On Sunday, the 22 of March 2956, the Daymar Mile of Mayhem got underway as four organisations divided into 11 teams competed on the first leg of the Daymar Rally route between Shubin SCD-1 and Eager Flats. It was a treacherous Rally, and although it represented only one fifth of the full Daymar Rally course, the route was packed with obstacles like Canyons, hills and a formidable mountain range that stood between the drivers and the finish line. Raw speed alone wouldn´t be enough here; victory would go to the team that found the smartest path.

Conception of the Race :

The story of how this race, or rather, Rally, came to life is somewhat unexpected. Racing is already a popular sport, and the United Space Confederation (USC) has hosted small racing events in the past—most notably Mackson´s mile of Mayhem on the Orison buggy track. Joining the grand Daymar Rally had long been discussed, but nothing serious had materialised yet. 

Another Mackson´s Mile of Mayhem was slated for early this year, hosted by its namesake, Jichael Mackson´s. Unforeseen circumstances forced a cancellation, much to everyone’s dismay. 

Rather than go without racing entirely, a new event was conceived. Since the USC had already been exploring the idea of entering the Daymar Rally, a shortened version of the course seemed like a natural starting point. The notion of inviting another org, the Elysian Alliance (ELYA), a recent diplomatic partner, was also raised, and with that, the event began to come together. 

For a time, it looked like a straightforward two-org affair. Still, the conversation spread through other diplomatic channels as talks had recently been renewed under Director Ogi with various organisations. Notably, the Cosmic Coalition, which, as it turns out, had been planning a similar rally with their friends of the G.W.E Gang. Once those threads connected, all four organisations quickly joined forces, and the Daymar Mile of Mayhem was born. 

The Rally Rules : 

The ruleset was designed to mirror the Daymar Rally as closely as possible, with a handful of deliberate adjustments. The goal was for this event to serve as a practical first step, a dry run, ahead of entering the actual Daymar Rally the following year. 

As such, the route would follow the first leg of the Daymar Rally from Shubin SCD-1 to Eager Flats, representing one-fifth of the full Daymar Rally Route. 

Team compositions would also closely follow those of the Daymar Rally: one driver with an optional co-driver, one pilot with an optional co-pilot and one security fighter to escort both. 

The chosen vehicle category was buggies, though exceptions were made to limit participating vehicles to two axles without restricting weight.

A few additional “rules” were also introduced. Each team was encouraged to choose an interesting name, and each team was required to bring one or more items to contribute to the Prize pool for the rally winners.

Preparations :

Hosting such a large event involving 4 different organisations required quite a few preparatory tasks. Every participating organisation had to put together their teams and brief members on the rules and requirements for the race. 

Each participant was, of course, free to prepare themselves, and many practice races were hosted to train drivers and their scouts to find the best roads to the finish line. 

Beyond individual preparation, considerable organisation had to happen between the four organisations to ensure smooth coordination and punctual arrivals on the race day. It was a monumental logistical effort, but thanks to SpaceRangerChris of the Cosmic Coalition and LordOfTheTides from the G.W.E Gang, everything came together seamlessly, and the race got off to a flying start. 

The Day of the Race

The race literally started with a big bang, or rather a big boom! A crusader Spirit A1 flew ahead of the starting line and dropped a bomb to signal to all teams that the race had officially begun.

It has to be noted that there was an accidental bomb launch earlier that had nearly triggered the race, but thankfully, everyone involved caught on that that was not the starting signal. 

After the proper Starting signal was given, the drivers from all 11 teams immediately drove off the small landing pad at Shubin SCD-1, heading towards Eager Flats, while their pilots took off from around the landing pad, moving into position ahead of their cars and beginning to guide them through the rough terrain. 

The first major obstacles were the canyons directly in front of Shubin SCD-1; some teams drove as straight as possible towards Egar flats, others drove through the canyon floors to avoid the uphill slog, and others still hunted for open passages that skirted the worst of the drops and climbs. 

Beyond the canyons, the route flattened out for nearly half of the rally, broken only by occasional hills and other canyons. This was where the gaps started to open up. The Elysian Alliance team, piloting a Greycat MTC rather than the more common Cyclone RC, carved out a clear lead, though with many of the other teams not so far behind, slowly catching up. 

The mountain range in the middle of the course forced critical decisions. Some teams pressed on through directly, others swung wide to the right, hoping to skirt the peaks altogether. That detour initially looked costly since it meant deviating from the direct line for a significant stretch. The mountain did offer passages, but they were narrow and steep, with more cliff to the left and a long canyon system to the right before the terrain would finally open up. In the end, the patience paid off; the teams that pushed through the mountains bled speed on their climbs, while those who took the longer way around emerged with momentum intact and began pulling clear. 

Past the mountains, the terrain opened up into a long flat run to the finish line. With navigation no longer a factor, the pilots settled back, and the race became a pure test of the driver’s nerves, holding speed, holding line and not giving an inch. The two leading teams were still within sight of each other, at least from the air, making for a tense, dramatic final stretch. 

The winning Teams & Conclusions : 

The first team to arrive in just under an hour of racing time was the USC Fiat Team, followed closely a few minutes later, just over the one-hour mark by the USC Audi Team. Several minutes after that, the USC John Deere Team arrived, followed by the Cosmic Coalition´s “Chris Fan Club”, and then the Elysian Alliance´s Sand Dwellers, who were themselves closely followed by the G.W.E Gang team. The remaining teams took a little longer to arrive, but in the end, all the teams managed to finish the rally, which is quite an achievement in itself!

Overall, the race went very smoothly. While some suspected troublemakers appeared in the air, they were quickly dealt with by the many fighter pilots on escort duty. There were a couple off incidents involving a crashed fighter and a friendly ship that was mistakenly identified as hostile, but nothing that really derailed the event.

All participants reported having had a great time, even those who didn´t place in the top sports. The USC is, of course, very proud to have claimed all the top 3 positions with three of its four racing teams that day!

All three winning teams were given first pick from the assembled prize pool, and what a prize pool it was! Teams had brought a wonderful variety of items: race helmets, weapons, original plushies, hangar decorations and even a package of gasping weevil eggs from the G.W.E Gang for… possible private consumption? 😀

With that, the event drew to a close and teams slowly dispersed back to their home systems. It had been a truly remarkable occasion, an inter-org race on a scale that hadn´t been attempted before, and one that left four organisations a little closer, with plenty of shared stories and hopefully more joint endeavours to come.