PS:1GP fought against impeccable odds to win the Endurance race leg of the first round of the 2011 Power Racing Series. Driver Beth Callahan was able to hold off challenges from Milwaukee Makerspace and the incredibly dominant Sector 67 team to finish 10 laps ahead of her nearest rival, with 161 laps completed in 75 minutes.
Pumping Station: One built their vehicle based on last year’s failures. Patrick Callahan, the team Crew Chief, designed the scooter with minimal construction and basic simplicity. The modifications done to the scooter it originated from were all related to battery capacity. Motors, controllers and brakes were kept stock in order to keep reliability. This plan paid off handsomely.
The weekend had been rough for PS:1 up until Sunday. After months of preparation PS:1GP’s entry proved to be mid-pack material. Top line speed was no match for much of Milwaukee Makerspace’s machines and not even close to Sector 67’s brilliant entry. Callahan’s machine however proved very capable in cornering, where much of its ground was made up. Armed with the ability to hook in the track’s chicanes harder than any other team, Pumping Station: One was able to pull out ahead and hold a lead for the duration of the Enduro.
Beth Callahan, in her third start managed to hold off attacks for the lead by Royce Pipkins and David Feng from Milwaukee Makerspace. Feng, driver for Big Jake, made significant improvements to his machine during pre-season and had the 2nd quickest car all weekend. However, by the end of the Endurance race, the fateful blue smoke emerged and his #4 yellow machine crawled to a halt just past the halfway point. His DNF was critical to his championship hopes, which will now face an uphill struggle for Detriot.
Milwaukee Makerspace’s Royce Pipkins driving the #666 Gravedigger managed a 2nd place finish despite suffering a wrist injury when he wrecked on lap 74 of the event. Milwaukee Makerspace has had a rough start to the season but still remain strong contenders for the title.
Sector 67, which dominated all of Saturday with 3 wins, faced numerous mechanical gremlins that left them buried in last place within the first half of the event. With several dramatic pit stops, the team managed to climb their way back through the field narrowly missing a podium position by a hand from the local Team Duct Tape & Zip Ties. Duct Tape & Zip Ties are a local family team that has won numerous FIRST robotics championships and seem very accustomed to facing off against teams with much larger backing and support. Their underdog status was clear in the endurance race, and managed to limp home a 3rd place finish despite a few flat tires.
The current standings leaves PS1 just outside of 3rd place, right behind Gravedigger. However, the dominance of Sector 67 remains clear, as nearly 100 points separates them from the rest of the field.
PPPRS will return for its season finale at Maker Faire Detroit (July 30-31st). A total of five races will occur: 1 drag races, 3 road course races (2 heats + 1 finale) and the massive 75 minute Endurance race.
