The first day of the first round of the 2011 PPPRS season was a thrilling display of dominance from none other than Madison Wisconsin’s own Sector 67. By noon the team made their presence known by easily walking away with a victory in the Elimination-style drag race. The next round was a series of 15 laps heats that saw the new team set a pace that was hard to match. The team also captured a the fastest laps of the day, and was only challenged in speed by Milwaukee Makerspace’s Big Jake.

The first day outing was also beneficial for Milwaukee Makerspace, the defenders of the 2010 Constructors Title. David Feng’s Bike Jake made a substantial improvement in the off-season to create a machine that was both fast and reliable, while Royce Pipkins’ Grave Digger leaped in overall top speed. Tom Gralewicz returned with the crowd favorite Little Pink Trike, which sounded louder and meaner than ever. The Milwaukee Makerspace outfit proved to be a formidable team yet again, despite having a hard time keeping up with the dominance of Sector 67. Despite of these limitations, the team managed to capture numerous podium finishes, even though nobody from Milwaukee scored a victory.

i3 Detroit, last year’s champions, had suffered a tremendous blow to defending their title. On the 8th lap of 2nd Heat the team succumbed to a blown engine and subsequent electrical fire that forced them to sit out of the endurance race. i3’s entry into this season had strong hopes despite the team having a skeleton crew for the event at KC. The blown motor was uncharacteristic of the team, but the squad vows to improve for their hometown race at the end of July.

One of the most surprising entries from the new teams came from the small but fierce Duct Tape & Zip Ties. Using old bicycle frames and gearing from a mountain bike, the team had a silent but potent entry that proved to be very quick and agile. The stocky Cadillac Escalade held strong for most of the day, but the team suffered tire issues that hampered their late day performance, leaving them limping home to finish.

On Sunday, the space that started this all, Pumping Station: One had their moment to shine. With a slow and steady approach their machine managed to survive the tumultuous Endurance race that forced much of the field to retire or lose pace. Big Jake, the nearest competitor to PS:One burnt out their motor midway through. Sector 67, the dominant favorite, succumbed to a rain-fueled pitstop that threw the team 8 laps behind, leaving the Madison Wisconsin desperately climbing through the field from last place. The team managed to finish just outside of podium, with a dramatic nose-to-nose finish against Zip Ties and Duct Tape.

PS:One completed 161 laps for their victory. It was the first win the team had since 2009. 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.