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"Shaped like a dinosaur head, always self-rights, armour-plated spikes for ramming, spinning disc for cutting, but will this dinosaur become extinct in the Robot Wars age?"
Jonathan Pearce introduces Velocirippa in its Extreme 1 Mayhem

Velocirippa (also referred to in Series 4 as The Velocirippa) was a competitor robot throughout four series of Robot Wars, competing in a side competition in Series 3 and the main competitions of Series 4, 5 and 7. It also entered in both series of Robot Wars Extreme.

Despite its long time competing, Velocirippa never won a combat battle in five attempts and only progressed through the first round of Robotic Soccer in Series 3. Velocirippa had also failed to qualify for the main competition in Series 3. However, the robot made from the original Velocirippa, Mighty Mouse, was much more successful as it even reached the Heat Final in the Seventh Wars.

Design[]

Velocirippa s3 arena

Velocirippa in the arena during Series 3

Velocirippa was a robot shaped like a Dinosaur's head. Although its weapons varied across the series, it always used two rear wheel drive, with the wheels at the front only being for steering. Despite having active weapons in its later appearances, its main tactic across its appearances was to use its high top speed to ram other robots. Another feature present in every version of Velocirippa was its ability to roll back onto its wheels if it was flipped sideways due to its unique body shape, but this failed to work during the Series 3 Robotic Soccer final.

"Very quick, basically a battering ram with front and rear spike bumpers. Cost £125 to build this."
— Jonathan Pearce in Series 3

In Series 3 and 4, it had static 8mm armour-plated spikes as its weapons acting as battering rams and was armoured in steel plate. It was unique in that it only ran on one motor (from a 12 Volt starter motor), unlike two which most other robots used, allowing for power steering on the front, which came from the window winder of a Ford Mondeo. The main reason behind this was that the servos were not powerful enough to move the wheels on the front. According to Jonathan Pearce, it could get up to 20mph[1].

Velocirppa s4 arena

Series 4 appearance

"Rebuilt and jazzed up for series 4, this is probably my favourite machine. It still used starter motors, but the front blade was not as vicous (sic) as I would have liked."
— Trevor Wright on the Team Mouse website[2]

Velocirippa retained the same 20 mph top speed[3] for Series 4, and retained the same shape and weaponry, but had improved internals, the team having realised the robot needed improvements after competing at the Robots@War event about a month before the Series 4 qualifiers[4]. It was 4.9kg heavier than it was in Series 3.

The front ramming blades of Velocirippa from Series 4-5 were made from HARDOX steel, although Trevor Wright did not realise this until years later, making Velocirippa an accidental pioneer of HARDOX in robotic combat.

"series5 the machine had counter rotating discs - think I got on the show because the technical team could not figure out how 2 discs could spin in opposite directions when driven by a single chain."
— Trevor Wright on Velocirippa's spinning discs[5]
Velocirippa arena shot Extreme 1

Velocirippa in the arena during Extreme 1

For Extreme 1 and Series 5, the front spike bumper was changed to a cutting disc at the front with added teeth. The robot retained the rear spikes, and strangely, a ball and chain was mentioned, but not seen or listed on the statistics board. This would later be used with Mighty Mouse.

"The ball and chain was used to stabilise the drive as it was very twitchy - told the crew it was a weapon. ... Might {sic} mouse used the ball and chain on series 6 as I needed a weapon"
— Trevor Wright on the ball and chain[6]

This version had rear-wheel steering. After the old model was destroyed by Disc-O-Inferno in Extreme 1, it was made into the team's new robot, Mighty Mouse, and a new design for Velocirippa was built for Series 6.

"In RW Extreme the machine was trashed (as on the Home page). The lid was ripped off so I kept the running chassis to experiment on different configurations of steering and speed control, before transferring to the new machine I was planning to build. By coincidence Mentorn were looking for robots to appear in Technogames, series 3. A lid was hurriedly built and Mighty Mouse was born. It has since appeared on RW series 6 and won a medal at Technogames series 4"
— Team Mouse website
Extreme Velocirippa

Extreme 2 appearance

The new Velocirippa had the same rear wheel drive and front wheel steering as the previous version, but had a larger, bulkier shell made of fibreglass. The internals were contained in a half inch thick aluminium inner box. In Extreme 2, it was armed with front and rear spikes, though the statistics board also listed spinning discs. The new version was not as fast as the original Velocirippa, but still had a good top speed of 15mph.

"The new machine has a 1/2" thick box construction housing the motors, batteries and steering. This is extremely tough but looks very boring, so a lightweight lid was needed. ... I expected it to get totally trashed but has appeared in the Tag Team Terror (with Mighty Mouse) and the football in Technogames series4. Although it has a few holes it is remarkably intact."
— Team Mouse website[7]
Velocirippa S7 R1

Velocirippa in the arena for Series 7

Velocirippa S7

Velocirippa with its scoop raised

For Series 7, Velocirippa's front spikes were replaced with a front scoop flipper, and the rear spikes were removed. However, across all versions of the machine, Velocirippa proved to be unreliable, breaking down in every one of its battles. It also suffered from having a large turning circle due to the rear-wheel drive.

Etymology[]

The robot's name was a pun on Velociraptor, a dinosaur of the Dromaeosaur family. In keeping with the name, the robot was designed to resemble a dinosaur's head.

The Team[]

Team Mouse

Team Velocirippa alongside the Series 4 incarnation of Velocirippa

Main article: Team Velocirippa

Qualification[]

Velocirippa originally entered Series 3. At the Auditions, Velocirippa's shell was completed, but the internals were hastily put together. It managed to score a goal and complete the slalom, but had a problem crossing the ramp.

"Qualifiers for series 3 were just interviews and then the machines had to complete an assault course - scored a goal and completed the slalom but spun the drive wheels on the ramp and had to give up"
— Trevor Wright on the Series 3 auditions[8]

Ultimately, it was not selected for the main competition, but was chosen for the Pinball Competition, before it was moved to the Robotic Soccer tournament due to a behind-the-scenes incident.[9]

"...although it looks complete on the outside the insides were thrown together. A run of longer than 20 seconds before something burnt out or broke was considered a success. Anyway we went to the auditions on a wing and a prayer and we were astonished to be selected for the show. This was later tempered as we were told it was only for the Pinball Tournament."
— Trevor Wright describes Velocirippa as it attended the Series 3 auditions[10]

Velocirippa managed to qualify for the main competition in Series 4, damaging Charybdis' spinning disc during its only known qualifier match.[11]

Velocirrippa s6 qualifiers

Velocirippa during the Sixth Wars qualifiers

Haardervark series 6

Velocirippa and Haardervark at the Series 6 qualifiers

Team Mouse attended the Series 6 qualifiers with the updated version of Velocirippa and their new robot Mighty Mouse. Both robots won their qualifier battles, but the team could only choose one robot to compete with, and went with Mighty Mouse because Velocirippa's gearbox was damaged during the battle.

"I took the new velocirippa to the qualifiers but entered mighty mouse to give it a run out... Both machines qualified but had to choose only 1, chose the mouse because the gearbox on velocirippa had destroyed itself and there was no time to fix it"
— Trevor Wright on the Series 3 auditions[12]

Both Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse were entered for Series 7 as well, and this time Velocirippa was chosen to compete over Mighty Mouse - however, Mighty Mouse was chosen as the first reserve, and was called to compete.

Robot History[]

Series 3[]

"Velocirippa, a small midfield dynamo, powered by electricity, weighing in at seventy-five kilos, to take on Demolition Demon 2 and also Dead Metal in goal."
— Jonathan Pearce before the match

Velocirippa was not selected for the main competition of the Third Wars, but was chosen to compete in the Pinball Competition. However, a behind-the-scenes incident caused filming to be delayed, preventing Velocirippa from competing in that side event. Nonetheless, crew member Mary-Jane Evans successfully negotiated a place for the robot in the Robotic Soccer Tournament.

"We turned up for the Pinball tournament only to be told that we had been cancelled as filming had been delayed. As you can imagine I was none too pleased and kicked up a fuss, Mary-Jane took pity on me and negotiated a place in the soccer tournament to be filmed that day."
— Original Velocirippa website[13]
MatildaBlocksVelocirippa

Matilda blocks Velocirippa

Velocirippa started quickly in the qualifying match, where it was placed up against Series 2 heat finalist Demolition Demon 2. At the start, both robots drove forwards, but Matilda drove at Demolition Demon 2. Velocirippa turned towards the wall, nearly driving into the wall before turning. Matilda drove past Demolition Demon 2, and it drove at the ball, then stopped.

"So it’s easy chaps! All you’ve gotta do is stick the ball in the net! Easy peasy! Yep, that’s what we thought about England!"
— Jonathan Pearce at the start of the match
MatildaFootballMistake

Matilda accidentally gives the ball away, and Velocirippa intercepts

VelocirippaDD2Football

Velocirippa scores

Velocirippa charged up the arena at the ball, pushing it away, but Matilda blocked, pushing the ball away. Velocirippa rammed Matilda, but Matilda pushed back, driving between it and the ball. Demolition Demon 2 regained mobility, turning around, and Velocirippa reversed to avoid it. Matilda pushed the ball to the side of the arena, and Velocirippa drove around Demolition Demon 2, but instead of driving at the ball, it turned the other way, driving past the front of Demolition Demon 2. Matilda used her tusks to flick the ball away from the wall, but this allowed Velocirippa to charge straight at the ball, pushing it towards the goal, past goalkeeper Dead Metal and into the net with one charge. The goal came at a crucial time, as Velocirippa's relays nearly burned out, and it crashed into the top of the arena.

"Mistake by Matilda! Well, we might have thought that would happen, but look at Velocirippa! Great pace, puts the goalkeeper Dead Metal the wrong way, super goal, we never even saw Demolition Demon, really! Bigger, taller, heavier, but it's David against Goliath, and David goes through in the shape of Velocirippa!"
— Jonathan Pearce after Velocirippa scores

This would also turn out to be Velocirippa's only ever victory on the televised show.

However, the final did not go as smoothly for Velocirippa. Here, it was placed up against Semi-Finalist Evil Weevil and fellow new robots The General and Gnasher.

"Velocirippa with the speed, 20 miles an hour, like a little dashing winger!"
— Jonathan Pearce at the start of the match
VelocirippaBurntOut

Velocirippa immobile in the Soccer Final

Velocirippa began the match by charging at the ball, and although it got nearest to the ball first, it missed its charge. It reversed, driving past the ball again as it did so. However, before it could drive at the ball, Gnasher drove between it and the ball, pushing it away. Velocirippa sped up the arena as Gnasher controlled the ball towards the goal. Matilda intercepted Gnasher, but Velocirippa had stopped moving near the top of the arena, its relays having burnt out[14].

"Velocirippa, I think's burnt out! Is that a gouge down the side as well?"
— Jonathan Pearce notices Velocirippa has stopped, and the damage done to it
BashrightsVelocirippa

Sgt. Bash rights Velocirippa

Whilst the other competitors fought with Matilda for control of the ball, the immobile Velocirippa was pushed into the wall. Sgt. Bash pushed it away from the wall, tipping it onto its side. Sgt. Bash gave it another push, tipping it back onto its wheels, but it was still immobile. Sgt. Bash left Velocirippa as Evil Weevil got the ball up the arena, and he set the ball on fire. Velocirippa regained some mobility, reversing between Dead Metal and Matilda as Matilda pushed the ball, but then drove forwards past Matilda as she and Evil Weevil pushed the ball to the other side of the arena. Velocirippa was unable to reach the ball before the end of the match, and the battle went to a judges' decision. However, the judges went in favour of Evil Weevil.

"In the final these ralays {sic} lasted about 20 seconds and we were dead, but we left with our heads held high and we had had a brilliant day out."
— Trevor Wright about the Robotic Soccer Final on the Velocirippa website

Series 4[]

"It may be the smallest in this heat, but size doesn't matter if you've got skill. Good driving technique in the Soccer last time around, and just watch for this sort of burst of pace in the main event this time!"
— Jonathan Pearce reviewing Velocirippa's last appearance

Velocirippa returned after being rebuilt for the Fourth Wars. It was placed in Heat B. In the first round of the heat, it faced a difficult draw, as it was against the third seed, reigning world and international champion Razer, alongside newcomer Robochicken. Despite this, the team seemed surprisingly confident.

Julia Reed: "Now, this robot, apparently, uses technology of the future, technology of cars, because if it's rolled, it will always roll onto its wheels. Good luck to you guys. Stiff competition here today though."
Anthony Hillier: "Yes there is, but Razer you know, can you tell him, it might be their final conflict!"
— Pre-first round interview
Razer vs robochicken vs velocirrippa

Razer grabs Velocirippa, and Robochicken lifts the two

At the start, Razer and Robochicken drove at each other, whilst Velocirippa drove around the two, then drove behind Robochicken as Razer grabbed hold of it, then drove past. Velocirippa turned around, and as Razer lifted its crusher out of Robochicken, it rammed in between the two of them, briefly knocking Robochicken off of Razer's front wedge. Razer turned and pushed at Robochicken, trying to grab it with the crusher again, but Robochicken managed to turn off of Razer's wedge to get away from the crusher.

"We made a decision to cause as much damage as possible whils't {sic} Razer was attacking The chicken. We did, although it was not shown on the television"
— Trevor Wright on the Velocirippa website[15]
Razer velocirippa

Razer holds Velocirippa over the flames

As it did so, Velocirippa rammed into Razer's side. Razer turned around and started chasing Velocirippa, but Velocirippa was able to get away, driving to the side of the arena. Velocirippa turned around as Razer chased after it, driving over a flame jet as it charged at Razer, but as it hit Razer, Razer turned around and got under Velocirippa's front and crushed a small hole in the top. As it did so, Robochicken got its rear lifter under Velocirippa's front spikes, and flicked the two robots a little a couple of times.

"Perhaps Ian Lewis and Simon Scott and Vincent Blood have said "Well, Robochicken has to be the weakest" ... but then look, they're now on the attack on Velocirippa! And that body is steel and armour plated. Nothing will resist the nine tonnes of squeezability of Razers claw, jaw, whatever you want to call it."
— Jonathan Pearce as Razer crushes into Velocirippa
Velocirippa sidewall

Velocirippa crashes into the wall

This freed Velocirippa from Razer, and it reversed away, but Razer had damaged some of Velocirippa's electrics, leaving Velocirippa unable to steer properly. As Razer tried to grab hold of Robochicken, Velocirippa rammed into Razer's side, but Razer kept attacking Robochicken, crushing through the armour. Velocirippa rammed into the back of Razer, and as Razer tried lifting Robochicken with its crusher, rammed into the back again, causing Robochicken to fall off the beak. Razer reversed, and Velocirippa drove down the arena, past Robochicken. Razer started driving after it, but Velocirippa sped away up the arena. Despite Robochicken driving at it, briefly getting the lifter underneath, Razer continued to chase Velocirippa, driving up the arena, but as it got close, Velocirippa drove away, so Razer turned and went after Robochicken again. Velocirippa stayed away as Razer crushed through the side, driving around the other two competitors, and Razer picked Robochicken up with its crusher and carried it over to the flame pit. As Razer held Robochicken over the flames, Velocirippa charged across the arena, hitting Razer's front wedge, causing Robochicken to fall off the crusher. Robochicken drove away, and Velocirippa and Razer reversed. Razer started chasing Velocirippa, but Velocirippa was fast enough to stay well clear of it, so Razer changed targets to Robochicken, which was driving near by. Razer crushed through the armour as it pushed it down the arena, whilst Velocirippa moved back and forth near the top of the arena. Razer let Robochicken go, and it drove away up the arena, only for Razer to catch up with it near the arena centre, grabbing hold of it and pushing it some more. The pit opened, and Robochicken tried reversing away from Razer, but drove close to Dead Metal. Velocirippa was still only able to drive back and forth, but it did manage into to ram into the back of Razer as it drove after Robochicken. This caused Razer to turn away from Robochicken and drive after Velocirippa. Razer quickly caught up with it, grabbing hold and crushing through the top. This did not damage the electrics, but Razer turned Velocirippa and pushed it onto a flame jet.

"Velocirippa here has got away almost scot-free! Danced around the arena, kept out of trouble, until now! And a puncture mark to remind Velocirippa - a battle with the Razer! And now on the flame pit, oh goodness me!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Razer changes targets and grabs Velocirippa
Killalot Velocirippa

Sir Killalot moves Velocirippa towards its doom

Razer held it over the flames briefly, then let it go, and Velocirippa sped away, crashing into the arena wall. After this, Velocirippa did not move away from the wall, its electrics having overheated whilst being held on the flames.

"We were held over the flames and this may have overheated some of the electrics as control was very sporadic after that. The tevision {sic} version made us look immobilised but the house robots were descending on us and we had nowhere to go. Both ourselves and the chicken were immobilised but it was deemed that we were to go, and were dumped in the pit by Sir Killalot"
— Trevor Wright on the Velocirippa website[16]

Razer continued to drive after Robochicken, which turned away and drove past the flame jet. Robochicken was limping, but because Velocirippa was immobile first, the House Robots closed in, with Sir Killalot grabbing Velocirippa by the front spike with his claw, turning it towards the pit, dangling it over the pit and dropping it in, eliminating it from the competition.

"That one, the little [hole caused by Razer], went straight through the steering, and that was it. All I got was forwards and backwards. I tried to bounce off the walls to get some steering, but that was the lot. I set a target this year of getting on the show, and I'm a bit gutted but I've enjoyed it all the same."
— Trevor Wright after the battle

Extreme 1[]

"Three robots in the Mayhem. One of them survives to go through to the Annihilator. Will it be Velocirippa, Comengetorix, or Disc-O-Inferno?"
— Jonathan Pearce prior to Velocirippa's Mayhem battle

Velocirippa's only appearance in the first series of Extreme was when it participated in the final Mayhem qualifier battle of the Extreme series, for a right to fight in the second Annihilator of the series, in the next episode. It is unclear whether it was actually brought in as a reserve robot, after one of the intended competitors was forced to withdraw, or if it was always due to compete. Velocirippa was put up against Comengetorix and Disc-O-Inferno in the Mayhem battle. Prior to the battle, the Velocirippa and Comengetorix teams decided that they would team up against Disc-O-Inferno, though when Julia Reed found them talking together in the pits, they both denied it.

Julia Reed: "Hang on a minute, there's meant to be a war going on here teams! That's your robot, I do believe, and you guys, stay over there! This is meant to be carnage! What's going on?"
Trevor Wright: "Just a bit of friendly banter, you know. Just trying to err, sort out where he's soft and where he's not. Where to hit him and where to not."
Julia Reed: "Oh yeah? So do you promise you're not conspiring against Disc-O-Inferno?"
Ian Gear: "Oh no, no, no no no no! We noticed, we can't see 'em, they're hiding!"
— Julia Reed finds the Velocirippa and Comengetorix together in the pits
ComenVeloDisco

Comengetorix and Velocirippa attack Disc-O-Inferno together

As soon as "Activate" sounded, Comengetorix and Velocirippa struck a pincer-attack on Disc-O-Inferno, with Comengetorix charging at the front, whilst Velocirippa rammed into its side. Comengetorix got under Disc-O-Inferno's front and fired the axe, but caused no damage, and Velocirippa reversed for another charge. Disc-O-Inferno reversed, and Velocirippa drove into the front, then turned away as Disc-O-Inferno began getting its disc up to speed.

"...and immediately, a pincer attack on Disc-O-Inferno! They were collaborating, they were musing, they were planning a joint attack on Disc-O-Inferno, and I wonder if Mark Marshall and Nick Bullock and the Disco boys will forgive and forget, I doubt it!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Comengetorix and Velocirippa attack Disc-O-Inferno
Velocirippa vs Comengetorix

Velocirippa is axed by Comengetorix

Disc-O-Inferno drove after Comengetorix, and as Disc-O-Inferno closed in, Velocirippa drove around Comengetorix, and rammed into the side of Disc-O-Inferno, landing a glancing blow as it hit Comengetorix and drove past. Disc-O-Inferno reversed into the back of Comengetorix and started pushing, and Velocirippa drove into its side, but couldn't do any damage, so quickly reversed. As Disc-O-Inferno drove past, and Comengetorix limped forwards, Velocirippa drove into the front of Comengetorix, and Comengetorix fired its axe, which became caught behind one of Velocirippa's tusks, preventing it getting away as it tried reversing.

"Velocirippa looks a cross between a Dinosaur and some sort of wild Boar actually, as it comes in on the attack, tentatively so on Comengetorix..."
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa drives into Comengetorix
Disc-O-Inferno vs Velocirippa

Velocirippa is destroyed by Disc-O-Inferno

Disc-O-Inferno rammed into the two of them, pushing Velocirippa free, allowing it to reverse and Comengetorix to pull back the axe. However, as Disc-O-Inferno reversed, Velocirippa drove straight into Comengetorix again. It reversed, and as Comengetorix slowly moved forwards, Velocirippa drove around it, and when Comengetorix turned, Velocirippa turned and drove in front of it, blocking it as Disc-O-Inferno hit the back of Comengetorix with its spinning disc. Velocirippa drove around Comengetorix and rammed into the back of Disc-O-Inferno, pushing it a little, but then drove along Disc-O-Inferno's side, which allowed Disc-O-Inferno to hit its side with the disc, ripping off a small part. Velocirippa turned and kept away from the other competitors as Disc-O-Inferno landed more blows on Comengetorix, resulting in it being immobilised. However, Velocirippa suddenly stopped whilst Disc-O-Inferno was immobilising Comengetorix, and Disc-O-Inferno went after it. As Refbot counted Comengetorix out, Disc-O-Inferno got its disc up to speed and charged into the side of Velocirippa, ripping one of the armour panels loose, then turned around, and when it had its disc up to speed, rammed into Velocirippa, sending the loose armour panel flying off.

"Comengetorix have gone. One down, two remain. Disc-O Inferno and Velocirippa ... OH! Ripped Apart! In goes Bash to destroy what's left of Comengetorix. OH! Well, they don't want to win, Disc-O-Inferno! They say they don't want to be here! Look at that! The innards are ripped away of Velocirippa! Counted down and counted out to prevent any further punishment, and Disc-O Inferno is the winner!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa is demolished
MayhemVelocirippaDiscOInfernoComengetorix

Velocirippa is counted out

Refbot counted out Velocirippa, and Disc-O-Inferno hit the side again, ripping more parts loose. When Refbot's count was finished, Shunt pushed Velocirippa onto the floor flipper, which threw it across the arena, with Velocirippa bouncing into the pit release button.

"What's left of Velocirippa is about to meet its doom. One eye, a few teeth left, nuts and bolts have come off everywhere there!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa is flipped by the floor flipper before hitting the pit release button
Comengetorix and Velocirippa

Velocirippa, dormant (top-left)

The pit opened, and Shunt put Comengetorix on the flipper. After it was thrown, Disc-O-Inferno pushed Comengetorix to the edge of the pit, and Shunt pushed it in to finish the battle. Velocirippa and Comengetorix therefore did not qualify for the Annihilator.

"Velocirippa is extinct, and I don't know how Comengetorix had the "Gaul" to be in this competition."
— Craig Charles after the battle

Due to the damage caused to it, this model of Velocirippa was subsequently retired, and later transformed to create the more successful Mighty Mouse.

Series 5[]

"Velocirippa is back, and like Napalm, looks the same as before, but a lot of work has gone into the insides of this little snarler!"
Philippa Forrester introduces Velocirippa at the start of the Heat

Velocirippa's Series 5 heat was filmed before its confrontation with Disc-O-Inferno in Extreme Series 1, this explaining how it was able to fight. In Heat E of the Fifth Wars, Velocirippa was placed up against newcomer The Alien.

"...Twenty-eight years of engineering experience went into this."
— Jonathan Pearce during his description of Velocirippa
The Alien vs Velocirippa

Velocirippa is wedged by The Alien

Velocirippa started by driving at The Alien whilst The Alien paused, getting its spinning hammer up to speed, but The Alien drove forwards as Velocirippa got close, so Velocirippa merely glanced off the side. Both robots turned around, and Velocirippa drove at The Alien's spinning hammer, which hit Velocirippa's side, but it wasn't spinning fast enough to do any damage, merely glancing off. Velocirippa reversed, and The Alien turned around, and when Velocirippa drove at The Alien, it drove up The Alien's wedge, allowing The Alien to push it up the arena, onto the floor flipper, but as The Alien turned, Velocirippa slid off the ramp. The Alien turned around to use its hammer as Velocirippa reversed, then Velocirippa charged past, hitting the side with the disc as it drove past. Velocirippa turned around, but due to its large turning circle, it drove into Refbot.

"Big turning circle for Velocirippa, could count against it in a close melee if it develops that way."
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa turns around
Velocirippa vs the alien

The Alien shoves the immobile Velocirippa

The two reversed, and Velocirippa charged at The Alien, but The Alien drove into it, getting under the side, pushing it back. As The Alien turned, Velocirippa slid off the wedge, but it had stopped moving. The Alien turned around, hitting Velocirippa with its spinning hammer, ripping off one of the rear spikes and battering the side.

"Velocirippa seems to have been stopped in its tracks by The Alien and that hammer blow!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Pitvelocirippa

Velocirippa is pitted by Shunt

The Alien reversed, then drove into Velocirippa again with the spinning hammer, hitting the side again, then turned around, using its wedge to push Velocirippa down the arena, close to the pit. Refbot started counting it out there, and as he did so, Shunt pushed it into the centre of the arena, and when Refbot finished, the pit opened, and Shunt pushed Velocirippa over to the pit, pushing it in with a little help from Sgt. Bash.

"And I think Velocirippa, as the crowd dictates, will be left in the pit. There he goes, from Shunt. Left in the dank darkness to vegetate and that's the first turn-up of this Heat!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Shunt pits Velocirippa

Extreme 2[]

"Two machines here for the family Wright, will it be their night? ... Mind you, could go all wrong!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse enter the arena

In Extreme Series 2, the new Velocirippa machine fought its Robot Wars debut with a Tag Team Terror partnership with its brother robot, Mighty Mouse, built from the older version of Velocirippa. The two were placed up against Barbaric Response and Hydra in the first round.

Philippa Forrester: "You haven't got any big weapons, but you've got quite a lot of pushing power in there between you. So have you got tactics?"
Trevor Wright: "Pushing power on Velocirippa. Well, we'll push 'em round with Velocirippa, and then Mighty Mouse will come in with with a big hit, and then run away again!"
— Pre-battle interview
Hydra velocirippa

Hydra batters the immobile Velocirippa

The battle started with Velocirippa fighting Hydra, and on activate, the two charged into each other, and as they crashed into each other, Velocirippa was knocked aside. Velocirippa tried to turn around, and Hydra tried to get under and flip Velocirippa, but missed with the flipper, and Velocirippa drove past. Velocirippa reversed into the front of Hydra, trying to use its rear spikes, but this allowed Hydra to get its flipper under the back of Velocirippa, lifting it up onto its top, and Velocirippa fell off as Hydra reversed.

"Velocirippa, suspect ground clearance of two centimetres, bounced away by the Hydra team."
— Jonathan Pearce as Hydra flips Velocirippa

Velocirippa turned away, and Hydra rammed into it. Suddenly, Velocirippa stopped moving. Hydra drove beside Velocirippa, and after missing with its hammer, it hit the top of Velocirippa with its sledgehammer, then started pushing Velocirippa, hitting it with its hammer again, and got its flipper under Velocirippa's side, flipping Velocirippa on its side, before it rolled back.

"Velocirippa to me looks stone cold, out there in the water. The dinosaur is about to be made extinct by Hydra!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Hydra attacks the immobile Velocirippa
VelocirippaCountedOut

Velocirippa is counted out

Hydra pushed Velocirippa to the edge of the flame pit, and Mighty Mouse charged out of its corner in reverse, driving into Velocirippa to push it away, but became stuck on the flame pit. Shunt came out of his CPZ, and gave Mighty Mouse a little push, and it sped off the flame pit. Barbaric Response drove into Velocirippa, trying to get its flipper underneath, but turned away as Mighty Mouse charged at it. Barbaric Response chased after Mighty Mouse, bumping into Velocirippa, and as Barbaric Response chased Mighty Mouse up the arena, Refbot came over to count Velocirippa out. Whilst Hydra fought Mighty Mouse, Shunt pushed Velocirippa up the arena to the floor flipper, and Hydra pushed Mighty Mouse into the pit as Shunt was lining it up.

"It wasn't even a close squeak was it? Velocirippa, the roar is no more!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Mighty Mouse is pitted and Velocirippa is pushed onto the floor flipper

However, before Velocirippa could be flipped, Hydra drove up the arena, pushing Velocirippa of the floor flipper. Shunt tried to push it back, but Hydra pushed it off, then pushed it down the arena, into an empty CPZ. Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse were eliminated from the competition subsequently.

Philippa Forrester: "Are you ashamed?"
Trevor Wright: "No, not really! I'm just tired!"
Philippa Forrester: "Did you enjoy it?"
Trevor Wright: "Yeah I did. Preparing two machines for this event's been a bit of a..."
Philippa Forrester: "It's proper teamwork here, isn't it? It doesn't always pay off, teamwork!"
— Post-battle interview

Series 7[]

Jayne Middlemiss: "I'm sure I've seen you two before..."
Trevor Wright: "Yeah, last week!"
— Pre-first round interview

The new Velocirippa was repaired for the Seventh Wars, where it fought in the main competition, alongside Mighty Mouse. Velocirippa was now armed with a small lifting scoop at the front, replacing the front and rear spikes. Velocirippa participated in Heat K of the Seventh Wars. In the first round of the heat, it was placed up against Belgian entrant and Dutch Robot Wars veteran Hard, the lone thwackbot in the series and newcomer T-Wrecks and fellow Robot Wars veteran Kat 3.

"Fast, front-wheel steering, electronic differential, Dinosaur head-shaped, front flipper, self-rights, thick aluminium inner box construction, but a fibreglass lid! What, with our reputation?"
— Jonathan Pearce describes Velocirippa
Kat3triestoaxeVelocirippa

Kat 3 tries to axe Velocirippa

However, from the start of the battle, Velocirippa was at a disadvantage, as its flipper was stuck in the fired position. Velocirippa started by charging at Hard, but it hit the side of Hard and bumped off, so Velocirippa kept driving, nearly driving into the arena wall. Velocirippa reversed up to the top of the arena, then turned and charged at Hard as it was attacking T-Wrecks. Velocirippa rammed the back of Hard, pushing it into T-Wrecks. Kat 3 drove behind Velocirippa, firing the axe, but the axe merely glanced off the side. Velocirippa drove away, then turned around and drove at Kat 3, but drove up the wedge, then drove over the side. Kat 3 turned and got under Velocirippa, pinning it against an angle grinder. Velocirippa pushed against Kat 3, then quickly reversed away down the arena as Kat 3 fired its axe, which became stuck in the floor. Velocirippa drove up the arena, and Hard drove at it, getting underneath and flipping it up, then rammed it into the arena wall. Hard reversed, flipping Velocirippa again, then pushed it into the arena wall. Velocirippa rolled back onto its wheels, and drove away from Hard, but drove into Mr. Psycho. Instead of driving away, Velocirippa drove into the front of Mr Psycho, who reversed. Velocirippa turned away, then drove at Hard, driving up its wedge front, and Hard turned, so Velocirippa drove off Hard before it could flip. Velocirippa drove down the arena and turned around.

"Great speed Velocirippa, up to 15 miles an hour on the arena floor!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa drives away
Hard vs Velocirippa

Hard flips Velocirippa

Kat 3 chased after it, and Velocirippa drove up the arena, with Kat 3 chasing after it. Velocirippa drove to where Hard was fighting T-Wrecks near Cassius Chrome's CPZ. Kat 3 caught up with Velocirippa near the arena wall, but Velocirippa turned away before Kat 3 fired the axe, causing it to miss. Velocirippa turned around to attack T-Wrecks, but Cassius Chrome came out of his CPZ, pushing Hard away from the CPZ, and he also pushed Velocirippa as he did so, pushing it into the back of Kat 3. Velocirippa drove away, but drove into Refbot, driving up his front wedge, then reversed away. Velocirippa drove at Hard as it was fighting Kat 3. As Velocirippa drove up Hard's wedge, Kat 3 hit it with its axe, but did not puncture the armour. Hard pushed Velocirippa down the arena, but Velocirippa slipped off the wedge. Hard turned and got the flipper under the side of Velocirippa, flipping it up, but it fell back on its wheels. Velocirippa drove into the arena centre, and Hard drove at it, managing to get under the side, but it was unable to flip it. Hard pushed it around, pushing it into T-Wrecks, which was fighting Kat 3. Hard tried to get under the side of Velocirippa, but it slid off the side. T-Wrecks pushed Velocirippa as it reversed up the arena. T-Wrecks spun around on the spot, and Velocirippa rammed into it, but it was knocked aside, flipped up onto its back by the impact of the spinning.

"Not too sure about T-Wrecks, no, I am now! Look at that! The spinning blade, that can cause major problems to Velocirippa's fibreglass lid! Fibreglass, in what is basically a snake pit, a flame pit, a den of thieves, Are they sure?"
— Jonathan Pearce questions Velocirippa's armour as it it hit by T-Wrecks
T-Wrecks pitted

Hard pits T-Wrecks

Velocirippa bounced back onto its wheels, and drove across the arena, past the flame pit, then reversed, driving of the flame pit. Velocirippa reversed across the arena, bumping into Kat 3. Kat 3 turned around, and Velocirippa kept reversing, driving into an angle grinder. It drove away, but drove into the bottom arena wall. It drove along the wall, hitting the pit release button, then reversed away, reversing up the arena. It drove forwards, but then reversed, hitting Refbot. Velocirippa slowly moved away, stopping and starting. T-Wrecks drove towards the arena centre and began spinning, and Velocirippa reversed into it, then turned away. As Hard drove towards the arena centre, Velocirippa rammed into it, riding up the side a little due to its flipper being stuck in the up position. Kat 3 drove at Velocirippa as it drove past and fired the axe, but missed.

"This is a really good fight, very even, very open, and one of the best of Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars thus far."
— Jonathan Pearce
Hard vs Velocirippa

Hard wedges under a dying Velocirippa

Velocirippa reversed into Kat 3's side, but then drove away up the arena, bumping into Hard, and kept driving up the arena, bumping into Mr. Psycho. It quickly reversed away, driving straight into Hard, but reversed off the edge of Hard, only to reverse into Kat 3. Kat 3 turned around as Hard pushed T-Wrecks into it. Velocirippa drove away from the other competitors, across the arena. Velocirippa speedily reversed into Hard, but rode up the wedge, falling onto the side. It rolled back onto its wheels, and drove away, bumping into Refbot, which reversed away. Hard flipped T-Wrecks up, getting underneath it, and Velocirippa reversed into T-Wrecks, drove away, then reversed into Hard, then drove away again. As T-Wrecks was pitted by Hard, Velocirippa slowly reversed, then drove towards the arena centre even slower, where it ground to a halt.

T-Wrecks and Velocirippa

Velocirippa joins T-Wrecks in the pit

"Is Velocirippa moving? Just. Suddenly, the pace has got a lot slower, because I think Velocirippa have run themselves to a standstill."
— Jonathan Pearce notices Velocirippa slowing

Hard drove after it, and Velocirippa limply reversed. Hard got under the front of Velocirippa, and pushed it down the arena and into the pit. Velocirippa was eliminated from the competition, once again in the first round.

"What a fantastic fight, a right royal rumble! Two robots in the pits, gives us two clear winners..."
— Craig Charles after the battle

Results[]

VELOCIRIPPA - RESULTS
Series 3
Robotic Soccer
Final
Qualifier vs. Demolition Demon 2 Won
Final vs. Evil Weevil, Gnasher, The General Lost
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat B, Eliminator vs. Razer (3), Robochicken Eliminated
Extreme Series 1
Mayhem & Annihilator
Mayhem
Mayhem vs. Comengetorix, Disc-O-Inferno Lost
Series 5
The Fifth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat E, Eliminator vs. The Alien Lost
Extreme Series 2
Tag Team Terror
Competing with Mighty Mouse, Round 1
Round 1 vs. Barbaric Response & Hydra Lost
Series 7
The Seventh Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat K, Round 1 vs. Hard, Kat 3, T-Wrecks Eliminated

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 0
  • Losses: 5

Note: Robotic Soccer battles do not count for the win/loss ratio.

Series Record[]

Main Series Velocirippa Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Robotic Soccer Final
The Fourth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Fifth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Sixth Wars Withdrew
Entered with Mighty Mouse
The Seventh Wars Heat, Round 1
Entered with Mighty Mouse
Series 8 Entered with Ironside3
Series 9 Entered with Ironside3
Series 10 Not selected with unspecified robot
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 Entered
Series 2 Entered
Entered with Mighty Mouse

NOTE: Trevor Wright's machine, Meggamouse, was also entered into Series 9 by Team Tilly

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

Velocirippa (Techno Games)

Velocirippa in the Football competition at Techno Games

Velocirippa competed at Techno Games 2003 in the Football competition, despite the fact the team also competed in the same competition with Mighty Mouse, partnered with Hydra. It partnered with Sugar Plum Fairy to form the team 'The Nut Gnashers', but they lost 1-0 in the first round to One Foot in the Goal, but the game was not aired as part of the series apart from a brief clip[17].

At the 2003 Enginuity Robot Crusade event, Velocirippa notably defeated Firestorm and Lazerus in the first round but lost to The Stag in the Semi-Finals.[18]

Velocirippa continued to fight at live events for years after Robot Wars ended, until it was retired in 2008. It managed to win some fights and record some success, though its results were generally poor to mixed. In the 2004 UK Championships Winter Tour, Velocirippa beat Taurus in its qualifier at Newport to go through to the finals at Doncaster, but in its fight with Storm 2, it was rammed all over the arena, and lost on the judges' decision. It went into the loser's melee against Chompalot, Ewe 2, Dantomkia and Kronic, but it failed to make any impact there and lost.

At the next Winter Tour, it lost of the qualifiers stage of the UK Championship. It first competed at Merthyr Tydfil, where it fought Merlin, which flipped it all around the arena, then into the pit. It also competed at the Macclesfield event, where it fought Chompalot, which used its claw to grab it and push it into the pit.

Velocirippa also failed to qualify for the 2006 UK Championships. It competed at Wicksteed Park, where it shared its pod with Knightmare, Hard and no. 2 seed Terrorhurtz. Armed with a much stronger flipper, it performed well against Knightmare in its first battle, flipping it over a number of times, but was eventually thrown out of the arena[19]. It then defeated Hard in a rematch from the TV series, flipping it all over the arena until it was left immobilised by the pit, and Velocirippa pushed it in. However, against Terrorhurtz, it received a vicious amount of blows and ended up stuck in the corner with Terrorhurtz at the end. As a result, Velocirippa didn't gain enough points and failed to qualify for the finals.

Despite this, Velocirippa won the Tag Team Terror competition at the same event. It was partnered with Merlin, and in the first round, they fought Tough as Nails and Terrorhurtz. Merlin dominated the battle, and the team went through when Tough as Nails and Terrorhurtz broke down. In the final, they fought Alien Destructor and Leveller 2. Merlin and Velocirippa were the more aggressive in their individual fights, before Leveller 2 got flipped over immobilised along with its partner, leaving Velocirippa and Merlin as champions.

Later that year, Velocirippa fought in the Winter Tour again, but lost its qualifier at the Doncaster event, being pitted by Kan-Opener.

In the 2007 UK Championships at Wales, it shared its pod with Terrorhurtz again and Infinity. It won its fight against Infinity by flipping it against the arena wall and lost to Terrorhurtz after getting battered by the famous axe. Having finished 2nd in the pod, Velocirippa qualified for one of the 4-way loser's melees, where it took on Envy, Das Gepäck and Tough As Nails. It qualified for the finals after Envy threw Tough As Nails out the arena and flipped Das Gepäck against the wall. In the first round of the finals at met Dantomkia, which rapidly threw Velocirippa out of the arena so Velocirippa had to go to the loser's melee again. This time it fought Envy and Beast, where it managed to immobilise Envy by flipping it but couldn't do much to Beast in the remainder of the fight and was eliminated.

Its final competition was the 2008 UK Championships, where it qualified automatically for the first round of the finals due to the number of robots. It fought Beast, where it got thrown around the arena causing its ratchet strap for the shell to come loose and Velocirippa ended up in the pit. After this, Velocirippa was retired, and was stripped of its innards to make the team's next robot Meggamouse. Its body shell remains with the team but was badly damaged in its final battle.

Trivia[]

Velocirippa S7

Official Series 7 photo

  • Velocirippa was the only robot in Robotic Soccer to return for more than one successive war.
  • Velocirippa has the lowest win-to-loss ratio in the original UK Robot Wars run, with five televised combat losses against zero wins.
    • The current record holder is Terror Turtle with seven losses and no wins. However, Velocirippa becomes the overall record-holder if Terror Turtle's Tag Team battle in Robot Wars: World Series is considered to be a win, due to it and Cathadh receiving points from Team UK's forfeit.
    • The second version of Joker also achieved the same record of no wins and five losses, but the loanerbot Joker earned a win on its behalf during US Season 1.
  • Strangely, in the statboard for its Mayhem in Extreme 1, Velocirippa's self-righting mechanism was cited as its strength, but in Series 5 the weakness on its statboard was 'No Srimech', despite the same version of the robot fighting in both battles.
  • When the team created Meggamouse, they took the chassis, wheels and the insides of Velocirippa and incorporated them into the new machine, continuing the trend of Team Mouse converting Velocirippa into a mouse-themed robot
  • Velocirippa is one of five robots to appear in both series of Extreme and not win a battle in either series. The others are Doom, Fluffy, Mammoth and Sumpthing.
  • The only House Robot which never shared the arena with Velocirippa was Growler.

References[]

External Links[]

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