Note: the race is now over.
Welcome to "Full Throttle at Pareco", a Buckyball time trial race being run in conjunction with Frontier's new "Full Throttle" livestream series (which starts this Thursday).
This time trial race runs from now until midnight (galactic time) on Sunday 13th October 3305 and is open to any commander (on any platform).
On Thursday evening Frontier's Stephen Benedetti and Will Flanagan will both be attempting the race for themselves live so for those who reckon' they can fly better than the FDev community managers - now's your chance to prove it!
The race takes place around the circuit of 6 stations located approx. 11kls from the main star in the Pareco system. There are two race classes that you can enter - "Unlimited" (in which you can run in any small or medium ship you like, engineered as much as you like) and "Regulation Viper" (in which you must use an un-engineered Viper Mk III outfitted as described here). Note: the regulation Viper plus all required modules should be available to purchase at Neville Ring.
Prizes will be awarded for the top 3 entries in each class.
To begin the race get your ship on the landing pad at Neville Ring, facing the mailslot and ready to launch. Wait for a suitable time on the station services clock (I would suggest a time just as the seconds hit "00"), take an in-cockpit screenshot with the clock clearly visible and then launch. Now fly to (and land at) each of the other stations around the Pareco ring in the following order:
Neville Ring >> Philips Market >> Webb Station >> Asire Dock >> Crown Orbital >> Garden Ring >> Neville Ring >> etc
Take another screenshot each time you land (making sure the clock is clearly visible in each one).
Keep going around this circuit (in the given order) until 20 minutes have elapsed and then continue on to a final landing at whichever station is next and take a last and final screenshot when the station services menu appears.
Note: competitors in the Regulation Viper class should also take one or more screenshots of their modules to prove they have the correct loadout.
Once you have your set of screenshots (note: a video of the run is also acceptable) upload them as an album to a suitable image sharing website (people often use IMGUR for this) and then fill in the following web form to complete your submission for the race.
RACE SUBMISSION FORM
The winner will be the person who makes the largest number of stops around the circuit in the allotted time, and, as a tie breaker for commanders making the same number of stops, the one with the lowest elapsed time over the 20 minutes to their final screenshot.
I'll be maintaining scoreboards for the two race classes in this forum thread throughout the week. You can enter the race as many times as you like over the course of the event so if you want to have another attempt at improving on your run then go for it!
FAQ
Q) What happens if I land just seconds before the 20 minutes are up?
A) As long as you can get a landing screenshot showing less than 20 minutes since your start then launch again and continue on to the next station before taking your final screenshot.
Q) What happens if I visit the stations in the wrong order?
A) Only the stations visited in the correct order will count towards your run. Any visited out of order will be discounted. Remember that the stations are in alphabetical order and keep reciting the mantra - "Neville, Philips, Web, Asire, Crown, Garden".
Q) I keep getting messages saying I need to be closer to request docking permission, what gives?
A) Because the Pareco stations are all so close to each other the traffic control system can get confused about which station you're requesting permission to land at. Make sure you have the right station selected in the Contacts list first.
Q) The instant I jump into supercruise I get the safe to drop back out again message, what gives?
A) Again, because the stations are all so close to each other they're all within each other's safe drop zone. Once you've engaged supercruise give it a second or two before trying to disengage again. If you're too quick off the mark it is possible to drop back at the station you just left.
Q) What happens if I buy the farm (i.e. crash and burn) during my run?
A) I'm afraid the run is over and you will need to start again (this is a relatively short race so let's keep things simple).
Q) Do I need to run in Open mode? (I've heard you guys like that)
A) I'm not going to mandate that runs must be done in Open mode but, as with all Buckyball Races, I will recommend it. Chances of being ganked during a race are relatively slim (you're meant to be going fast after all plus this race provides almost zero interdiction opportunity) and you never know who you might bump into during a run (sometimes quite literally). With luck a few people will be trying this and racing alongside someone else can be a lot of fun. Note that two of the stations are outposts so there is a danger of having to wait for landing pads. If that becomes a real problem for you then by all means switch to PG or Solo.
Q) Why can't I do my Unlimited run in a large ship?
A) Because two of the stations are outposts which you wouldn't be able to land at.
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