The Newly Improved Arena set up at the Premier Piazza Event Space at London's O2 Arena
The 2011 Heavyweight UK Championships was the 8th UK Championship in a row hosted by Roaming Robots. It was held at London's O2 Arena, which was arguably the largest event venue Roaming Robots have hosted an event at. This made it the biggest robotic event of since The 2006 UK Championships at Wicksteed Park in Kettering. The event took place on the 23rd - 24th April 2011 and was won by Ripper Evo.
It is the most sucessful UK Championship held by Roaming Robots to date with the newly improved arena, added pyrotechnics, golden oldies making appearances and a new presenter. It was also former Robot Wars House Robot Matilda's debut as Featherweight House Robot after retiring.
The new addition of a bullpen for robots to get armed up and get driven into the arena
The arena was re-modified for this years UK Championships. It had been given a facelift at the Barnsley event on the 13th February, but the finalised version debuted at the event. It had been given ropes to go around two of the sides and the back end were the roboteers stand had been designed to look like there was control pods.
When it came to arming robots up for battles, there was a difference to make the show a lot more like Robot Wars. Instead of the roboteers arming up their robots from the side of the arena, a bullpen was built and the roboteers drove their robots through doors into the arena after arming up.
Robots Competing
The champs had 36 robots signing up to it (plus 4 robots only appearing in white board battles). As well as the seeded robots from last years UK Championships looking to be in attendance, European roboteers from Holland, Belgium & Germany had shown interest in attending. Robots that had feautured in TVs Robot Wars that were now retired like Lightning, 13 Black, Pussycat & the Plunderbird series also made an appearance to go on static display
The 2011 UK championsips had 9 seeds, based on where they came in the 2010 UK championships:
Iron-Awe 5
Ripper Evo
Iron Awe 6
Maelstrom
Meggamouse
Tilly XP
Thor
Toon Raider
Big Nipper
Heats
There were 9 heats of 4 robots, with one seed in each. All robots in the first round fought it out in a 4-way melee where the winner preceeded on to the finals. The 9 robots that finished 2nd in their respected battles fought in three 3-way loser melee battles giving 3 winners to go on to the next round to join the other 9 to make 12.
Main Article : The 2011 Heavyweight UK Championships: The Finals
Round 1
Big Nipper vs Tiberius 4 vs Meggamouse vs Toxic 2
Scorpion vs Merlin vs Iron-Awe 5 vs Thor
Envy vs Ripper Evo vs Tilly Evo vs Maelstrom
Losers Melees
Envy vs Scorpion vs Tiberius 4 (Note: Tiberius 4 suffered mechanical problems and was unable to enter the arena)
Thor vs Meggamouse vs Tilly Evo (Note: Tilly Evo suffered mechanical problems and was unable to enter the arena)
Quarter-Finals
Thor vs Toxic 2
Envy vs Big Nipper
Maelstrom vs Ripper Evo
Iron-Awe 5 vs Merlin
Semi-Finals
Thor Vs Envy
Ripper Evo Vs Iron-Awe 5
3rd-Place Play-off
Thor vs Iron-Awe 5
3rd-Place Winner : Iron-Awe 5
Grand-Final
Envy Vs Ripper Evo
2011 UK Champion : Ripper Evo
Other Competitions
After the first round and loser's melees of the UK Championships had passed, a handful of the losing robots were picked to participate in 2 side competitions. There was the 2011 Annihilator Championships and the 2011 International Challenge.
Annihilator
Main Article : The 2011 Heavyweight UK Championships: Annihilator
The Annihilator feautured 6 robots that in the same way as on Robot Wars, fought it out in the first round only that instead of there being one robot going out ever battle, two would get elliminated in the first round leading to a four-way final fighting for the right to be crowned 2011 Annihilator Champion. The reason for this difference was because of the lack of time the show organisers had to organise a full Annihilator Competition.
Competing Robots
Beast
Terrorhurtz
Tough As Nails
Kronic
Behemoth
Storm II
Round 1
Beast vs Terrorhurtz vs Tough As Nails vs Kronic vs Behemoth vs Storm 2
Elliminated : Behemoth & Storm 2
Final
Beast vs Terrorhurtz vs Tough As Nails vs Kronic
2011 Annihilator Champion : Kronic
Kronic: 2011 Annihilator champion
International Challenge
Main Article : The 2011 Heavyweight UK Championships: International Challenge
The International Challenge was a 3-way melee consisting of 3 robots from all over the world and they had a fight in the arena to see which country was the best in the game.
Fight
Storm 2 (UK) vs Tough As Nails (Belgium) vs Gravity 5.1 (Holland)
2011 International Challenge Winner : Tough As Nails (Belgium)
Tough As Nails (Belgium): 2011 International Champion
