The Tau Beta Pirates ‘mdash; not to be confused with’ competing team Space Lumberjack Ninja Pirates From Space ‘mdash; sailed fiercely down Peterson Hill last Friday. In the end, though, they were no match for a metallic rocket ship built by UCSD’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which went on to win the sixth annual Triton Junkyard Derby.
The derby used to be held on the day of UCSD’s annual Sun God Festival, until a drunken pilot at the 2007 event broke his arm in one of the competition’s crowd-pleasing crashes. Various staff members at this year’s run donned shirts that read, ‘Don’t drive drunk, drive junk.’
Aside from a mid-tournament crowd swell, observers were sparse. Nevertheless, the Triton Engineering Student Council’s event attracted swarms of prospective competitors. Of the more than 30 teams, some ‘died’ early, toppling under the weight of mattresses or losing momentum because design hindered operation. (Like when the Jeelyfish got its plastic tentacles caught in the axle).
Derby organizers said they hoped to see the tournament move back to Sun God in coming years ‘mdash; but until then, TESC will continue getting trashed on its very own day.