from this fantastic space from Louisville, Kentucky

All Hands Active

Team Owner: All Hands Active
Team Driver: ?
Car Number(s): 451
Victories: 0 (3 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: fresh from lovely Ann Arbor

“Have fun, worry about everything else later” – this would be the motto of that “Non-Detroit Hackerspace from Michigan” from lovely Ann Arbor. These creative titans were not out for competitive cake, but for a mere taste of a smooth weekend drive cookies (note to self, don’t write on an empty stomach – Ed.) and they were not disappointed. Showing up with a barely modified drivetrain but a heavily modded body the team was prepared to bump and grind with pool noodle-lined bumpers and custom battery mounts. The car was interesting to say the least and very uncompetitive to say the most, but that’s not the point: this is power racing we are talking about here. The team made routine pit stops just to change wigs. They embraced the maker spirit by borrowing and lending to the teams in the pit stalls. The team was excited to be there, and PPPRS was glad to see yet another space get the point – it’s not where you finish, it’s how you finish. In that respect All Hands Active finished very well.

Lone Hacker

Team Owner: Lone Hacker
Team Driver: Kyle “The Lone Hacker”
Car Number(s): 123
Victories: 0 (4 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: a lonely hacker from Omaha

Kyle is a typical Power Racer all the way from Omaha. Travelling far and wide to the Kansas City Race,  he was a one-band man who managed to show the world exactly what the Power Racing is all about. With a well built, high sitting racing “machine” was slow and meandering yet elegant. His persona, the Lone Hacker, featured a comically large cowboy hat, fake cap guns and a cowboy shirt that only Marty McFly could relate to. He wasn’t out to win, he wasn’t out to be serious, he was there to have a good time. The crowd at Kansas City was fully aware of his antics, and he posted some of the highest Moxie points of the entire series, narrowly missing out to Sector’s powerhouse and Omni Corps’ Banana Car. Those are some pretty illustrious teams to be compared to, and to that end the Lone Hacker is a champion in his own right. It is our hope that PPPRS sees more teams like his in the future, fully dressed up for maximum hilarity.

Hack Pittsburgh

Team Owner: HackPitsburgh
Team Driver: ?
Car Number(s): 404
Victories: 0 (4 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: car spent 6 months in development

The “Pittsburger” from HackPGH was a pleasant surprise. The vehicle, colorfully constructed of a foam burger patty and French fries was also delightfully quick. The handling however left for much to be desired. The high center of gravity made cornering a hazardous experiment at best. Despite this, it was one of the fastest teams at Detroit and posted some screaming lap times during the endurance race. The Pittburger even managed to hold off the titans at Sector 67 before relenting in one of the much harder to negotiate hairpin turns. Hack PGH represented a fine late entry to the 2011 season and also scored a modest, yet ample about of Moxie. It will be exciting to see what machine they can come up with next.

Black Frog

Team Owner: TFD Racing
Team Driver: ?
Car Number(s): 24
Victories: 0 (1 starts)
Notes: New for 2011: late entry for the season

Late to the race, but not to the party, BFR might have only competed in the final race of the season, but their ingenious four motor design proved to be incredibly fast. Though multiple pit stops and mechanical gremlins kept them outside of a podium finish in the Detroit Endurance Race, they still managed to debut a wonderful debut. The 2012 season should be wide open for their efforts from the scrappy group of FIRST robotics competitors. With hopes high for a few post-season improvements, they could very well poised to make great progress next season.

2009-2010 Past Teams

J-Squad

Founded with the shared dream of creating a team of too many people who’s names start with the letter J, J-Squad posed a threat to the championship, but fell just shy of Gold. Piloted by part time bear hunter Jordan Bunker, the JS-01 proved formidable, but slower than its top competitors. The vehicle paid homage to the legendary Team Lotus and was adorned with the mascot of the team, Flinty McPistolock, a fictional magical thing that contributed nothing but being badass. The team ate many cupcakes and smoked many cigars before submitting to the merger with Todd Ianuzzi Experience earlier this year.

E-Team

Team Owner: Eric Michaud
Team Drivers: Sacha De’Angelia, John Stoner

Under the same premise as J-Squad, E-Team was comprised of two Erics. Of those two Erics, one left the team because he, one day, wandered into the desert and disappeared chanting something about a “coyote spirit guide.” Despite this, it was one of the only expense-free teams, (having been sponsored by a clever little company known as Best Express Messenger Inc.) One of the fastest cars of the series, the team experienced multiple setbacks (such as having neither Eric present for race day), thus falling short of any victory. (Unless you consider failure a victory, in which case you are either crazy, or the team manager.) The team lumbered on for a season, until their vehicle was jacked by a guy with a giant flatbed (that really happened).

Todd Ianuzzi Experience

Team Owner: Nicole Nuelist
Team Mechanic: Tim Saylor
Team Driver: Sarah Sutherlin

Nicole Nuelist (aka rogueclown) had never owned a team before, but her success with driver Sarah Sutherlin would convince people otherwise. All but dominating the first season, the unsuspecting little, Chief O’Neils’ sponsored, number 42 finished consistently throughout, holding off the faster J-Squad and E-Team entries with overwhelming agility. Sarah Sutherlin proved to be extremely helpful, due to the fact that she drove well and because she was a girl. The crowd really likes girls on children’s toys for some reason.

The team was a part of the Pumping Station: One buyout as needed in the 2010 rules change allowing only hackerspace submitted teams. The merger with J-Squad finalized the deal and the team survives as PS1:GP.

Amazing Carbon Rods

Team Owner: Jimmy Cravens
Team Driver: Josh Kruger

DJ duo, Jimmy “One-Punch” Cravens and Josh “Gazebo” Kruger, were the brains behind this, somewhat- operational, team. Though they didn’t win a single race, nor finished any, they managed to earn a lot of moxie points by simultaneously DJing the event and competing in it. If only the faithful machine they constructed had had as much focus and effort as themselves, they might have made been the envy of everyone. But they didn’t, ‘cause they lost.

Meow Meow Thunderclap

Team Owner: John Albert
Team Driver: Nathan Thomas

Meow Meow was an interesting car. Painted matte black with over-the-counter chalkboard paint, the team regularly changed their motto as they competed. They had to due to the number of times the thing broke. Despite this, Nathan managed to carry the team torch with his glittery smile and casual Will Smith references. This, however, didn’t help them win anything. Oh, well, except bronze. That’s like, something, right?

Team Unicorn USA

Team Owner: Kamil Krawzyk
Team Driver: Jeff Kantarek (2009) Sarah Sutherlin (2010)

Up until 20 minutes before the race, nobody knew who would drive this thing. A monstrous lumbering mass of plastic “Americar” (as it was faithfully dubbed) was emblazoned with the stars and bars and a big ol’ 76. Despite this obvious built-in immunity to failure, the car broke before the start of the event. This didn’t stop Americar, oh no. Piloted by a daring Jeff Kantarek, cosplaying as Speed Racer, the car first lost steering, then wheels, and then a few other thing. After a few modifications that involved the use of saws and a screwdriver for a steering wheel, the vehicle managed to shock absolutely everyone with a victory and crawled, forever, into the hearts of any American within earshot. “USA!” They shouted; mostly out of the confusion born of the irony which comes from a car that is modeled after a Hummer.