This is it. It’s down to the final event of the 2020 Marble League. The Savage Speeders lead the pack with 195 points, followed by the O’rangers at 190 points, and the Midnight Wisps at 179 points.
The Marble Marathon will be familiar to those of you who watched Marbula One. This particular track is a difficult one, with a hairpin turn, a huge straightaway, sharp curves, and S-bends galore. It is not for the faint of heart. And at 33 laps, it’s not for the weak of heart either!
After a brief demo by King Stardust and John Rolliver (which John handily wins), it’s time for the qualifying race. After five laps, the Oceanics are out in front, giving them pole position. Meanwhile, Red Eye of the Crazy Cat’s Eyes gets stuck on the track, which should have given him the back slot, but the JMRC deliberates and decides to put him up in fifth place.1It’s totally Red Eye’s fault that he got stuck, and this was an unfair ruling.
And then we’re off! Mellow Yellow takes an early lead, with the Oceanics and the Bumblebees close behind. But then the Midnight Wisps and Minty Maniacs make a move. At the 10th lap, the Midnight Wisps temporarily take the lead, but Mellow Yellow gets it back on the next lap. Lap 16 sees the Minty Maniacs grab first place, but Mellow Yellow gets it back with a divebomb move in Lap 19. But that lead is short-lived, because the Minty Maniacs take it back in the next lap.
After that, it’s the Minty Maniacs’ race to lose. Their lead stretches out to over three seconds. Meanwhile, second place is a ferocious battle between the Bumblebees, the Crazy Cat’s Eyes, and Mellow Yellow. After 33 laps, the Minty Maniacs maintain their lead and win the gold, followed by Mellow Yellow with the silver, and the Crazy Cat’s Eyes with the bronze.
Stray thoughts on the race:
- Absolutely atrocious performance from the Raspberry Racers, who finished all the way back in last place, over 15 seconds from the leader. They won the Marble League last year, so they’re going to have to do a lot of soul-searching in the off-season.
- For a while, it looked like Team Galactic was in trouble, but in the end they managed a respectable fourth-place finish.
- The Savage Speeders and the O’rangers really coasted through this one. They barely even put in any effort.
- Devastating result for the Midnight Wisps, who temporarily held the lead but ended up all the way back in eighth place.
And with that, it’s time for the closing ceremonies. One by one, the teams line up. Then, the top three teams take the stage. The Minty Maniacs take a well-deserved third-place trophy, the O’rangers smugly grab the runner’s up cup, and the Savage Speeders graciously accept the championship.
Stray thoughts on the tournament:
- It’s a testament to how erratic Mellow Yellow’s performance has been that they won three medals and still finished in fourteenth place overall.
- The Hornets and the Green Ducks were the only teams that didn’t win a single medal. After placing as the runners-up last year, the Green Ducks really quacked this one.
- Some events were more successful than others. The classics provided a lot of excitement, but I’m not sure the black hole funnel and the aquathlon were great additions.
- I know we’re in the midst of a pandemic right now, but I really hope that outdoor events can return next year. River rafting and the sand marble rally are sorely missed.
Next year’s hosts: the Crazy Cat’s Eyes!2Suddenly their artificially favourable placement after the qualifying race today makes sense. See you next year for the 2021 Marble League.
Complete stats for Marble League 2020 can be found at the Jelle’s Marble Runs Wiki.