Detroit 2011 Day 2: Sector 67 Wins Enduro, 5 Hackerspaces in First 5 Places in Points!
The dust has settled and after an intense battle for the Endurance crown, Sector 67 concluded the season on a high note after fending off the comeback kids from i3 Detroit to win their 1st Endurance race of the season, and clinch the 2011 World Championship.  It was not an easy drive, however, as several race incidents sent their machine into the pits, leaving room for i3 to catch up and out pace them.  However during the mid point of the 75 minute Enduro, Karen Corbeill of i3 pulled into the pits to be relieved with a reserve driver, and the race was handed back to Sector 67’s efforts.  Holding off a flat tire change and a few on-track wrecks, i3 managed to get within couple laps of Sector, but fast pit work by the Madison-based team was too much for Detroit, and the team had to make do with a 2nd place finish.

Pumping Station: One the team which dramatically won the Endurance race after a two year dry spell finished a respectable 3rd place. The zero-stop strategy employed by the Chicago-based team, was not enough on the faster-paced Detroit circuit. The clean race from PS:One was also not enough in their title battle with CCCKC and had to settle with a 5th place finish in the standings.



Gravedigger, once a title contender, had struggled most of the race but managed to finish 5th after a few altercations on track. The effort did earn them the “Crash & Burn” award. Milwaukee Makerspace, outside of the title chase had a casual Sunday drive, as Bike Jake and the Pink Trike took a relaxed pace for the Enduro. Tom’s retirement at the conclusion of this season was marked with another DNF, but not without a pleasant farewell for the Pink Trike, which finished 9th.

Omni Corp Detroit, only out for moxie, had clocked its largest single day total when the team pulled the #313 Banana car into the midfield to make a mixed drink with a blender. The team, negligent of any sense of aerodynamics employed an umbrella to cool their driver during the 75-minute race. On-track temperatures were in the upper 90’s so one could imagine this was to the envy of every other team out there.



The race also marked the debut of Black Frog Racing who comprised of FIRST robotics high school members, much akin to Duct Tape & Zip Ties. The team constructed a 4 motor-powered machine that was impeccably fast, but riddled with mechanical issues, that resulted in the team having the most pit stops of any team on track. Despite this, they managed a solid 5th place, and the raw pace the team displayed in the final race of the season had shown a great deal of optimism for any future efforts from the outfit.

The race however was disappointing for Electromagnate, for out of 8 races, had only mustered enough laps to finish 10th in the standings. A late race wreck with Gravedigger on Saturday virtually destroyed the car’s alignment and left the machine incapable of finishing even 2 laps in the endurance. The season-ending wreck was frustrating for Jordan Bunker, who had not seen a good racecar since 2009. He will return in 2012 with a “self-built” machine that won’t “break halfway through the race”

At the end of the weekend though, the Libres had it all. Sector’s winning performance locked their title hopes for the ages and within the final moments the team were calm and collected. They had finally achieved a hard-fought trophy, and as the celebrations continued, plans for next season already had begun.

The 2012 Power Racing Series will resume in April of 2012 with pre-season sign up. Races will begin with a May Pre-Season Non-Points event. Final rules will be posted and ratified by January of 2012. For more information visit the googlegroup Power Racing Series and discuss the new rules for the 2012 season!