Moto 2014 Predictions

Just because I'm not going doesn't mean I can't make predictions!

Fairyweight
Everyone's gonna be hard-pressed to beat Demise again, but to be honest I don't think anyone in this field can do it. Maybe Itsy Bitsy Spider? I can see Bar Buster coming a distant third unless Sean can make Gyroscope a competent fairy this time around.

1st: Demise
2nd: Itsy Bitsy Spider
3rd: Bar Buster

Antweight
Lots and lots of tough spinners this time around, and in all varieties too. Last year's champ Low Blow is gonna be hard to beat, but wedged spinners like Algos and Four Minute Warning might have what it takes. Also, Slim Pickens has been constantly improving with each tournament and could be a shocker. However, I wouldn't count out the several drum bots either. Klazo, despite never really doing well, is always a threat, and Gyroscopic, Poco Tambor and Maelstrom are all very potent as well. Another dark horse is Ferocious, who could bring back the 4WD ant scene.

1st: Algos
2nd: Low Blow/Vile Ant
3rd: Slim Pickens

Beetleweight
A very diverse Beetle field as per usual. The Robojackets fleet looks potent, as does Franklin champion Grande Tambor. Mondo Bizarro is going to be hunting for revenge, and bar spinners like Maniac Kathy and Scrambles round out the spinners. Trilobite and Thunder Child are also mixed in there, as well as Revenge of Dr. Super Brain. There's also Wedge of Destruction, one of my favorite beetles in ages, as well as Dragon Con runnerup Slim Margins. Slopapotamus and The Hammer are also back to go for another shot, and both of them are extremely potent spinners as well. Then there's Big Data, whose builder made a full-body brushless motor last year, and Cyberkitty Salad, Charles' latest crazy contraption. All in all it's anyone's game and I probably won't be surprised no matter what happens.

1st: Grande Tambor
2nd: Trilobite
3rd: Misdirected Aggression

Hobbyweight
As usual, the hobbyweights are the least-populated class at Motorama. However, there's some nice variety here. Pneumatic flipper Jumbonator is back, and the giant Trilobite named Isotelus Rex looks ready to lay the smackdown on some spinners. The only question is if Cataclysm will go quietly... I don't think so. There's also Fiasco's successor, Vortex. If it can live up to its predecessor it will be tough to beat as well. Jeremy's Warlock and Attrition are gonna have to try hard to beat such a tough field, and Enigmasaur is the wildcard. If its builder can learn from its mistakes at Franklin, it could also be a factor.

1st: Isotelus Rex
2nd: Cataclysm
3rd: Vortex

Sportsman
And the Sportsman class, as usual, gives us some fantastic variety as well as some great action. Upheaval's looking for revenge on Jack Reacher, or at least its successor Magneato. Team Solo's back in the action too, after a 4 year retirement, with Knuckle Buster back in action. I'm looking forward to seeing the builder of Rim Tin Tin fight again. Mike's two sportsmen, Nyx and his new build Spanky, could also take the class by storm. Piston Wax also looks fearsome, its 6lb counterpart came third at Bot Blast and proved its potency. There's also Sinister Scorpion, another bossing design from Jeremy that could do well. Rounding out the class is Uberclocker, back for another shot at the crown. However, only one robot can stand atop the wackiness that is the Sportsman class. (Hint: It won't be Creebot :P)

1st: Nyx
2nd: Upheaval
3rd: Knuckle Buster

Featherweight
Finally we arrive at the biggest class at Moto, and the one with the least amount of fitting preview images. Tetanus is back for one more shot, as is Shaka. Alex's new drumbot ReEnforcer also looks vicious. If Atomic Bumble actually finishes in time this time around, it could be a tough contender as well. I'm also eyeing both Jamo's new 30 and Hardcore Robotics' entry, Suitcase Nuke. If it's anything like Last Rites it could be a vicious competitor. Charles also returns to the featherweight scene with... whatever his preview image suggests... The Magnificent Poncho also takes my vote for favorite name in the class, in a class with a literal truckload of hilarious names.

1st: Suitcase Nuke
2nd: Tetanus
3rd: ReEnforcer

December 2013 Update: Registered for Pennbots!

Team Ignition is all signed up and ready to go for Pennbots' Downtown Dog Fight on March 22, 2014. I have pretty much all the parts I need for FireArrow v2, so now it comes down to finishing Nocturne up. I still need about 100% of the electronics for it, but that's about it really. So, since I don't want this to be some boring "oh hey i signed up for something bye" sort of thing, I'm gonna talk about Pennbots a little.

Pennbots is probably a lot different from Bot Blast. For instance, it's a smaller event that draws in a smaller crowd, and most of the competitors (at least from what i've seen of past years) are young kids who are doing it for fun. This is evidenced by last year's BW runner-up Demonator, a  4WD toy with some plastic on it. Another difference is that the arena has *le gasp* pits. Two of them to be exact. I keep fearing I'm going to accidentally drive into one and lose out on an easy win. Also a problem is a lot of the machines are designed to take advantage of this, so I'm pretty nervous that Nocturne's gonna go out early. Especially if Mondo Bizarro comes back and wrecks face.

In other news, Motorama registration closes tomorrow, so I'll probably post predictions then (yes, even though I'm not going).