Fastest Unicycle: Hell on Wheel

[GusTurbo]

Leaderboards updated on 9/16/13

Update 2: Clarified the rules -- Stock parts only, and you MUST use the KSC runway

Update: Added different categories to the leaderboards for speed stratification

This forum has seen plenty of land speed record challenges, but those all seem to share one thing in common: all of them feature vehicles with at least two wheels. So I got to thinking how to add a little variety to this well-worn challenge. Then it hit me:

Unicycles.

The goal of this challenge is to create the fastest vehicle on one wheel.

Rules

-Stock parts only!

-Must use the KSC runway!

-All craft must have ONE wheel and one wheel only. No training wheels.

-Craft may be powered by any means -- rockets, jets, infiniglide, anything.

-Craft must remain on the ground at all times while accelerating.

-You must post a screenshot of your top speed to get on the leaderboard. Either a screenshot of your uni going that speed OR a screenshot of the flight results (F3) showing flight time as 00:00:00. (As long as the wheel has not left the ground, the flight log will show a flight time of 00:00:00)

-No cheats.

STOCK Leaderboards (m/s)

Separatron Class

1. YarTheBug 660.0

2. Johnno 525.0

3.

No Separatrons

1. Vector 434.0

2. Bobnova 412.0

T3. Pbhead 401.0

T3. YarTheBug 401.0

4. sal_vager 338.0

5. GusTurbo, 331.0

6. MaverickSawyer 309.4

Absolute Speed

1. YarTheBug 660.0

2. Johnno 525.0

3. Vector 434.0

4. Bobnova 412.0

T5. Pbhead 401.0

T5. YarTheBug 401.0

6. sal_vager 338.0

7. GusTurbo 331.0

8. MaverickSawyer 309.4

Modded Leaderboard:

[Disqualified]

Edited September 17, 2013 by GusTurbo

[GusTurbo]

168.9 m/s!

Let's see if you can beat that.

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[Giggleplex777]

I want to try this with Mainsail.

[YarTheBug]

I'm game.

[M.Wolfy]

Are we allowed to use cheats (infinite fuel etc.)?

[GusTurbo]

No cheats. I'll update the rules.

[Tex_NL]

Another suggestion to avoid cheating:

Screenshot flight results and/or show flight time as 00:00:00 As long as you're only wheel has not left the tarmac the flight log will not show 'Lift-off' and the flight clock remains at 00:00:00

All this to avoid people to use wings to fly to the end of the runway instead of driving there.

[GusTurbo]

That's definitely a good rule, I'll add that. I've also updated the leaderboard.

[Tex_NL]

That's definitely a good rule, I'll add that. I've also updated the leaderboard.

Do you realize that you've just effectively disqualified your own entry by adding that rule?

[GusTurbo]

It's an either-or proposition. I used launch clamps so my uni would start upright, and it must have been slightly off the ground. A 00:00:00 flight time is conclusive proof of never leaving the ground, but a screenshot of the thing on the ground is pretty strong evidence, too.

[GusTurbo]

New record: 331 m/s

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Notes: Although it left the ground at the end of the runway, it did so after engine flame out, so it could not have picked up any speed in the air.

[Johnno]

Here's my entry for now, 525m/s.

Craft composition: OKTO 2 Probecore, Inline Reaction Wheel, Z-200 battery, two cubic struts, buncha sepratrons and a small gear bay.

[GusTurbo]

Great googly moogly...

Should I break this out into categories, like jet-powered, liquid fuel, solid fuel? Might add a little more variety to keep things from getting too stale.

[YarTheBug]

660m/s. Now it's getting interesting.

I call this the Screaming Devil Chicken.

@ Johnno: I knew someone would break out the Sepratrons eventually.

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Cheers!

[edit: I would recommend separatron and non-separatron. They are going to be OP for this challenge.]

[Bobnova]

382m/s

No seperatrons here, just a small booster. Trick is, I burnt most of the fuel while locked down, so I just have the wild TWR bit. Getting the timing right is a bit tricky, and this thing tends to wobble wildly.

On the launchpad, before burning up fuel:

Running, fairly quickly:

Nasty nasty wobble at high speed. Please do note the 00:00::00 MET though, it never left the ground. (I had a better one that did, sadly)

Final screen:

If you feel obligated to score it as 376.6 that's OK, but the 382 was while still on the runway.

[GusTurbo]

Great entries, all. I've updated the leaderboards.

[DisarmingBaton5]

I feel like a good challenge like this one would be fastest reaction wheel. No other propulsion, (control surfaces, rockets, jets, RCS) just reaction wheel manipulation.

[GusTurbo]

I forgot to specify -- stock parts only. No mods.

[Bobnova]

The longer runway is a significant advantage though, the end of the stock runway is the limiting factor for a number of these designs.

[GusTurbo]

I apologize for changing the rules -- I don't post a lot of challenges so I didn't think of everything before writing the rules. I should have been more clear. Also, the rules don't state that you have to start on the stock runway, but the point is that you should be able to reach your top speed somewhere on Kerbin as it exists in the stock game. The runway happens to be a convenient place to do it, but it's not the only place it can be done.

[GusTurbo]

Ok, I've added your attempt to the leaderboards under its own category. Every other participant interpreted the rules to (correctly) mean stock, no mods. It's not fair to them to compare yours to the others, because someone could easily create a mod specifically for this challenge if mods are allowed.

Edited September 15, 2013 by GusTurbo

[Bobnova]

Let's quit bitching about logical additions to the rules.

Don't like how the challenge is run? Run your own.

[GusTurbo]

I'm afraid I can't place you on the normal leaderboard, because that artificial runway you've created is at 5000m altitude, giving you a clear advantage against everyone else in terms of atmospheric density. If you can find a natural formation at that altitude on Kerbin that gives you a long flat space to get up to that speed, then and only then will I add it. If I allow this, then someone could just as easily create a runway at 25km altitude and spam air intakes to get a unicycle up to 2300+ m/s.

I might consider it if you place your runway at the exact altitude as the KSC.

[GusTurbo]

And what's the fastest you can do on the real runway, like everyone else has done? I'm not trying to be arbitrary or capricious in this, I'm just trying to make sure there is a level playing field.

[Bobnova]

Might be best to simply specify the KSC1 runway, really. And perhaps stock, then we'll see what he can do