Top Picks

[Charlie]

I think I'll stick with Big Buck-

I was told I really enjoyed it last year!

[Michael Jones]

LOL...the Pontiac ladies comment is bringing back flashbacks of the junior high prom party next to one of our rooms in 2001. A friend of mine was a bit too eager and had to be stopped from pursuing that easy yet highly illegal opportunity.

Big Bucks'll do. Certainly the beer's worth it. The steak is average given the cost. I've had better for cheaper. But it's tradition.

Again at the Hilton, I believe.

Car is still testing reasonably well, lots of little things getting worked out and a couple of major ones all resolved. Will be torn down for finalization and painting shortly. Not sure if we can get up to TO, Vinh, but I'll ask. Probably not though, rough time since our exams go into the week of competition and all. We have people doing them there.

If I can find my spreadsheet of team results over the last 11 years, I'll post it somewhere. There's good patterns to think of - strong teams, even when hitting rough spots, usually bounce back. That's why MSU is important and UTA is a constant threat, even though recent history in UTA's case hasn't been all that threatening.

I think there will be a new champion this year but I also think it's going to be very close. Perhaps coming down to fuel economy and final design scores, even. That would be cool.

Go Habs go. There, I fucked their meagre chances good. Did win handily tonight, though...although the double OT loss the other day was maddening. And the Flames went and screwed my second team over tonight. I might just have to cheer for the Leafs. Or, worse, Ottawa. Calgary, if they do it, aren't getting out of the second round.

In the minor leagues of hockey known as the USA, I suppose it'll have to be the Avalanche. San Jose might get somewhere and I'm happy they kicked the Blues out.

Tampa Bay in the East. Anyone but Philly or Jersey. Even the Bruins are acceptable. And I'm a lifelong Habs fan after learning what French I know listening to later games covertly on the radio in the late 70s after being told to go to bed.

Yes, I'm old enough to know Ken Dryden as the goalie of the Habs and not an executive with the Leafs. But not old enough to have seen him as Cornell's goalie in the late 60s.

[RagingGrandpa]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael Jones:
If I can find my spreadsheet of team results over the last 11 years, I'll post it somewhere. There's good patterns to think of - strong teams, even when hitting rough spots, usually bounce back. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Interested, please post if possible.

[Mike Shaw]

i can give a simple rundown of A&M's past 5 years, beginning with our rookie year in '99

1999: 14th place, rookie of the year
2000: 1st place - world champs
2001: 5th place
2002: major ECU problems, 46th place or so?
2003: 5th after first 3 dynamic events, 3rd in
Road & Track competition, 5th in
presentation, broken throttle cable in
enduro, 26th overall
2004: I'm keeping quiet on this one, don't
wanna spoil the ending...

[Michael Jones]

Oops. Forgot about that - still have to track it down and update it for '03. Will do when I get the time, but you do see decent trends such as Mike shows above - consistently good teams are pretty clear, and while there's some movement up, there's generally not much slippage down - why the quality and number of top tier cars with a good or at least outside shot out there is consistently on the rise.

Should've picked us to win since the stab in the dark Habs pick has turned out OK so far. Like them though, still a tough hill to climb, so I'm not saying shit.

[vinHonda]

Bye bye Ottawa. Bring on the Flyers!!!

GO LEAFS GO!!!

Vinh

[Daygo Nighthawk]

Can't say for sure on the UC San Diego car,
but its been built like a volvo so far.
Hopefully we'll make it through enduro,
and have a good showing at competition!

I'm anxious to see what everyone else came up with!

[Aaron Harnden]

You'd be mad if you didn't back UOW and UWA. I hear 'sergio' (UOW's new car) is better than the world champ 'stumpy' in every way. And forget UWA's FSAE-A performance, the car is brilliant and the team's even better. You'll see what I mean at the comp.

Both teams have had many more months of tuning and testing than the US and Euro teams. I'm tipping one of them will bring the trophy home.

AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!

[Michael Jones]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Aaron Harnden:

Both teams have had many more months of tuning and testing than the US and Euro teams. I'm tipping one of them will bring the trophy home.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This alone is a huge advantage to the Aussie teams - they can work out the details in FSAE-A and come here with a much more polished car if they plan it right - which both UOW and UWA sound like they're doing.

Testing and getting everything perfectly bulletproof is essential - we've already had a few interesting fuckups that are certainly better to know about now than...holy fuck, only four weeks until it's all done, isn't it.

We've done a great deal of testing this year - we have access to a back lot at the mall for the first time during weekdays, and people have been out there driving since Feb. in all sorts of weather conditions. Probably more hours on the car right now than any other year I've seen.

I'm completely amazed when I see cars that are driven for the first time during brake test go on to complete endurance. Not many of our Feb 1. iterations could do that. Hell, in 2001, it barely did a donut before breaking.

[Charlie]

Last year we had 3 weeks of testing, finished 3rd in Endurance.

Well, maybe 1 week of testing won't be so bad eh?