POS indicates current position based on submitted race time. NA Has not launched. UNK Launched with no submitted time.
UR Under Review. DNF Did Not Finish. DQ Disqualified. PEN Penalty. Dots indicate number of BBR's run. Reverse dots indicate a BBR win.
"*" completed Buckyball Run A*
Highlighted records indicate a record time for the ship type.
Times updated daily, or when I can manage it.
Looking for info on the previous Buckyballs? Click here for past race results.
The "Buckyball" Braben Star-to-Shining-Star Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as The Buckyball Run, was an unofficial, unsanctioned spaceship race run from Xiaoguan Hub in Magec to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system, intended both as a celebration of the Federation Interstellar Star Route System and a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time.
As it was found out, the newly imposed 9.8c relativistic limit imposed by the Federation Maximum Velocity Law (imposed as an energy conservation measure) was actually slower than the quickest average velocities of point-to-point travels of Commander Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben (no relation) in the first half of the 32nd century. In 3102, Braben flew the route in a Cowell-MgRath model 57 Sidewinder, averaging greater than 12.5c, setting a 32 minute record that stood for nearly 140 years.
Another motivation was the fun involved...
Okay, I've got a few questions here...
Shoot.
First and foremost, do I need Horizons for this?
Nope, regular ED players and Horizons players can all compete together. There are no planetary landings here.
Great... So what's this all about?
The Buckyball Run is a series of point-to-point rally races through the space lanes of Elite Dangerous where pilots record their best time from start to finish. Commanders can make the run in whatever vessel they have provided it has the jump range. The Buckyball Run isn't just about coming in first, it's about taking the dare. Sidewinders and Haulers all the way up to fully tricked out Anacondas have all made the Run.
Okay, so you've had short races, multi-station scrambles and a jaunt to the center of the galaxy. What are you doing now?
We're setting the record for cross-bubble transit between two of the most distant stations in civilized space. Buckyball Run 9 is a simple race from starting line to finish, with no checkpoints and no special conditions (well, a couple actually, see below) other than getting there as fast as you can, by whatever route you choose, in whatever ship you choose. The purpose of this race is to put all your piloting skills to use: navigation, supercruise management, docking, the works. May the best pilot win.
The only restriction is CMDRs are not permitted to use FSD boost. Just say no to performance-enhancing fuel additives! Anything else goes; extra fuel tanks, fuel scoops, docking for fuel. (NOTE: pre-planned buddy refuelling is also prohibited. You can call the Fuel Rats if you run out of gas if it's an accident. But scheduling a refuel to shave time off your run goes against the spirit of the race.)
So, here's the route. Start at Garden Enterprise, HIP 78136, cruising 594 LY across the center of the bubble to end at the newly constructed Obsidian Orbital at Maia. Take a screenshot of your ship outfitting screen at Garden, one of your dash clock on your pad before launching from Garden, and one of the dash clock upon docking at Maia. CMDRs shooting video just need to make sure to open their outfitting screen before launching and the clock will be recorded automatically in dock.
Easy, peasy.
Sounds interesting. But let's get down to brass tacks. What do I get if I win?
Nothing really. It's just for fun and bragging rights.
Wait... what? Seriously? I could lose my ship. I could be doing smuggling runs. For doing all of this I get nothing?
Yep.
So this will actually cost me time and money.
Sure could! Possibly a LOT of both, really. It's kinda up to you how much.
This sounds like a complete waste of time.
I know, right? Listen, save yourself. Click that big red X in the corner to close this window. Do it now, before it's too late!
Forget that guy, this sounds like a blast!
That's the spirit! It is a metric crapton of fun. We couldn't keep doing it going into our third year otherwise. (Est. 3300) Click the top banner to see the previous races.
And I lied about not winning anything. Once you complete your first Buckyball, you'll never fly the same again. Every trade run, every smuggling mission, every docking will become a race to you. If you think you can get from point A to point B fast now, you'll be amazed at how much time you chop off the clock once you get the technique down. That's a gift that keeps on giving. Not to mention linking up with some pretty awesome CMDRs. Oh, and you get a (virtual) bumper sticker for your ship. Everybody loves bumper stickers.
Plus it's just a lot of fun. You like fun, don't you?
Man, I LIVE for fun. So all ships compete together?
Yep. Fly what you want. Some pilots gen up perfectly race spec'd ships, others fly their fully outfitted regular ride to see what their machine can do. Sure, you won't take first from an Anaconda flying a Cobra, but you can compare your times to your fellow Cobra pilots or other classes to see where you stand. More importantly, you get to know your favorite ship that much better.
BUT, for racers who want to remove ship stats and money from the competition, there is always...
The Hauler Challenge
To give pilots a chance to test their navigation and docking skills against other pilots instead of their bank accounts, we have Hauler Challenge. It works like this: purchase a Hauler, fit it out however you like. Strip out the loaner pulse lasers and scanner to increase jump range. Add extra fuel tanks. Swap out the fuzzy dice for holographic versions to save mass, whatever you like. Strip it down completely and it'll jump 30 light years easy. The same restrictions apply as above, though. No FSD boosting or in-flight refueling.How long does this take?
Give yourself 20-45 minutes to complete this run, depending on your jump range.
How many times can I do this?
As many times as you like during the course of the week. You can also run in each category (Unlimited/Hauler Challenge) and game mode (Open, Solo/Private) for a total of four separate entities. If you change ship classes, that will take the slot of an existing time in that class.
How do I upload screenshots?
Use F10 in game or F12 in steam to take the screenshot, then use a free image hosting service like www.imagur.com to store them, then send the URL to your screenshot album/video with your entry. (If you make it an album it goes much easier.)
NOTE: Pilots recording video of the race do not need to take screenshots provided the recording shows the clock at takeoff and landing at each checkpoint as well as the Outfitting screen as outlined above.
ANOTHER NOTE: If your video is going to take days to convert and post, don't worry about it. Grab a screenshot of outfitting, your takeoff time and landing time at Garden Enterprise and send the links for them instead. That'll be good enough to get on the board. You will still be expected to provide the full video at the end of the race, though, or get the dreaded DQ. (cue dramatic music.)
ANOTHER NOTE: We've got a spiffy new form for submitting race entries. If for some reason you can't or don't want to use an image hosting service, enter "Http://attachment.com" on the entry form and then PM me the screenshots as an attachment. But go ahead and use the form if you can. It's SPIFFY.
The deadline to submit times is 23:59 game time, Saturday, 9 January, 3302. You make as many attempts as you like. Open play and Solo times will be logged separately. Please note open or solo play when submitting your times.
The Important Stuff (How to register and race)
- Post your intent to race in this thread, or if you are not a forum member, email (bucky at electricz dot net) with your info. List the following:
- Your commander's name (if different than your user name)
- Ship Name
- Ship Type and race class (Unlimited or Hauler, Open or Solo/Private)
- Your answer for the Official Buckyball Question of the Race: "Who is your personal sci-fi/fantasy hero?" (other than Bucky.)
- Make sure your ship is in tip-top shape at Garden Enterprise in the HP 78136 system. Make repairs, remove any excess mass, get it configured how you want it for the race.
- Open the Outfitting screen and hit F10 or start video for a screenshot of your ship. Be sure to capture Power Plant, Thruster, FSD and Distributor statistics. You will send this with your race time submission.
- Make sure you are on the surface and prepare for launch. If you start your clock in the hangar you'll be unhappy.
- Hit F10 to take a screenshot showing your location and time. You need it in order to qualify your run.
- Launch and get going, champ! The clock is ticking!
- Navigate to Obsidian Orbital, Maia system in the Pleiades Nebula by the route of your choosing.
- Upon touchdown at Obsidian, hit F10 for your screenshot showing your arrival time on the dash clock, and if recording stop your video.
- Upload your screenshots to a free hosting service like Imagur.com and copy the link to the album containing your screenshots.
- Use the new Buckyball Run 9 racing form to submit your info. (It's spiffy!) Click the button below to open.
Please do not post your race results in the thread. If you don't have an image host, fill out the form and use http://attachment.com as the location and PM me your attachments. Thanks! - Bucky - Kick back on the Shotgun Shine, relax, have a drink or two (Bucky makes a mean martini!) and share tales of your race with your fellow Buckyballers for them to admire or ridicule as they see fit. Or, if you think you can do better, head on back out! You're already at the starting line. Why wouldn't you?
Submissions for race times will be accepted until 23:59 game time, Saturday, 9 January, 3302. If you are not a member of the forum and would like to participate anyway, email your links and route info to (bucky at electricz dot net.)
Sounds doable. Anything else?
We try to keep things informal and friendly. You can run as many times as you like, and your best time will be recorded for each class: Unlimited/Hauler/Open/Solo for a maximum of four entries. When the race period is over, I will post the collected times and a summary of the race, and pilots can share their screenshots, videos, routes and tactics with the world.
So what's to keep me from faking my screenshots or lying about my ship's configuration, or using FSD Boost even though it's against the rules?
I can't stop you. Not at all. There are all kinds of ways you can cheat on this. But in the real life, earth-bound Cannonball Run the competitors were racing just for the fun of it. There was a "gentlemen's agreement that the vehicle entered would be driven the entire distance, not having it transported on another vehicle, nor having an identical second vehicle hidden near the finish, etc." That's the spirit of this little exercise. How fast can you make the run, using only your piloting skills the ship you've got? There's no need to cheat because what would that get you? There's no prize other than doing it. Besides, cheaters make Bucky sad. Do you want to make Bucky sad? Don't be that commander. Nobody likes that commander.
Thanks for the lecture. Anything else?
Nope, that about does it.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. You may launch at any time. The Shotgun Shine is already docked at Obsidian Orbital. As usual, Fuel Rats drink free. Good luck, Commanders!
BUCKYBALL RUN 9 - LIVE
Holy crap it was fun the first time on 2 January, so why wouldn't we do it again?
Going back to the first Buckyball back in August of 3300, the race has always been held "asymmetrically." That is to say, CMDRs raced at a time of their choosing, any time, for the duration of the race period. This was done for several reasons. First, because of the multi-system nature of the race, network/lag/transaction server issues could crop up at any time, giving some players an unfair penalty while in hyperspace while others saw no issues. Plus, instancing issues also crop up, especially when more than a couple players try to get together. Plus, because of the unfortunate spherical shape of Earth and the fact that people around the globe play Elite: Dangerous, finding a suitable start time for everybody is impossible.
BUT... 20+ commanders gathered at Garden Enterprise a week ago to race live and it was a metric crapton of fun. To close out the race, we're doing it again!
Anybody interested in trying it live, be at HIP 78136/Garden Enterprise before 2100 Game Time Saturday, 9 January. There are no restrictions on ships or hardware other than the no FSD Boost/No Buddy Refuelling rule. Times will be rolled into the existing Unlimited - Solo/Private and Hauler - Solo/Private classes, but there will be a special, separate BBR9 LIVE Leaderboard combining Unlimited/Hauler in one big happy family for this special event. Whoever gets the top time, regardless of the ship type, will be the winner. So choose wisely because you're only gonna get one shot at it!
To participate in the live run:
- Post an intent to race in this thread just like normal, but mark it for the Live run.
- Join my private group (ElectricZ) in game to participate if you are not already a member from the trial run last week.
- Arrive at Garden Enterprise/HIP 78136 with your outfitted ship, ready to launch at 2100 Game Time on Saturday, 9 Jan.
- At 21:00 and not before, take your screenshot of the dash clock to verify your location and time. Anyone submitting a screenshot with a time before 21:00:00 will be disqualified. This is to prevent pilots from trying to launch even one second early to try and escape the carnage in the slot. So don't jump the gun!
- Anyone submitting a screenshot after 21:00:00 will have a start time of 21:00:00. You can sit on the pad as long as you want waiting for traffic to clear, but the clock starts for everyone at 21:00 sharp.
- If anyone is destroyed during the initial launch, respawning and launching is A-OK, but you will still have a start time of 21:00:00 registered regardless of your second launch time. So don't get smushed.
The winner will be the first to dock at Obsidian Orbital, Maia, to be officially verified by screenshot.
Again, there's going to be some inherent unfairness with lag, instancing, some people being in a full station others being alone, but that can't be helped. Just like any other obstacle in the game, we'll just have to roll with it.
Plan on being at Garden Enterprise at least an hour ahead of time to verify private group membership, have questions answered, as well as just chitchat with anybody who wants.
Finally,I'm compelled to add that the Gentleman's Agreement precludes shooting down your competition or deliberately ramming them into them in the slot. Incidental contact is going to happen and it will be glorious.
But this is a race against the clock and not a deathmatch. Good luck, and I hope to see you there!
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