Featured Teapot Racer: S.P.W. 2.0

Mrs. Tardis (A.K.A. Sadie Fleener) was a first time racer at Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, Missouri. Her teapot racer, S.P.W. 2.0 (Steam Power Wonderland 2.0), competed on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018.

The Steampunk Pope, blessing the racers:



So many little details to look at, from gears, to Alice in Wonderland themed tags, to Victorian buttons.



She had good control through the teacup slalom and managed the curved "Ramp of Doom" with ease, but the "Seesaw of Indecision" was Mrs. Tardis' undoing. She still finished the course with time to spare, though, with a course completion time of 2-minutes, 36-seconds.

Featured Teapot Racer: Her Majesty's Silver Service

"Why do I always have to go first?!" Mary Dieterich asked, as I called her name to start off the Splendid Teapot Races at Big River Steampunk Festival on Saturday. It is true, she is always first. She was our first racer three years ago, when we had our first teapot races in Hannibal, Missouri. I don't actually plan it this way, she's just always the first person to register in the morning. It is nice to start off the races with someone who knows what they're doing, though.


Practicing before the races:


The bribing of the judges:


Look at the size of that crowd! Despite the extreme heat on Saturday, we had a huge turnout of both racers and spectators. There were 18 registered racers.

Her majesty's Silver Service did well on the Teacup Slalom, but struggled with the ramps, and finished just in the nick of time.


Mary is always a good sport and her teapot racer is adorable!

An introduction to Splendid Teapot Racing

Old Timey Announcer Guy and roving reporter, Wally explain Splendid Teapot Racing, using photos and videos from various steampunk events.

Featured Teapot Racer: "Ironically Iron Man"

"Ironically Iron Man" was driven by Brigston Wright on September 2nd, 2017 at Big River Steampunk Festival. This was his first time competing in a teapot race.



Early in this race, Iron Man suffered from some audience interference.

These little stunt cars do not steer well and they often tilt backwards and stay that way, but they are fun to watch as they spin all around.

Brigston took it all in stride. He never became worried or upset when his vehicle didn't behave the way it was supposed to. When he realized he was running out of time, he found his own path to the finish line.

Featured Teapot Racer: Bomb-Omb

Bomb-Omb was one of the post popular conversation starters with people passing the Splendid Teapot Racing registration table on Sept. 2, 2017 in Hannibal, Missouri.

This was Thomas Benson's second year competing in the Splendid Teapot Races at Big River Steampunk Festival. He does an awesome job of matching his racer to his costume and hamming it up for the audience, but this year, he forgot a vital element. This is not a teapot. The addition of a spout would have made all the difference.



Just incase he ever decides to re-use the Wario costume and this vehicle again, I found a great idea of where the spout can go without spoiling the integrity of the design. This is a real pair of ceramic teapots created by Deviantart.com user ChocolateFrizz89. The fuse is the spout.



Good showmanship makes up for many faults. The audience really loved watching Wario and his remote controlled bomb.









If you would like to follow Thomas' further adventures, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel, Nerd Buffet
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM18AUiYF-LCklQrf8wlxZQ

Featured Teapot Racer: "Deadbolt"

"Deadbolt", created and driven by Jacon Williams was the winner of the Splendid Teapot Racing Grand Champion ribbon on Sept. 3, 2017 at Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, Missouri.



A couple points were deducted from "Deadbolt's" over-all score for exceeding the size limit. We had three over-sized teapot racers, so I scheduled them to race last on Sunday, so that any damage done to the course would not affect other racers.



Besides the points deducted for size, the only other deduction was for "quality of bribe" (there had been none). In every other category, Jacon Williams received full marks.

Every teapot racer brings a unique style and personality to the competition. "Deadbolt" may not have been the most elaborately decorated racer, but it won the hearts of the judges with its amazing maneuverability and happy enthusiasm. "Deadbolt" danced and bounced through the course, and even attempted a couple flips, entertaining everyone.




Points were not deducted for falling off the "Ramp of Doom", because the railing had been damaged by the over-sized vehicle that came right before him.

This is such a fun race to watch!

Teapot Tuesday Featured Teapot Racer: Tealek

First time teapot racer, Baron Von Spear of Prussia created and drove this Dalek themed teapot racer at Renninger's Steampunk Industrial Show on Oct. 21, 2017.



Presenting the racer and then the bribes to the judges:





A lot of work and creativity went into creating Tealek, but since it was based on the evil Daleks from Dr. Who, it was not surprising that it was hard to control and exterminated a couple teacups.



Tealek did finish the course in a respectable 2 minutes and 29 seconds and was awarded 10 out of 10 points for "overall look of the vehicle" by the judges.
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