Overview[]
Tauron is a robot which competed in Series 9 and 10 of Robot Wars, entered by a father-and-son team. The name Tauron is derived from the Latin word taurus, meaning bull.
Tauron is a box-shaped robot armed with a 13kg vertical spinning bar, 65cm in length, made from HARDOX 450, with a maximum speed of 220mph - roughly 3100rpm. The robot is powered by two wheels, which are exposed on top of the robot, making the robot invertible. Uniquely, Tauron's bar spinner is mounted on a pivot, so if Tauron is inverted, the weapon will rotate into the upright position, or its direction can be reversed, like IG-88's spinning axe.
Tauron's chassis and exoskeleton are constructed from 6mm and 4mm Hardox 500, with additional armour of 6mm polycarbonate. Team captain Tom Brewster drives the robot, while father Tim operates the weapon.
After Robot Wars, Tauron would compete on the live scene for a while before being upgraded and rebranded into Monsoon.
Monsoon is a heavyweight robot hailing from the British team of the same name, which debuted in BattleBots World Championship III.
It is a two-wheel drive, black and blue robot armed with a powerful vertical spinning weapon made from HARDOX 500 steel and spinning at upwards of 244mph.[1] For its debut season, Monsoon ran on a pair of NPC-T64 brushed motors and sported an asymmetric bar spinner, though more options were added as the bot's design evolved.
The robot was uniquely designed in a way that its weapon module is designed to pivot so that it appears identical even if overturned, and its feeder forks at the front would remain on the floor. Monsoon impressed many in its debut season, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition before falling to eventual runner-up Minotaur. At the end of the season, Team Monsoon won the Founder's Award, presented by BattleBots co-founders Greg Munson and Trey Roski.
While Sam Griffin and Tim Rackley were absent from the team for World Championship IV, the latter joining forces with Jack Tweedy to compete with Ragnarök, Team Monsoon picked up several experienced builders to compensate. These included long-term competitor Rory Mangles, who previously paired up with Craig Danby and Predator in the previous season. The robot itself had largely retained its look, but had a handful of upgrades to improve its strength and reliability. Notably, Monsoon now had the option of a brushless motor powering its weapon, and it sported a stronger chassis construction which was also wider than before. Additional angles bent into the front armor, with the team stating this was a tactical change to prevent it being a catching point for spinners, as was the case versus Son of Whyachi in the season prior.[2] However, the bot showed up to filming weighing 260lbs (118kg), so had to make compromises and last minute adjustments to adhere to the weight limit. This included swapping the brushless motor for the weapon back out, increasing their spin-up time to eight seconds.[3] As such, the team were only ever able to keep the bot in weight Monsoon won just one battle in the Fight Night rounds, losing three times before winning a Tag Team battle with Ragnarök which saw Tim Rackley and Tom Brewster reunited once more.
- "Buffed up chassis, brushless drive, tweaked armour shape. Mostly a case of “if it ain’t broke”, however almost everything broke."
- — Tom Brewster describes changes to Monsoon between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Monsoon was accepted and completely rebuilt ahead of World Championship V. The robot itself was now considerably smaller and each drive pods now articulated independently. Other improvements included but were not limited to fully brushless drive and weapon systems, a revised weapon mount, numerous armor configurations to suit horizontal spinners, and longer forks added the top and bottom to get underneath opponents more easily. Monsoon now has three main weapon options: the traditional 18kg bar spinner, a newly-cut 17kg bar and a 20kg disc.
However, due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Monsoon had no choice but to withdraw their application despite being accepted in the initial roster for the 2020 season.
In 2021, Monsoon was also accepted for World Championship VI, however could not compete due to their NIE Visas being turned down by the state department. Although the team's crate arrived in Las Vegas without trouble, the team were unable to travel and were forced to withdraw from the competition. This was an issue which affected all UK teams ahead of filming for the 2021 season.[4]
Despite back-to-back seasons of being unable to attend, Team Monsoon confirmed their inclusion into World Championship VII in September 2022.[5] This was backed up by BattleBots themselves, who ranked Monsoon as #26 in their Pre-Season Power Rankings.[6] However, their season began with an unfortunate loss to Black Dragon before turning things around with a brutal knockout over Horizon. Monsoon then lost their first Main Event at the hands of Whiplash, but defeated Death Roll to enter the Round of 32 once again. After causing an upset against Cobalt, Monsoon ultimately fell at the Round of 16 stage to eventual champion SawBlaze.
Monsoon is later confirmed to be competing in BattleBots: Champions II, which is set to be aired on an unspecified date.[7]
Robot History[]
UK Robot Wars Series 9[]
Series 9 Appearance
Tauron competed in Episode 3. In its Group Battle, it faced Series 8 fourth-place finisher Thor, Series 8 returnee Chimera2 and fellow newcomer Concussion, whose team formed a friendship with Team Tauron after sharing a workbench with them in the pits. Tauron started the battle by dodging Concussion's initial charge and driving away from Thor, its spinning bar sending sparks flying as it hit Thor's side while the latter tried to push it. It was then buffeted away by a slam from Concussion, the impact causing more sparks to fly and leaving Tauron immobilised close to the wall. Tauron was briefly nudged aside as Thor charged after Concussion and Chimera2, and was eventually eliminated from Series 9 along with Chimera2, which became immobilised later on in the battle.
UK Robot Wars Series 10[]
Tauron Mk2
Tauron Mk 2 competed in Heat 4 of Series 10, replacing Triforce following the latter's withdrawal - this made Tauron Mk 2 the first reserve entry to be upgraded to the main series. In its Group Battle, Tauron Mk 2 faced The Kegs, a two-part clusterbot from Team Terror Turtle, and returning veteran Iron-Awe 6. Immediately, Tauron Mk 2 dodged Iron-Awe 6 and turned round, driving up the latter's flipper, before being rammed by one half of The Kegs. It turned round and drove into Iron-Awe 6's side, although without causing any damage, and backed away, taking some of Iron-Awe 6's entanglement devices with it. Tauron Mk 2 drove up Iron-Awe 6 again, sparks flying as its bar hit the latter's flipper, before again sustaining a blow from one of The Kegs' spinners. It retreated to attack the other half of The Kegs, before surviving a push from Iron-Awe 6 and shredding one of its entanglement cannons. Driving over the spark jets, Tauron Mk 2 manoeuvred across the arena and hit one of the Kegs, tearing the latter's bar spinner off and sending it flying towards the control room occupied by Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon.[5] This attack startled both presenters as The Kegs' spinner hit and caused a metal bar on the control room to fall off. Tauron Mk 2 proceeded to attack Iron-Awe 6 next to an entry gate, before being collected by Sir Killalot as 'Rogue House Robot' was enabled. It swiftly drove away and slammed into the remaining half of The Kegs, sending it barrel-rolling across the arena and leaving it immobilised on its side. Tauron Mk 2 drove away from and was scooped up by Iron-Awe 6, before hitting the latter's sloped sides and pushing it around the descending pit. It momentarily lifted Iron-Awe 6 with a rear-on hit, before being slowly pushed around in circles by Iron-Awe 6. Eventually, the two robots separated, with Tauron Mk 2 landing two more blows to Iron-Awe 6's side before driving away. The two robots bumped each other twice more – the gyroscopic forces of Tauron Mk 2's bar spinner momentarily lifting it onto one wheel as it clipped Iron-Awe 6 again and drove away. Once more, Tauron Mk 2 drove up Iron-Awe 6, the two robots getting stuck together as it attempted to drive off. Sir Killalot separated both competitors, with Tauron Mk 2 once again clipping Iron-Awe 6 with its bar as the latter drove free. However, the House Robot's intervention left Tauron Mk 2 wedged on a piece of debris, leaving its wheels suspended off the floor and the robot unable to drive. As a result, Noel Sharkey activated Tauron Mk 2's countdown timer, although with Iron-Awe 6 having lost full mobility seconds afterwards, the battle went to a Judges' decision. Due to it becoming immobilised first, the decision went against Tauron Mk 2. Tom Brewster was left particularly disappointed by the outcome, having managed to free Tauron Mk 2 from the debris after 'cease' had been called and only becoming aware of its defeat when Dara Ó Briain congratulated Team Iron-Awe. In the Robot Redemption stage, Tauron Mk 2 faced Robot Wars newcomer Androne 4000, for a chance to secure a place in the Heat Semi-Finals.
As 'activate' was called, it briefly backed away before luring Androne 4000 across the arena, with Team Tauron deciding to spin its bar spinner up slower than before to improve manoeuvrability. The two robots collided, with Tauron Mk 2 twice lifting Androne 4000 with its bar before the latter pushed it towards an entry gate and into Sir Killalot. The impact knocked one of Sir Killalot's shoulder pads off - Tauron Mk 2 drove over the spark jets to escape, but was quickly pushed back into Sir Killalot by Androne 4000, clipping the House Robot's claw in the process. Once more, Tauron Mk 2 backed out, but was soon grasped by Androne 4000, with the two robots pushing and dragging each other around as its spinner hit Androne 4000's front end. Eventually, Tauron Mk 2 was pushed onto the arena spikes by Androne 4000; as it was being lifted by one of the spikes, it tore Androne 4000's top panel open, the two robots locking together as Androne 4000 clamped onto Tauron Mk 2's bar assembly. Sir Killalot pushed both robots away, before Tauron Mk 2 was dragged forwards by Androne 4000 and released. Seconds later, it drove head-on into Androne 4000 again, which pushed Tauron Mk 2 back and sunk its crusher through the bar spinner mount. With its body lifted off the floor as a result of Androne 4000's attack, Tauron Mk 2 was rendered helpless as Dead Metal left her CPZ, grabbed it and sliced through its back panel. Dead Metal pushed Tauron Mk 2 over the Flame Pit as Androne 4000 released its grip; Tauron Mk 2 sustained another slice, but drove forwards and met Androne 4000 again in the centre of the arena. As Androne 4000 clamped and lifted its body up again, Tauron Mk 2's spinner clipped the latter’s forks, momentarily lifting its opponent onto one side. A second head-on collision stopped Tauron Mk 2's spinner, although it caught underneath Androne 4000’s top panel as it was pushed back. Tauron Mk 2 drove away and into Androne 4000 again, smoke pouring as Androne 4000 grabbed hold of one of the drive belts for its spinner. This had no apparent effect on Tauron Mk 2 as the competitors separated, as it tore Androne 4000's right-front panel apart seconds later. As Androne 4000 struggled for mobility, Tauron Mk 2 slammed into its opponent twice more, the second hit tearing Androne 4000's loosened panel completely off and launching both robots off the floor. Tauron Mk 2 hit Androne 4000 again, before driving through an empty CPZ, dodging Dead Metal and attempting to lure Androne 4000 into the pit - its bar spinner having completely stopped by this point. The two robots drove around the arena in the closing seconds, with Tauron Mk 2 driving itself over – and being thrown by – the Floor Flipper just before 'cease' was called. Both teams congratulated each other as the battle went to a Judges' decision – despite the damage inflicted to Androne 4000, the decision unanimously went against Tauron Mk 2, eliminating it from Series 10 after a brief, yet destructive run.
Extreme Robots: Maidstone 2017[]
Tauron Mk3
Tauron managed to make the grand final in this event but ultimately lost to Ripper.
BattleBots World Championship III[]
Monsoon as seen at BattleBots World Championship III
Monsoon's first opponent was the veteran Red Devil. The British team began strongly as Monsoon's first attack smacked Red Devil into the air. This was quickly followed up by another hit which took off Red Devil's saw blade. However, the impacts took its toll on Monsoon too as its weapon eventually stopped working. This was a result of the weapon spinning the wrong way once Monsoon was flipped and eating a piece of Red Devil, which jammed the weapon.[8] This reduced the match to a pushing match. Monsoon continued to attack as smoke began pouring out from the weapon as it was attempting to spin and managed to prevent much of Red Devil's control by raising its chassis upwards each time Red Devil wanted control. Time ran out just after Red Devil took a shot from the killsaws, and the judges awarded a 2-1 split decision in favor of Monsoon.
Monsoon now found itself up against Petunia, who was fresh off a win against ROTATOR. Monsoon's weapon began to spin up to top speed, and after nearly getting caught by Petunia, took advantage of the Dutch machine driving into the wall by landing a destructive hit on its rear, causing hydraulic fluid used to power Petunia's weapon to leak out. Petunia kept going so Monsoon hit it hard enough to flip it completely over, only to land upright. Even so, Petunia kept coming so Monsoon dealt it another blow and smoke began pouring out of its opponent, which also stopped Monsoon's weapon. Both robots continued to maneuver around until Petunia got high-centered on the arena floor while Monsoon lost traction due to the amount of hydraulic fluid on the arena floor and could no longer move.[9] By the time Monsoon was able to move again it could only get traction on one side, but by then Petunia had burst into flames and still couldn't move. Petunia was counted out and Monsoon won by KO.
Monsoon now fought Son of Whyachi, a former BattleBots champion of the Comedy Central era. Monsoon started strongly as they were not taking any major damage from their opponent, however, that quickly changed as Monsoon took a hit from Son of Whyachi that flipped it over. Monsoon quickly self-righted, but then took more hits from Son of Whyachi, the latter of which sent both robots flying into opposite corners of the BattleBox. Monsoon retaliated by landing a hit on Son of Whyachi's hammers that sent its opponent flying but landing upright. This hit took out Monsoon's weapon as it was now bent out of shape and the brackets supporting it had broken, leaving it virtually defenseless to its opponent's attacks. Making matters worse, the next attack took off one of its two front armor panels before Monsoon took the final blow from Son of Whyachi that ruptured its battery and started to fill the arena with smoke. Monsoon was still capable of some movement but its driver opted to just not move as it was unlikely that the movement would've been enough to continue the bout. Monsoon was counted out, giving Son of Whyachi the KO. Monsoon had a 360 degree camera attached for this fight but it got thrown off to the edge of the box by an early hit, however it carried on filming and BattleBots posted the BotCam clips on YouTube.[10]
Monsoon's next opponent was Axe Backwards, which was still striving for a win. Early on, Monsoon delivered two big hits on Axe Backwards' wheels. After these attacks, Axe Backwards had lost all driving ability but its drum was still working. Axe Backwards was counted out and Monsoon showed no interest in taking a hit to the still-spinning drum of its opponent and took the win by KO. The selection committee determined that Monsoon did enough to make the Top 16 as No.12 seed.
For its first match in the knockout bracket, Monsoon was drawn up against No.5, Jamison Go and SawBlaze. The match started off poorly for Monsoon as SawBlaze got underneath Monsoon's ground clearance and shoved them around the arena. However, after SawBlaze missed a charge, Monsoon managed to get at its backside and tore into SawBlaze's rightmost tire on that side of the drive then quickly followed with another hit that ripped out part of the saw arm, rendering it useless and leaving SawBlaze to use its dustpan. SawBlaze continued to shove Monsoon into the sides of the arena, until one charge pressed Monsoon weapon-first against the wall, and would have likely broken their spinner had Tim Rackley not turned the weapon off a few seconds before the impact. After Jamison Go released Monsoon, he left the right side of his robot open to attack and Monsoon capitalized, ripping off rubber and immobilizing SawBlaze's right-side wheel, meaning it could only drive in circles.Monsoon continued its onslaught, knocking SawBlaze around before one huge hit on one of their forks caused SawBlaze's right wheel - which was barely holding on from a previous hit - to snap clean off. A combined hit from Monsoon and the kill saws knocked SawBlaze's saw arm over, before Monsoon ripped off more rubber off SawBlaze's remaining wheel, then delivered a massive shot to the saw that knocked it back over into its original position. Another hit by Monsoon, this time on SawBlaze's left wheel, left the saw robot fully immobilized, but it couldn't be counted out as there were less than 20 seconds left in the fight. Team Monsoon attacked the decorative dragon heads on SawBlaze until time ran out. The judges ruled unanimously in favor of Monsoon, allowing them to advance to the Top 8. After the match, Monsoon's performance was revealed to have impressed Ray Billings, who gave Tim Rackley a handshake upon its return to the pits.
- "That might have been the most brutal fight we've ever done. I am astonished. I mean, we came here thinking 'we're just gonna win one fight and go home', and we're now in the final eight. And I don't know what to say about that!"
- — Tom Brewster post-fight
Now in the quarter-finals, Tom Brewster had to face Brazil's Team RioBotz and Minotaur. This match was pretty even to start as neither robot was able to get the upper hand. Monsoon holding its own in the opening seconds, with glancing shots doing little more than kicking up the articulating drive pods. Monsoon threw its face into Minotaur's drum, tossing itself over and showing its back end to the Brazilian bot. In these exchanges, Monsoon's weapon belt had been removed and no longer had a working primary weapon. Pushing the British bot around, Monsoon was then toppled onto its side and taken to the arena barrier, where its awkward angle prevented its drive wheels from touching the arena floor. Unable to move, they were counted out, eliminating them from the tournament and ending an impressive debut season for Monsoon.
At the end of the season, Team Monsoon won the Founder's Award for 2018, awarded to "the team that embodies the spirit of BattleBots: A great robot, great fights, and great team".
BattleBots World Championship IV[]
Monsoon as seen at BattleBots World Championship IV
Monsoon returned for the 2019 season and found themselves against former team member Tim Rackley, who had paired with Jack Tweedy and Ragnarök. In response, the team replaced Monsoon's 6mm front armor with 3mm, which gave them the spare weight to add HARDOX plates beneath the plastic top and bottom armor to protect their vital electronics from Ragnarök's weaponry. As the match began, Monsoon was able to pop Ragnarök into the air, but it landed upright after missing their first swing. Monsoon went in with another hit and smoke began to pour out of Ragnarök, now overturned and suffering from Monsoon's assault. They made an attempt to right their opponent to continue the fight, but Ragnarök was counted out, giving Monsoon its first win of the 2019 season.
Next for Monsoon was veteran Will Bales and HyperShock. Team Monsoon opted to go with thicker front armor ahead of the fight to protect themselves from HyperShock's own vertical spinner. They faced early pressure from HyperShock as they got under Monsoon and started to tear away at their underbelly. Monsoon was released, but its weapon was now ineffective due to the weapon mount bolts coming loose and leaving the mount to dangle helplessly. This was due to the team using circlips instead of nuts to hold the weapon bulkheads in place, which came loose early in the battle. After the next attack from HyperShock, Monsoon had lost its weapon, the mounting for it, as well as the belt driving it. Monsoon was counted out, giving HyperShock the win by KO. Following this, Team Monsoon were helped by The Chaos Corps in order to prepare for their next matchup.
Monsoon next found itself against Valkyrie, adding extra titanium to its weapon mount to reinforce it following damage caused by HyperShock. Monsoon did rather well to start as they met with Valkyrie's weapon but withstood the early impacts. However, first big hit between the two spinners disabled Monsoon's primary weapon, leaving them to try and push their opponent around for the second fight in a row. Monsoon found itself thrown across the arena by Valkyrie, as it was able to remain aggressive for the bulk of the fight. Monsoon remained mobile but suffered more damage as it kept fighting Valkyrie. They lost their makeshift front wedge and eventually, their weapon system came loose once again. This resulted in Monsoon lifting its underside up, allowing Valkyrie to grind its weapon mount, armor and some of its left tire. Still, Monsoon pressed on to a judges' decision, but they ruled unanimously for Valkyrie.
- "The brushless motor we used was selected as it was almost a perfect drop in replacement for our existing weapon motor, but at about half the power. The weapon would reach the same tip speed of 250mph, but would take about 9 seconds to do it - the same spin up time as Valkyrie."
- — Team Monsoon explain why they could not box-rush Valkyrie
Monsoon's last chance at getting a win came in the form of the then two-time champion Bite Force. As a result, Monsoon opted for lighter top armor, a heavier weapon bar and the stronger motor from last season. Monsoon started off rather poorly as they were quickly thrown through the air by Bite Force. Monsoon then took a second hit that caused them to hit the arena floor with their bar, chipping the floor a bit, and stop working upon landing. Monsoon was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO.
Monsoon also fought alongside Ragnarök against Chronos and MadCatter as part of a Tag Team exhibition match. As the match got going, Monsoon was immediately on the attack, but not causing much damage. Monsoon then attacked MadCatter and tore off its axe head. Monsoon was then high-centered by MadCatter's minibot before Chronos came in and hit it, but not doing much damage. Afterwards, Monsoon ripped part of Chronos' spinning ring away, leaving it off-balanced and hurt from the attack. Monsoon was eventually left fighting alone as Ragnarök had stopped working, but took out MadCatter's minibot, attacked Chronos and split MadCatter before time ran out. The judges awarded Monsoon and Ragnarök a unanimous 3-0 decision.
BattleBots World Championship V[]
Monsoon was accepted and completely rebuilt ahead of World Championship V. The robot itself was now considerably smaller and each drive pods now articulated independently. Other improvements included but were not limited to fully brushless drive and weapon systems, a revised weapon mount, numerous armor configurations to suit horizontal spinners, and longer forks added the top and bottom to get underneath opponents more easily. Monsoon now has three main weapon options: the traditional 18kg bar spinner, a newly-cut 17kg bar and a 20kg disc.
However, due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Monsoon had no choice but to withdraw their application despite being accepted in the initial roster for the 2020 season.
BattleBots World championship VI[]
In 2021, Monsoon was also accepted for World Championship VI, however could not compete due to their NIE Visas being turned down by the state department. Although the team's crate arrived in Las Vegas without trouble, the team were unable to travel and were forced to withdraw from the competition. This was an issue which affected all UK teams ahead of filming for the 2021 season.
BattleBots World Championship VII[]
Monsoon as seen at BattleBots World Championship VII
Monsoon finally made its BattleBots return in World Championship VII after a two season hiatus. Its first Fight Night opponent was World Championship V semi-finalist Black Dragon. For this fight, Monsoon opted for shorter forks to make greater use of their reach advantage.
Both robots met in the center of the BattleBox and jostled for position, before Monsoon nicked the edge of Black Dragon. The Brazilian bot immediately responded by hitting the front of Monsoon, sending it bouncing into the corner and near the pulverizer. Monsoon repositioned and took advantage of Black Dragon momentarily turning its back to the British bot, hitting its rear panel and tipping Black Dragon over. The 2020 season semi-finalist struggled to escape Monsoon as it approached and tore away one of its hinged wedgelets. The remaining wedgelet drooped limply and Monsoon delivered another couple of punishing hits in quick succession, the latter of which tore its other wedgelet off. However, this came at the cost of righting Black Dragon, who got its eggbeater drum spinner up to speed again. By contrast, Monsoon's weapon had suddenly locked and could no longer spin. It danced around Black Dragon before being caught by the weapon, tumbling through the air and landing upright. Unsure how to attack without its primary weapon, Monsoon continued to skirt around the Brazilian bot until it was hit again, this time tipping Tom Brewster's bot onto its side and against its wheelguard. Without a functional spinner, Monsoon could not self-right and was counted out, marking its return with a loss.
Post-fight, Tom Brewster of Team Monsoon confirmed that a stray bolt was sucked into the weapon system and damaged the weapon motors, damaging them and thus killing Monsoon's primary weapon.[11]
Monsoon's second Fight Night opponent was rookie Horizon led by Joshua Kong, who came off a disappointing loss against SHREDDIT BRO! in its opening battle. To counter its opponent's dual horizontal spinners, Monsoon debuted a plow configuration which wrapped around its front and protected the frame from direct hits.
Straight away, Monsoon opted to box-rush its opponent, and although Horizon's disc spinners got up to speed straight away, the British bot honed in on the chassis and threw Horizon over. Its taco-shaped self-righter allowed Horizon to roll back onto its wheels, but Monsoon's assault was unrelenting. Using its 42lb vertical spinner, it dealt a blow to one of the horizontal discs before repositioning itself to strike the chassis again, tearing one of its side panels away and flipping Horizon over again. Monsoon followed this up with a hit to the rookie bot's exposed underbelly leaving a gash through the baseplate as Horizon was punted towards the pulverizer. One of its discs spun helplessly, but Horizon was otherwise immobile.
- "Stuck on its head, kinda laying dead or... playing dead by the pulverizer. Who knows?"
- — Chris Rose as Horizon is stuck against the BattleBox
Referee John Remar asked Horizon's team if they could show any movement, and a count began soon after.
Post-fight, an emotional Tom Brewster celebrated Team Monsoon's first win since 2019.
In its first ever Main Event, Monsoon went up against World Championship V runner-up Whiplash. The team debuted their single-toothed disc called Mauler for this clash, which could spin at up to 200mph.
In stark contrast to its previous fight, Monsoon was slower out of its starting square as Matt Vasquez initiated a box rush. This resulted in Whiplash getting to the front-left side of the British bot and ramming it into the rails.
- "This is what they do best - dictate the action and control their opponents."
- — Kenny Florian
As Monsoon escaped the short corner, Whiplash worked its forks underneath again, but could not achieve the same power behind its push as it got caught on the BattleBox floor. Both robots met in the center of the arena, and as Monsoon unbalanced, it pivoted weapon-first into the floor and bounced away. Whiplash gave chase, but suffered a blow to its front which overturned the 2020 season runner-up. Whiplash immediately self-righted before driving Monsoon into the screws, then achieving the same feat on the opposite side of the BattleBox. Matt Vasquez then drove the British bot into the short corner again, but its top panel had been peeled up from Monsoon's vertical spinner, and the disc of Whiplash was not spinning. Monsoon escaped once more, driving to the opposite corner of the arena before it dealt a head-on attack to the front of Whiplash once more. Tom Brewster's bot bent up one of its opponent's front forks, but found itself driven back towards the short corner. With Monsoon unable to escape for the time being, the Vasquez family activated the pulverizer, which landed several shots to the top of the 1-1 robot. It eventually did retreat, but drove into a slot in the killsaws and saw its escape impeded. Monsoon then grazed its weapon against the front of Whiplash as the latter pushed back, forcing Monsoon into the Upper Deck. However, this attack cost Whiplash its right-side fork, which gave way as both robots now appeared to be suffering from drive issues. Late on, Whiplash powered up its vertical spinner to show functionality to the judges as the Main Event went the distance.
Whiplash took the win by split judges' decision. Although Team Monsoon issued an Appeal, this was unsuccessful as judge Lisa Winter revised her score to make this a unanimous decision in Whiplash's favor.
Monsoon's fourth and final Fight Night opponent was another international bot returning to BattleBots after a three year absence, Death Roll. Monsoon was armed with a new "Snoot" configuration consisting of a small wedge feeding into its vertical spinner.
DeathRoll rushed out of its starting square to approach Monsoon with its weapon up to speed. However, it was Monsoon who was able to deliver the first hit of the match - a glancing blow which knocked the Australian bot upward. Monsoon followed this up with an attack which threw DeathRoll into the corner. Monsoon then became unbalanced as its weapon bounced against the BattleBox floor before it eventually landed upright. DeathRoll appeared hesitant to escape the corner, keeping its primary weapon pointed at Tom Brewster's machine. Knowing it needed to remain aggressive, Monsoon went weapon-to-weapon with the former semi-finalist before grazing its side armor.
- "DeathRoll is hurt, Chris. I'm not sure it can move."
- — Kenny Florian
As Monsoon's Rory Mangles instructed his team to hang back, it became clear that DeathRoll's drive had been damaged in the earlier attacks. There was no life in the Australian robot, despite the team's best efforts to avoid a count-out. DeathRoll was deemed immobile, confirming a 2-2 Fight Night record for Team Monsoon. Entering the Top 32 as the No.24 seed, and notably without their Appeal, Monsoon faced the No.9 seed, Cobalt. Tom Brewster's team equipped Monsoon with its longest forks for this all-important battle, looking to equal Cobalt's long, curved forks. Pre-fight, Tim Rackley backed his team's captain as the better driver out of him and Cobalt's Dave Moulds.
- "Gonna be a messy one..."
- — Tom Brewster anticipates a destructive battle ahead
Both robots met in the middle of the arena as Cobalt got the first hit of the match, tipping Monsoon back before chasing Tom Brewster's machine. In its eagerness to pursue its opponent, Cobalt drove itself into the Upper Deck but recovered to deliver a second blow to Monsoon. The No.24 seed tipped itself back to square up to Cobalt again, looking to take advantage of its superior weapon reach. Monsoon was driven back into the blue starting square, but retaliated with a couple of attacks on Cobalt which sent it bouncing across the BattleBox as the No.9 seed struggled to right itself. Eventually landing on its wheels, the fight moved to the center of the arena again and Monsoon dealt a glancing blow to the front of Cobalt.
By this stage, both outer wedgelets on Cobalt had been torn away, buts its long forks - and more importantly for Dave Moulds and Sam Smith, their vertical spinner - remained an active threat Both robots drove directly at each other, forcing a stalemate until Monsoon backed away. However, Monsoon remained the aggressor, toppling Cobalt again and forcing it into the corner before Dave Moulds escaped further punishment. Cobalt got its left-side fork under the frame of Monsoon, but its pivoting chassis and weapon system meant it was unaffected by this momentary breach. Cobalt turned to face Monsoon once again, but lost one of its remaining forks in the process. The No.9 seed then drove Monsoon back towards the Upper Deck, where it lay dormant for a second. In this moment, Cobalt turned in place, lifting its right side off the floor and leaving itself vulnerable. Monsoon gave chase and as Cobalt spun back around, Tom Brewster's robot struck the exposed left-side of Cobalt's front, tearing into its HARDOX wedge and sending the green and black robot spiralling through the air. Cobalt bounced around but landed inverted, its weapon lacking the ability to act as a self-righting mechanism. With just over half the fight gone, a count began and Monsoon returned to the center of the BattleBox, sealing an upset win for the No.24 seed.
Post fight, Tim Rackley spoke highly of his team's captain, reaffirming his praise for both Tom Brewster, and their Round of 32 opponent.
Now in the Round of 16, Monsoon fought the No.8 seed SawBlaze, in a rematch from this exact stage in World Championship III. For this battle, it entered the arena with its 42lb asymmetrical bar spinner and hooked forks, along with extra 1/2-inch thick plating to the top and base.
- "Uh-oh! Tom Brewster shows SawBlaze his side. Gets scooped up! Let's see how slippery Monsoon is..."
- — Chris Rose as SawBlaze controls Monsoon in the opening seconds
The two competitors immediately sized each other up in the center, though Monsoon was scooped up and pushed around in circles by the faster-attacking SawBlaze. In this exchange, it took a direct blow to its right-rear corner from SawBlaze's hammer saw. As Jamison Go's machine reared up onto its bar spinner, Monsoon threw it into a somersault, almost taking out one of its wheels in the process. Monsoon drove into the front of a recovering SawBlaze, locking forks and being pushed back towards a nearby Upper Deck screw mount.
Both robots locked together again, with Monsoon trying to push SawBlaze as the latter backed up towards the control booth. As the pair separated, it tried to get around the side of SawBlaze, but was blocked by the latter's right fork, and proceeded to ram its opponent twice as it headed back towards the center. On each occasion, Monsoon was collected again by SawBlaze. The second collision caused Monsoon to rear up over SawBlaze's right fork; from this position, it was pushed and lifted onto its side by the gyroscopic forces of its own bar spinner. Monsoon tried to break free over the bottom-right killsaw slots, but flipped over as its spinner made contact with the BattleBox floor.
SawBlaze pushed Monsoon against the blue square screws, though this allowed Monsoon to respond by slicing up and dislodging its left "eyelash". Monsoon, however, took another hit from SawBlaze's hammer saw, which dug into the front of its right-most baseplate. Dragged back towards the killsaw slots, it broke free and re-righted itself under its own momentum. Darting towards the center, Monsoon turned around to face its spinner at an approaching SawBlaze once more. After being scooped up and nudged by its opponent, Monsoon landed a direct hit on SawBlaze's right fork, only to then immediately drive up the same fork and be pushed back into the Upper Deck screws. During this moment, its bar clipped SawBlaze's fork and right "eyelash", though Monsoon was unable to drive away before getting pushed back to the red square. Monsoon again lifted onto its sides through gyroscopic procession, while dealing more glancing hits to its American opponent's front forks. One such attack beside the red square lead to a crucial error from Tom Brewster's machine. While speeding away, Monsoon drove over and wedged itself into the top-left killsaw slots, immediately up-ending it.
Monsoon came under further attacks from SawBlaze, which pushed it forwards and again caused its bar spinner to graze the BattleBox floor. SawBlaze twice swung its hammer saw onto Monsoon's right-hand side, causing light damage to one of the wheelguards. A third swing ripped the top-right fork off Monsoon's weapon assembly, while violently throwing the whole robot free from the killsaw slots. Ironically, this had the unintentional effect of breaking the gearbox for SawBlaze's weapon arm.[12] Monsoon turned around and attempted another head-to-head exchange, only to be rammed into a red square screw mount by SawBlaze. This knocked Monsoon onto its side, with SawBlaze briefly pinning it in place against the bumper before taking another hit as it reversed. Monsoon, toppling spinner-first onto the floor, kicked itself onto and inched itself from the nearby paddle, as SawBlaze applied further pressure. The paddle itself briefly fired outwards, as SawBlaze again scooped Monsoon up and tried to use its flamethrower on the latter's front-left corner.
- "Jamison Go in control, taking Monsoon into the corner. Tom Brewster did such a masterful job at drivin' in his upset at Cobalt, but here's SawBlaze scoopin' him up!"
- — Chris Rose as SawBlaze steers Monsoon between the top and bottom-left corners
As Monsoon was being pushed further into the pocket, it was thrown onto its left-hand side by the paddle itself, which also disrupted SawBlaze's attack. Monsoon landed on the nearby bumper, taking more shards out of SawBlaze's right "eyelash" in the process. After a few seconds, it was nudged free from the bumper by SawBlaze, which proceeded to slam and flip it under the pulverizer on the bottom-left corner. Despite the pulverizer being operated by Team Monsoon themselves, the hazard activated, clipping and disabling Monsoon's bar spinner as it tried to drive away.
Both competitors separated, with Monsoon retreating back to the center. Another head-on collision ensued, which was enough to flip it onto its side. Monsoon - now weaponless - was unable to self-right from this position, despite efforts by Tom Brewster to twitch it back and forth using its individual wheel pods. Brewster confirmed Monsoon's immobility to referee John Remar, who proceeded to count it out. Monsoon lost by knockout and was eliminated from World Championship VII as a result. While disappointed with this outcome, Team Monsoon still shared celebrations with the victorious Team SawBlaze; Brewster was briefly seen shaking hands with Jamison Go shortly before the latter team's post-match interview.
Results[]
| Robot Version | Series | Event | Round | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tauron Mk1 | UK Robot Wars Series 9 | Episode 3 | Group Battle | Thor Chimera 2 Concussion |
Eliminated |
| Extreme Robots | Guildford 2017 | Group Battles | Atom Behemoth Expulsion |
Unknown | |
| Atom Cyclone Expulsion Suspension |
Unknown | ||||
| Expulsion Saint Suspension Ripper |
Unknown | ||||
| Tag Team Battle (With Thor) |
Audacious & Weird mAlice | Unknown | |||
| Robots Live! | Grantham 2017 | Group Battles | Apollo Behemoth |
Unknown | |
| Apollo Meggamouse Turbulence |
Unknown | ||||
| Gabriel Meggamouse |
Unknown | ||||
| Chimera 2 Eruption Foxic |
Unknown | ||||
| Tauron Mk2 | Informal Contest | Test Battle | N/A | Tornado | No Winner |
| UK Robot Wars Series 10 | Episode 4 | Group Battle | Iron-Awe 6 The Kegs |
Lost | |
| Robot Redemption | Androne 4000 | Lost | |||
| Tauron Mk3 | Extreme Robots | Maidstone 2017 | Melee 1 | Gabriel Infernal Contraption |
Lost |
| Melee 2 | Cyclone Infernal Contraption |
Lost | |||
| Semi-Final | TMHWK | Won | |||
| Grand Final | Ripper | Lost | |||
| Extreme Robots Championships 2018 | Cheltenham | Whiteboard | Cyclone 360 | Won | |
| Whiteboard | Apex S.M.I.D.S.Y. |
Won | |||
| Whiteboard | Donald Thump Harry's Car TR3 Vortex |
Lost | |||
| Monsoon 1 | BattleBots World Championship III (Seeded 12th) |
Rehearsal Fight | Red Devil | Won | |
| Episode 4 | Fight Nights | Red Devil | Won | ||
| Episode 6 | Petunia | Won | |||
| Episode 10 | Son of Whyachi | Lost | |||
| Episode 14 | Axe Backwards | Won | |||
| Episode 16 | Round of 16 | (5) SawBlaze | Won | ||
| Quarter Finals | (4) Minotaur | Lost | |||
| Monsoon 2 | Extreme Robots | Maidstone 2019 | Tag Team Battle (With Sandstorm) |
GBO Nemesis & Gnasher | Won |
| Tag Team Battle (With Donald Thump) |
Deadlock & Wormgear | Won | |||
| Tag Team Battle (With Sandstorm) |
Aftershock & Gnasher | Lost | |||
| Extreme Robots | Cheltenham 2019 | 2v1 (With Ignition) |
Tánshè | Won | |
| Tag Team Battles (With Ignition) |
Bullseye & Gnasher | Won | |||
| Donald Thump & TR3 | Won | ||||
| 2PointO & Vortex | Won | ||||
| BattleBots World Championship IV | Episode 3 | Fight Nights | Ragnarök | Won | |
| Episode 6 | HyperShock | Lost | |||
| Episode 10 | Valkyrie | Lost | |||
| Episode 13 | Bite Force | Lost | |||
| Episode 16 Bonus | Tag-Team Exhibition Match (With Ragnarök) |
Chronos & MadCatter | Won | ||
| Monsoon 3 | BattleBots World Championship V | N/A | N/A | N/A | Withdrew |
| BattleBots World Championship VI | N/A | N/A | N/A | Withdrew | |
| BattleBots World Championship VII (Seeded 24th) |
Episode 4 | Fight Nights | Black Dragon | Lost | |
| Episode 7 | Horizon | Won | |||
| Episode 10 | Whiplash | Lost | |||
| NOTE: Whiplash was declared the winner of this battle on a split judges' decision. Team Monsoon appealed this decision, but were unsuccessful and the decision was revised to be unanimous. | |||||
| Episode 15 | Death Roll | Won | |||
| Episode 17 | Round of 32 | (9) Cobalt | Won | ||
| Episode 18 | Round of 16 | (8) SawBlaze | Lost | ||
| BattleBots Champions II | Sin City Slugfest | Round of 8 | TBA | TBA | |
| BattleBots World Championship VIII | N/A | N/A | N/A | Status Pending | |
- Wins: 19
- Losses: 17
- Unknown: 8
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ http://teammonsoon.co.uk/monsoon1_about.html
- ↑ http://teammonsoon.co.uk/monsoon2_about.html
- ↑ Public messages in the Out of the Arena Discord server from Tom Brewster and Jack Tweedy
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/MonsoonRobot/posts/1453065078406119
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/xnraib/after_a_2_season_hiatus_monsoon_is_going_to/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/BattleBots/status/1578339507677659136
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/13pljem/we_are_team_monsooooooon_rain_down_the_ama/jla99fi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/MonsoonBattlebot/posts/610209999358302
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/MonsoonBattlebot/posts/629755347403767
- ↑ https://youtu.be/GfbW-_TfVss
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjr1xP1RARE
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/SawBlazeBattlebots/posts/pfbid02BALnxM3haMe8KPiVhgA234m9UVGeeovnqqujQxrrwBztNeeg8d4keDv7nH7AWBvcl
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