The Hassocks Hog was a competitor from West Sussex that fought in Series 6 and Series 7 of Robot Wars. Two different versions entered, but both were wedge-shaped with lifting weaponry, and both lost their only battles.
Noel Poncelet was convinced to build the machine by his three sons, Jonathan, Robert and Daniel, who were all huge fans of Robot Wars, with encouragement from his wife Jude.
Robot History[]
Series 6[]
In Heat H of the Sixth Wars, The Hassocks Hog was drawn up against the experienced Ming 3 machine, along with Team Panda's Hot Pants, and Spam. The Hassocks Hog had already fought Ming 3 in its qualifier battle for the Sixth Wars, so it went straight for Andrew Cotterell's machine. Ming 3 tried to skewer The Hassocks Hog with its crusher, but The Hassocks Hog ultimately escaped without much damage. Shortly after, a ramming attack from Spam impeded the The Hassocks Hog's movement. The end of the motor support plate had been bent by the attack and the chain ultimately jumped off the sprocket. The left wheel seemed to freewheel and The Hassocks Hog was reduced to moving in circles. Despite being impeded, The Hassocks Hog survived to the end of the battle, whilst Hot Pants and Spam were both pitted. However, the judges intervened and deemed that The Hassocks Hog's reduced mobility meant it was actually immobile for beyond the allowed time. As such, The Hassocks Hog was eliminated with Hot Pants, and Spam survived to go through to round 2.
Series 7[]
In the first round of the Seventh Wars, Hassocks Hog 2 faced a tough draw against Dantomkia, King B Powerworks and Rick, all of whom had either reached a semi-final or won a side tournament in the past. Shortly after the battle began, Dantomkia flipped Hassocks Hog 2 over and pushed it onto the flame pit. Hassocks Hog 2 attempted to self-right, but the flipper failed to function and the ears began to burn. With Hassocks Hog 2 immobile, Refbot counted it out. Mr. Psycho grappled it and tried to hammer it before dragging it around the arena. Mr. Psycho dropped it on the Drop Zone, only for the hog to gain a little bit of life, spinning away from the Drop Zone, helped by Dantomkia and King B Powerworks pushing it. Mr. Psycho picked it up again, spinning it around so the audience could see the pants, before dropping it out of the arena, just before the battle went to a judges' decision for the other three machines. In the pits, it was discovered the flipper had failed to work because the CO2 bottle had leaked onto the regulator, which caused it to freeze.
Live Events[]
Hassocks Hog took part in some live events after Series 7. In one battle it fought in the 2003 Worthing rumble. It's unknown if it won or not.
Results[]
| Series | Event | Round | Opponent(s) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Robot Wars Series 6 | Qualifiers | n/a | Ming 3
Devil Rider Revolution 2 |
Won |
| Heat I | Eliminator | Ming 3
Spam Hot Pants |
Eliminated | |
| UK Robot Wars Series 7 | Qualifiers | n/a | Disc-O-Inferno
Hannibal Sabre Tooth |
Lost (Qualified) |
| Heat D | Eliminator | (5) Dantomkia
Rick King B Powerworks |
Eliminated | |
| Robots Live! | Burgess-Hill 2007 | Whiteboard Fight | Big Nipper
Pressure |
Lost |
| Robots Live! | Burgess-Hill 2007 | Round 1 | Bigger Brother
Barbaric Response |
Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 2