How about Gravity powered racers? More about finesse than brute force, but still big and fast. Have a course with plenty of turns so weight will have to be balanced with maneuverability.

How about having to carry the entire team?

The course couldn't be too steep so speeds wouldn't get up too far. The idea of a wheel falling off at 100 km/h on a steep slope is a little scary!

-- Michael (Canadian P.Eng.) (michael@mks-tech.com), January 11, 2001

Answers

I hope you don't think I stole your idea, I just contributed almost the same suggestion on the other message boards. I agree it would be cool, maybe a bobsled style start and all four team members have to ride.

-- B Dudley (bdudley@industrialmechanical.com), January 11, 2001.

Annually, the mechanical engineering faculty at the University of New Brunswick (Canada) holds a coaster derby race. The course is about a kilometer long (0.6 mi). Though a relatively gentle slope, speeds reach close to 60kph. (we tested our car the night before the race on an adjacent municipal street to see how it handled at reached a top speed of ~85kph (steep hill, no turns, no riding the brake). Loads of fun!

-- Rick (rsrickard@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

This would have to be one of my favorites to participate in. It would really take me back a few years. We used to race on a cinder hill that was probably 3/8ths of a mile long, against used soapbox derby cars. It was steep enough that we could broad slide the last turn, then spin out if there were any cars coming on the cross street at the bottom. This was in the mid-50s and the hill has been replaced by a freeway. It sure was fun JustJay

-- JustJay-Captain-Three Rusty Juveniles (justjay@neo.rr.com), January 12, 2001.