Cyrax

Cyrax
Participation Information
UK Series	6
Team Information
Team	Team Cyrax
Team Members	Paul Wilcox Ryan Pettefer
From	North Pickenham, Lincoln
Other Entries	Wild Willy (Series 3)
Robot Statistics
Weight	100kg
Dimensions	1.00m x 1.35m x 0.75m
Top Speed	12.5mph
Power	4 x 330W electric motors
Weapons	Pickaxe & flipper
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"...combines two lethal weapons … Cyrax is a fast little bot, and certainly a match for any robot..."

— Robot Wars: The Official Magazine

Cyrax was a heavyweight robot from Lincolnshire which competed in Series 6 of Robot Wars. In its only appearance, it reached the second round of its heat before losing to defending champion Razer on a judges’ decision.

The team previously competed in Series 3 with Wild Willy.

Design

Cyrax in the arena

Cyrax was a blue and silver robot with a roughly pyramid-shaped body, a top speed of 12mph (12.5mph according to its Battle Card) and two main weapons – a small rear-hinged pneumatic flipper at the front and a rapid-firing electric pickaxe at the rear. Both weapons proved effective in combat and the robot had a low ground clearance of just one centimetre, though the flipper had a limited CO₂ supply. The top of Cyrax featured a pair of flashing blue lights which were shown to operate in both of its battles, as well as a pair of self-righting arms with castor wheels on either side.

Throughout its run, Jonathan Pearce continuously stated that Cyrax was painted purple instead of blue; incidentally, this was also the colour scheme adopted by its similar-looking predecessor.

The Team

Team Cyrax

Cyrax was entered into Series 6 by a two-man team based in North Pickenham, Lincoln. Team captain Paul Wilcox and teammate Ryan Pettefer were responsible for maintaining their robot, and had previously entered Series 3 with predecessor Wild Willy.

Qualification

Cyrax (background) at the Series 6 qualifiers: note the red axe and unpainted body

Cyrax attended the Series 6 qualifiers in an unpainted silver finish with a red axe. It is currently unknown which robots it faced in its qualifier battles, or the outcome of the battles it took part in, but it successfully qualified for the series nonetheless.

Robot History

Series 6

"Purple, pretty-looking thing… I wonder if that will count?"

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Cyrax ahead of its first-round melee

Cyrax debuted in Heat A of The Sixth Wars, facing Tetanus 2, Ruf Ruf Dougal and Weld-Dor 3 in its first-round melee. This battle set up a potential rematch between Team Cyrax and Team Tetanus, whose earlier robots Wild Willy and Flip Flop Fly had previously fought each other in The Third Wars, with Flip Flop Fly coming out on top.

Philippa Forrester: "Cyrax team, you know who you're up against, who are you most worried about?"

Paul Wilcox: "Weld-Dor, there. Yeah, worried about that one."

Philippa Forrester: "But you've got a nice electric axe, which can keep going!"

Paul Wilcox: "Yeah, we'll give it some."

— Team Cyrax reveal their pre-battle concerns to Philippa Forrester

Cyrax (bottom left) gets an early lift on Ruf Ruf Dougal

Initially, Cyrax trundled over the closed pit and into the side of Ruf Ruf Dougal, lifting the Shrivenham machine up as all four competitors met near the Floor Spinner. Reversing, it briefly approached Tetanus 2 as it pushed Weld-Dor 3 forward, before nudging and failing to lift Ruf Ruf Dougal a second time. Very little was seen of Cyrax for some time as the cameras focused on Tetanus 2's attacks on Weld-Dor 3, but it continued to tussle with Ruf Ruf Dougal, unsuccessfully trying to lift it from the front. Shortly after, Ruf Ruf Dougal's tail caught fire – followed by the remainder of its fur – with Cyrax proceeding to lift Ruf Ruf Dougal twice while manoeuvring it into Sir Killalot. Cyrax lifted Ruf Ruf Dougal once more, before punching through the top of its body several times with the axe and again inching it towards Sir Killalot's CPZ.

"The Cyrax team are on top, we saw then – poor old Dougal!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Cyrax flicks a smouldering Ruf Ruf Dougal up

Cyrax axes Ruf Ruf Dougal

Another shove, lift and axe blow followed, then a ram from Cyrax as it tried unsuccessfully to axe Ruf Ruf Dougal twice more. Moments later, Cyrax flicked one of Ruf Ruf Dougal's burnt ears up, causing the ear to disintegrate, and nudged Ruf Ruf Dougal twice more as it spun precariously near Dead Metal's CPZ. Cyrax lifted Ruf Ruf Dougal twice more; the first while Tetanus 2 pitted Weld-Dor 3, the second while the former pushed Ruf Ruf Dougal onto the Flame Pit. It backed away and shuffled across the arena floor, momentarily nudging Tetanus 2 and Ruf Ruf Dougal before 'Cease' was called. With three robots still mobile, the melee went to a judges' decision, which ruled that Cyrax and Tetanus 2 would progress.

In the second round, Cyrax faced a tough draw against the number one seed, reigning UK and World Champion Razer. Upon being informed about the draw, Team Cyrax expressed apprehension at their would-be opponent, having earlier invited Team Razer to look at their machine in The Pits and inadvertently revealed its potential weak spots to them. The battle also marked the first combat appearances of new House Robots Mr. Psycho and Growler, following their introductions earlier in Heat A.

Simon Scott: "We just had a feeling they are hamsters."

Philippa Forrester: "Why?"

Ian Lewis: "I had a good look round it earlier and I sussed out where all the bits were..."

— Team Razer express their thoughts on Cyrax prior to their Round 2 battle

Cyrax is gripped by Razer early on

Razer places Cyrax onto the Flame Pit

Cyrax lands an axe blow on Razer's armour

Immediately, Cyrax dodged a charge from Razer, only to spin round and drive up the side of its opponent’s wedge. This allowed Razer to clamp the top of Cyrax’s flipper and front-right panel with two separate attacks; though Cyrax was pushed back and briefly released, Razer pierced its top rear panel with a side-on charge. Again, Razer let go; Cyrax reversed and spun near the Floor Flipper, only to once again drive up and be pushed back by Razer while trying to axe it. Cyrax next followed Razer across the arena, striking its beak and top armour in the process, only to be steered onto the Flame Pit and gripped once again by the Bournemouth machine.

"…and it’ll jab, it was tentative, it was worried, it was nervy, and no wonder, they’re on the Flame Pit! And Razer… is penetrating… and puncturing! They want Cyrax down in the pit!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Cyrax is pushed onto the Flame Pit by Razer

Cyrax comes under attack from both Razer and Growler

Cyrax is hammered by Mr. Psycho

Razer proceeded to push Cyrax into Growler, though Cyrax again landed a successful blow on its opponent’s armour before being pinned against the corner. Cyrax struggled to escape from the CPZ as it was pushed and simultaneously grabbed by both Razer and Growler. Growler pushed, dragged and held Cyrax in place over the pit panel before letting go; allowing Razer another chance for an attack. Cyrax repeatedly hit the top of Razer as it was pushed back into the wall; as it attempted to drive away, it spun round, allowing Razer to target – and crush – its side before steering it towards Mr. Psycho. Two blows from Mr. Psycho's hammer lead to one of Cyrax's light lenses being knocked off, before Razer turned and pushed Cyrax away.

The two competitors exchanged more nudges and shoves; in the process, Cyrax axed Razer again, before throwing it onto its side near the Floor Spinner.

"They've won just about… everything we’ve thrown at them, Razer. And THEY COME BACK FOR MORE! THEY’VE BEEN TOPPLED, THOUGH, BY CYRAX! Is this the sting in the tail of this heat? Are we about to have one of the great Robot Wars upsets?! Let's look at this again. Razer, were they over-complacent, over-confident? They're over - toppled over!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Cyrax flips Razer

Cyrax's late flip on Razer

Cyrax lingered near Razer, flicking a piece of flexible material loose from its opponent's rear armour while trying to hamper its self-righting. Despite raising its flipper a second time, it could not stop Razer from levering back onto its wheels, and was once again pushed and pierced before time ran out. The battle once again went to a judges' decision, which ruled in favour of Razer.

Craig Charles: "How did you feel when you saw the draw? I mean, they’re World Champion, they’re UK Champion…"

Paul Wilcox: "Very unlucky. We couldn’t believe our bad luck!"

Craig Charles: "It’s a good tough robot, yours, though. I mean, we’ve got, you know, the new House Robots - Mr. Psycho, he hit you with the hammer! Didn’t seem to do much damage, you were still working."

Paul Wilcox: "And complete with a… bang! That was it – just lost one eye."

— Interview following Cyrax’s elimination

As a result, Cyrax was eliminated from the Sixth Wars, in what would be its team’s final appearance on Robot Wars. In their post-battle interview, Team Razer praised the robot for its durability and weapons, with Ian Lewis considering the axe the fastest they had ever seen up to this point.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Series	Cyrax Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Entered with Wild Willy
The Fourth Wars	Did not enter
The Fifth Wars	Did not enter
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 2
The Seventh Wars	Did not enter
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter

Trivia

Cyrax's battle card

• Of all the competitor robots included within Pack 4 of Robot Wars Battle Cards, Cyrax had the highest weapons statistic at 93%, and could only be bested by House Robots.
• Cyrax was the first robot to be attacked by both Growler and Mr. Psycho.
• Cyrax's weakness on its statistics board was listed as "Inexperienced competitors" even though it appeared in Series 3 as Wild Willy.
• Like The Grim Reaper, all of Team Cyrax's battles ended with a judges' decision.
• All of Team Cyrax's battles were against a team who fought Raging Reality (Team Tetanus and Team Razer).
• Razer was the only one of Cyrax's opponents that was never thrown out of the arena at some point.