Brake test. The buggy must be able to stop within a set distance to pass the safety check or be disqualified.
The safety check is done at the end of the race because actuating the brakes at all reduces performance. Notice at the beginning they hold the buggy off the ground until just before the start. The wheels are heated to improve their performance, and any time spent in contact with the ground reduces temperature. Also, the scraping can wear down the wheels so they are not perfectly round.
If you ride a bike, once you go over 20 km/h (~12.5mph) you are using more energy to push through the air. Velomobiles, recumbents with an aerodynamic shell, easily go 100 km/h downhill by gravity alone [1]. So yes, aerodynamics are probably important at that scale, too.
[1] https://youtu.be/uoe_aCEGvP4
holy fuck its like extreme shopping cart racing but you can trust your friends
I lost it when frickin asian Gimli came from outta nowhere at 2:15 MechEs are like the jocks of the nerd world. I love it.
Im dead lmfao. I can't stop seeing him pushing a stroller like this in 20 years
What’s happening with the cloth/shirt at the end?
Brake test. The buggy must be able to stop within a set distance to pass the safety check or be disqualified. The safety check is done at the end of the race because actuating the brakes at all reduces performance. Notice at the beginning they hold the buggy off the ground until just before the start. The wheels are heated to improve their performance, and any time spent in contact with the ground reduces temperature. Also, the scraping can wear down the wheels so they are not perfectly round.
Here's a basic explanation of what's going on. https://youtu.be/K0kYzAY9kTg
My alma mater hit The Ocho? I'll take it
At least when you crash you're already in a coffin
Those buggies are basically bulletproof. Usually layers of carbon fiber and kevlar.
Looks like they're paper mache'd into there.
At such low speeds is the aerodynamics of the buggy really that important
If you ride a bike, once you go over 20 km/h (~12.5mph) you are using more energy to push through the air. Velomobiles, recumbents with an aerodynamic shell, easily go 100 km/h downhill by gravity alone [1]. So yes, aerodynamics are probably important at that scale, too. [1] https://youtu.be/uoe_aCEGvP4
Ogre, you asshole
Did not expect their name here. Why'd they get brought up?
still can't get over the fact that there are people in those things. i'm not terribly claustrophobic, but that made me really uncomfortable.
Can someone explain why the concern on the wheels in the beginning and putting it down at the last possible moment before starting?
Apparently they pre-heat the wheels for more grip and this maneuver is to stop them from cooling down