- "No robot can survive being hit by Lightning Tracks!"
- — Russ Barrow
Lightning Tracks was a tracked robot which competed in the second season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors. It lost its first round battle in the US Championship, and therefore its only fight, after suffering from radio reception issues against Destructive Criticism and Run Away.
Design
Lightning Tracks in the pits
Lightning Tracks was a tracked, wedge-shaped robot designed to resemble a tank, with a camouflage paint job, wide hinged protective side-panels, and a disposable cardboard turret on top. Its weapons were a series of long steel spikes and a lifting plate powered by linear actuators. The robot's drive system could reverse directions, and the robot was fully invertible.
Specifically for its first-round match against Destructive Criticism, Lightning Tracks was equipped with loose ropes and chains at the rear, to form an entanglement device.
Robot History
Season 2
In its first round battle in the US Championship, part of Heat G, Lightning Tracks fought Destructive Criticism and Run Away.
- Carol Grow: "Rumor has it you have a secret weapon, are you willing to tell us about that?"
- Russ Barrow: "Well then it wouldn't be secret!"
- — Team Dark Forces allude to their entanglement device
Lightning Tracks tries to entangle Destructive Criticism's disc
Lightning Tracks becomes immobile under Run Away
Shunt pits Lightning Tracks
It had radio issues throughout the match, and moved very sporadically as Destructive Criticism spun its weapon up and struck the sides of Lightning Tracks several times, albeit without sustaining major damage. Run Away pressed the pit release button and drove right over the top of Lightning Tracks and its aerial, where it got stuck on its wedge and tank turret. Destructive Criticism continued to strike both robots, causing serious damage to Lightning Tracks' sides and Run Away's wheel. When Refbot finally separated Lightning Tracks and Run Away, both machines were immobile, but Refbot counted out Lightning Tracks as it had become immobilized first. Lightning Tracks was positioned on the Floor Flipper and was thrown, then it was pitted by Shunt, eliminating it from the competition.
- "We had some transmitter difficulties, I could only give really sporadic signals to the robot on the drive."
- — Russ Barrow
Results
| LIGHTNING TRACKS - RESULTS | ||
| Season 2 | ||
| US Championship Heats, Round 1 | ||
| Heat G, Round 1 | vs. Destructive Criticism, Run Away | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| US Series | Lightning Tracks Series Record |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Did not enter |
| Season 2 | Heat, Round 1 |
| Nickelodeon | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars
Lightning Tracks as Dark Track, from Robotica.
A version of the robot without the turret and side panels competed in Robotica under the name Dark Track. The team also competed in BattleBots with Dark Steel and Dark Shredder, and earned an Honourable Mention in The Combat Robot Hall of Fame after Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors ended, with the antweight Dark Pounder.
Trivia
Lightning Tracks' statistics board, which labels the robot as a flipper
- Lightning Tracks was the only robot to fall in the first round of Extreme Warriors Season 2 and not participate in either one of the side events or Nickelodeon Robot Wars.
- In the official Robot Wars planner, Lightning Tracks was referred to as "Lightning Traxx".
See also
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