Could you please elaborate on this? I can’t think of anything questionable off the top of my head.
Open XS Class
| 50 | @gridghost | Scarab Halo TAHC 20 |
General
The Scarab Halo is a micro sports car with a high-revving 195 horsepower inline-4 engine in the middle of the car. This is one of two builds that Scarab considered for the XS class, with the quirky front-wheel driven Blink also long in contention, featuring the same engine.
Design
Aggressive yet cute styling, the Scarab Halo looks slight dated and reminiscent of a Japanese 90s kei car roadster. The vents and aero do well to compensate the inherent cuteness that such look brings with it. Especially the aero seems to have been extremely well engineered.
Driving
Magnificently stable, the Halo is joy to drive fast, but there are also some issues. The spring appear a bit soft at times, causing the little car too bottom out. The brakes seem a bit too good for the extremely low weight of the car (exactly 666 kg).
Scoring
Technical review did detect a non-regulation seat. This had to be replaced before qualifying and lead to a 2 point penalty. Technically the car is a blueprint of sensible choices. The resulting time around the track, a 2:00,882, brings it to a whopping 87 points.
| 51 | @machalel | Boccaccino Shuriken |
General
The Shuriken is a light-weight entry by Boccaccino, powered by a boxer-4 engine putting out 181 horsepower. This is lower than the Halo, but so is the weight at only 507 kg. It is in fact the smallest Boccaccino ever built, and according to the constructor, modified to push the car to the limits of what is mechanically possible.
Design
The design of the Shuriken is quite kit car like, and not that reminiscent of an actual Shuriken.
Details on the front aero in particular are a favourite of the jury, but the rest of the car is merely satisfactory.
Driving
Oh, it’s a Shuriken in driving alright, because turning around its axle is basically all it does when driven full throttle. There is simply no way to combine steering and giving more than just a flicker of throttle in a corner without losing control, and speeds above 190kph are near impossible as well. The rear just loses it.
Scoring
A sensible car in all but styling and driving. That the team still manages a 2:10,580 without killing the driver should be seen as nothing short of miraculous. The end score is 55 points.
| 52 | @Bf94387 | Ziamena Siringa EVO |
General
Ziamena Siringa EVO features a very high-revving V8 engine. Modern, but expensive materials make it the most powerful and lightest in class. At least it looks the part. It’s figures are impressive in class, with over 200 horsepower and weighing well under 500 kilograms.
Design
Oddly high-standing on its wheels, the Ziamena looks modern and sleek. The additional front wing in slightly odd, but the aerodynamics properties are probably quite essential. The rest of the design though is impressive and the car looks as if straight out of a video game.
Driving
The front takes a while to turn in, but when it does, the Siringa is surprisingly stable and composed. However, it simply is not as nimble as the Scarab, and that costs it time, despite the much better power to weight ratio.
Scoring
Beautiful, fast, but oh so expensive and complicated to produce. The Ziamena loses a lot of unnecessary points here. The 2:01,810-lap is fast, but not enough to even catch the crazy Shuriken. Luckily all cars in this class progress to the first hill-climb. It will need to gain a lot of points there to be allowed on the Great Gasmean Hill Climb itself. It now has 44 points.
3 Likes
While the engine engineering time and car production cost were way below average.
When you say top 6 go on to the next round, you mean all of those tied for 6th place right? 
Sadly no, only number 6 itself, due to the fastest time of those with equal points.
Damn, oh well I had assumed as much.
Interesting you say this about the suspension. Whenever I made it any stiffer, it became harder to drive - although I am using a KB, so that will make a difference.
As for the brakes, yeah you got me,that was my mistake. I had left ABS on, otherwise it’s impossible with a KB, but should have taken it off before submitting.
I think its the dampers that are too soft compared to the suspension itself. In any case, it leans over and then bounces back.
The ABS is fickle. There are some entries that use ABS and are performing very well. Without ABS is difficult to find that sweet spot where you don’t fully lock up the wheels, and where they don’t overheat halfway the second lap.
1 Like
As in, the material costs, the final costs, or PU?
Trim PU. Material costs were quite alright as well.
The choppiness in the tune - probably on both of my cars - might be partly because of being tested on the keyboard. Made them responsive enough in the twisties and hard corners to try carrying speed.
As far as driving fun goes, the Elmsley should hopefully be a better experience. You can lean on the front end hard, but the rear is a bit looser given the RWD.
Loving the replays.
2 Likes
Yeeeeep, pretty accurate. And this was the most predictable version of the car that I could make 
Open XS Class
| 50 | @gridghost | Scarab Halo TAHC 20 |
The Scarab appears to be far less stable here than on the track. It is in fact only with the extremely high skill of the driver that it manages to set down the faster time here. However, that is enough to bring it to the finals.
1:38,529
(I only managed a 1:41,522. Driver time was provided with video proof.)
| 51 | @machalel | Boccaccino Shuriken |
As undrivable in a straight line, so comfortable twisting up a hill-climb course. There is potential in this crazy Shuriken after all. However, it lacks the power to weight ratio of the equally twitchy Scarab, and sets a much slower time.
| 52 | @Bf94387 | Ziamena Siringa EVO |
Over-designed and powerful, the Siringa lacks some turn-in, but is overall the most stable entry on the hill-climb. It’s high power an low weight are great counter-arguments to this slower turn-in though.
The Scarab and the Siringa will battle it out on Pikes Peak!
4 Likes
The Siringa was developed with solely the Automation Hillclimb in mind; and no factory testing was done at Pikes Peak. Beads of salty sweat swell on the foreheads of the now nervous Ziamena engineers.
1 Like
Ah shit I regret not entering the XS class… My entry was…fast!
Open B Class
No big surprises on the hill-climb in this class. As expected the Howler Prodigy PPR is by far the fastest, followed by a rather difficult to control MM Espresso Hillclimb.
The third place is more contested, only the Huangdou Shijie 385TA is markedly slower. It is still a looker of a car though, but the Chinese team might to well to consult other brands for engine and suspension tuning.
Purely based on handling, the Kuma TD4RS would have been a well deserved third, but the sensitive brakes on a twisty course like this cause time loss compared to the looser but more powerful and better-braked Scarab Reflex TAHC. Not that power is everything, since the 631 horsepower CPV TA Centauri Raider performs well, on par with the Kuma, but comes only fifth in the end.
| N° | User | Car | Hillclimb | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | @HowlerAutomotive | Howler Prodigy PPR | 01:25,753 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | @strop | MM Espresso Hillclimb | 01:29,836 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 04 | @gridghost | Scarab Reflex TAHC | 01:31,895 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 07 | @Xepy | Kuma TD4RS | 01:32,794 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02 | @Nialloftara | CPV TA Centauri Raider | 01:32,797 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 | @yangx2 | Huangdou Shijie 385TA | 01:38,057 |
Top Three gets to ride on Pikes Peak!
2 Likes
huh you definitely had trouble with the Espresso there. Contrary to the usual margin I actually managed a 1:26.2 in it, but yes, it definitely takes some commitment and praying you don’t flip the damn thing so fair I suppose 
no regrets
Race Day at the Great Gasmean Hill Climb
XS Class
| 50 | @gridghost | Scarab Halo TAHC 20 |
The Scarab Halo has been performing admirably the whole event. The ultimate run on the hillclimb is where it can put the crown on previous performance.
| 52 | @Bf94387 | Ziamena Siringa EVO |
The Ziamena has gotten quite the following because of its beautiful styling. This is a true mini-hypercar. But its flimsy front tires have been giving it some understeer issues.
| 50 | gridghost | Scarab Halo TAHC 20 | 10:24,260 | |
| 52 | Bf94387 | Ziamena Siringa EVO | 10:34,855 |
Restomod Class
| 601 | @EddyBT | BT Motors BTR Panthera XH GGHC |
Everyone that has gotten his or her hands on this car has been lyrical about its driving characteristics. This is probably one of the most fun cars to drive.
| 605 | @gridghost | Scarab Flare RS 20 |
Scarab is the only brand in all of the finals. Having won the XS Class, it also looks good in this class. The Flare is certainly the most powerful car here.
| 601 | EddyBT | BT Motors BTR Panthera XH GGHC | 10:05,629 | |
| 605 | gridghost | Scarab Flare RS 20 | 09:41,135 |
Truck Class
| 800 | gridghost | Scarab Boulder TAHC |
The sensible race truck versus the giant behemoth. Will this be three in a row for Scarab or will the massive Hercules take the cake.
| 804 | strop | Hercules Canyon Hillclimb |
Certainly faster in a straight line, but the heavy and long Hercules might be too cumbersome around the tightest corners.
| 800 | gridghost | Scarab Boulder TAHC | 08:56,655 | |
| 804 | strop | Hercules Canyon Hillclimb | 09:00,015 |
B Class
| 04 | @gridghost | Scarab Reflex TAHC | 09:05,131 |
Scarab can go for an amazing quadruple here, but competition is fierce. The Reflex is a very capable car, but it terms of downforce it appears to lack compared to the competition.
| 05 | @HowlerAutomotive | Howler Prodigy PPR | 08:34,758 |
The large-wheeled Howler is remarkable for the downforce that the design generates. This is obviously a great asset, but the added advantage seems less than on a normal race track.
| 12 | @strop | MM Espresso Hillclimb | 08:38,246 |
The MM Espresso remains a strange contraption to drive. Relatively high downforce, but rather soft and pliant suspension mean the car has a tendency to shudder in the corners, and is at times difficult to control. The gearing appears to be the least suited for the hillclimb as well of the finalists.
| 04 | gridghost | Scarab Reflex TAHC | 09:05,131 |
| 05 | HowlerAutomotive | Howler Prodigy PPR | 08:34,758 |
| 12 | strop | MM Espresso Hillclimb | 08:38,246 |
6 Likes
You should see what happens when you stiffen the suspension (or rather in this case I believe you’re referring to the swaybars). You won’t even need an errant bump to roll the entire van over
Also may i just be blunt and remind you that your very early recommendation to gear the vehicle so that it wasn’t bouncing off the limiter on the ATT is rubbish for a Hillclimb challenge 
Your 5th was geared alright. The 1st to 3rd could be shorter.
Rubbish, you just didn’t carry enough speed through the hairpins.
I would post the Lenny face emoji because I’m being facetious but it’s not available. Maybe you’re right but I basically geared it for optimal pickup from the slowest corners and as you know we can’t exactly choose our individual ratios. Were it up to me I would have geared it to 220km/h and that would have mitigated your issue. I did definitely tune for the race track so it’s probably that.