Ozric
Volunteer Moderator
The Buckyball Racing Club Presents - Chicken Run: Crash Harder
(Magic 8-Ball Championship, Race 6)
Noriega Station (LTT 2151) 23rd - 31st July 3308
I think it's no secret that over the first Five races of the Magic 8-Ball Championship there have been more Insurance Claims submitted than in the whole of the last few years. This has been fantastic news for the club, we have had many more pilots join us on our races and Bucky has seen a huge rise in footfall and spending at his chain of bars.
However not everyone is happy about it. The Pilots Federation are nagging us once again about what they're calling an "unrealistic" number of insurance claims. Bucky was in one of his bars in the LTT 2151 system and extended an invitation to a delegation from the Pilots Federation's Insurance Branch.
Four years ago the BRC were approached to help test their insurance models.
Esteemed guests, dear fellow CMDRs of the Buckyball Racing Club,
let me get straight to the point. You all know that our relations with the Pilot's Federation have been somewhat strained in the last few months, perhaps not entirely unconnected to all those insurance claims put in by BRC members. Now, last week I received a call from the CFO of the Pilot Federation's insurance branch. You might be aware that the PF's insurance for private pilots is only a small part of their overall work, and that they also handle the insurance for the big passenger and freight companies.
In this specific branch, they have to rely on models to calculate their insurance rates, and apparently they have discovered some discrepancies between those models and their actual payouts. In order to check these models against reality, they have requested the BRC to supply them with some baseline data for freight shipping under, what they call, "challenging circumstances". Since you all did so marvellously with the fast and high-g landings during last year's "Heavy Metal" and "Prison Break" races, I naturally accepted on your behalf. We would just do what we always do, that is, fly fast, and doing the PF a little favour by carrying their sensor packets along. Incidentally, and while we're amongst ourselves, this little favour probably won't hurt our standing when we will have to negotiate their handling of race related insurance claims later on this year. Sounds like a win-win.
The task is simple. Pick up some breakable items, stick one of these sensor packets in each container, then land at a few planetary bases with increasing gravity, finally deliver the stuff, still packed up, together with the sensor packets for analysis to the PF labs here Noriega Station. If, at any point during this trip, you feel that the risk becomes too great, just take a shortcut and go to Noriega Station directly. Piece of cake, actually. Speaking of which, the race headquarters will be located here in the Escape Bar & Grill for the duration, and I persuaded the PF's CFO to cover the bill for the participants, so enjoy your drinks. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Pina Colada.
One of those sensor packets is attached to your briefing documents. You can pick up more from the table at the door if you want to do multiple runs.
Fly fast, Commanders.
Fortunately no one is left in the department who worked there at the time, whether that is related to the stress from the first race or not, is debateable. But it does mean that with some swift talking and outstanding hospitality, Bucky managed to convince the current incumbents that we could help each other out. And still got them to pay for it!
So it's time to prep those escape pods, because it's time to transport some some cargo very carefully...
The Rules
The race will require the participants to start from Noriega Station in the LTT 2151 system with an empty hold (or at least not holding any Crystalline Spheres). Fly to Snow Moon in the Bento system and pick up at least 1 ton of Crystalline Spheres. Now visit the remaining stations as outlined in the table below, in order:
| Distance | System | Planet | Station | Gravity | remarks |
| 0 | LTT 2151 | - | Noriega Station | - | Start |
| 24.9 ly + 387 ls | Bento | - | Snow Moon | - | pick up Crystalline Spheres |
| 44.9 ly + 1443 ls | Okinura | Okinura 8C | Korniyenko Terminal | 0.10 g | calibration |
| 24.9 ly + 106 ly | Blatrimpe | Blatrimpe 7 | Koch Beacon | 1.06 g | mandatory |
| 35.9 ly + 194 ls | Shoujeman | Shoujeman 5 | Baffin Plant | 2.13 g | +32 minutes |
| 22.1 ly + 123 ls | Wolf 562 | Laila's Memory | King's Inheritance | 2.87 g | +24 minutes |
| 29.9 ly + 155 ls | 5 G. Capricorni | 5 G. Capricorni 3 | Moore Beacon | 3.99 g | +16 minutes |
| 57.2 ly + 12 ls | Ross 905 | Robert Kelley | Weber Legacy | 4.74 g | +8 minutes |
| 49.4 ly + 210 ls | LTT 2151 | - | Noriega Station | - | Finish |
All stations on the way offer at least repair and refuelling services, and you're free to use those. If you feel that you've had enough, you can abort the run at any point after Koch Beacon and return to Noriega Station directly. However, doing so will add a penalty of 8 minutes per station missed to your race time - and it's not permitted to e.g. miss a couple of stations inbetween and claim the last station on the list.
This is a round trip race, starting and finishing in Noriega Station in LTT 2151. You must start the race with 100% hull.
Options
Once again I'll having a "shieldless suicide" bonus. Complete the race in a shieldless ship (and without an AFMU or Repair Limpets!) and you'll receive a 3 minutes bonus on your time. Repairing at the waypoints is still permitted (basically because I'm not wholly evil). However do a Shieldless Suicide bonus and complete the race with less than 10% (proof required) hull left (and the Crystalline Spheres still in your hold!), and you'll get the "crash pilot" bonus of 3 minutes. The damage must have been present while docked at the last planetary base you visited. Both bonuses may also be claimed in the Regulation class (in which case, of course, you will have to turn off the shield generator before starting the race).
I'm trusting you all here with the Shield Generator because of not changing the Cobra loadout between races. Just remember you're only cheating yourself if you do.
Clarification - For the Crash Pilot bonus the wording has been updated to make it less ambiguous.
Ship Classes
This race will permit two ship classes. Either class may be flown in any of the game modes, although I would encourage you to fly in Open mode. The main interference will most likely be from NPC pirates. With the Crystalline Spheres in your hold, expect at least one or two interdiction attempts on each run.
Open Unlimited: FSD boost synthesis and both Standard and Advance Docking computers are prohibited. Anything else goes.
Regulation Cobra: For this class, you must use the following build: https://s.orbis.zone/hy-2
Required documentation
You're very welcome to state your intent to race in the thread below! Once the race goes live you can submit your entries using the form at the bottom of this post. (form will go live with the race)
Entries must include the following images if you are submitting screenshots, uploaded to their own folder on a site such as https://imgur.com/
- screenshot of your inventory while docked in Noriega station (without Crystalline Spheres)
- for those claiming the shieldless suicide bonus or competing in the Regulation Cobra class, screenshots of your ship's module panel showing all relevant modules (Shield Generator off for Regulation)
- starting screenshot docked at Noriega Station with station clock visible - THIS IS YOUR STARTING TIME
- screenshot docked at Snow Moon, with station clock visible
- screenshot docked at each of the surface bases you visit in the above order, with station clock visible
- screenshot docked at Noriega Station, with the time visible - THIS IS YOUR FINISHING TIME
- final screenshot of your inventory at Noriega Station (with Crystalline Spheres)
Alternatively, as usual, a video showing all the above details is also acceptable. Please write the timestamps in the description in the 1:00 format for ease of verification.
Tips
When this race was originally run I was having a hard time jumping away from the last high g planet, and melted the poor Regulation Hauler on a couple of occasions. I made this video once I had worked out why and a good way around it. Which should hopefully be helpful when leaving high g planets, especially if you're carrying precious cargo in your hold.
Fly fast, CMDRs - just remember that you'll have to bring those Crystalline Spheres back to Noriega Station.
Submissions
Please submit your runs using this Entry Form
Leaderboards
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