Hey dudes, I’m back again doing the predictions for week 4 Cali events. Up this week are the Sacramento and LA regionals.
Sacramento Regional
Event Preview
1678 has demonstrated their consistent 30 kPa autonomous mode during their trouncing of CVR during week 2. They showed their potential to add on a gear to that routine earlier in the season, we’ll see if they can successfully implement this in time for this weekend. They are favorites to rank 1 and win using their fuel and gear cycles. **973 **also demonstrated their insanely fast shooter during their semifinals run at CVR. They will be probably be running a similar style to 1678, and will be looking to successfully pair with 1678 this time. Another strong team from CVR is 1323, who won with 1678 there. They have a killer robot with a slick swerve drive, turreted shooter, and four bar. Will they be able to recreate their CVR success? 1671 had a somewhat disappointing outing two weeks ago, and with improvements to their autonomous and gear-placing systems, will try to make a deep run here. 701 has yet to be seen this season, but is bringing a 3 stage turreted shooter and fast climber. Ragnarok will try to live up to it’s name and defeat some of this event’s powerhouses. 3250 had a rough start at San Diego in week 2, but will try to come out strong at Sacramento. Featuring a fast climber, floor pickup, and another turreted shooter, they could stand to rank high and reunite with 1678 or another strong team. 2073 earned their first regional win this season at Utah back in week 2. They’ll try to keep the momentum going and bring home the gold once again. 2102 won San Diego for the second year in a row, and along with 1072, could gear cycle their way to an event win.
Out of state contenders - 1856, 5480, and 5875
Rookie teams - 6305, 6474, 6612, 6644, 6665
Chairman’s Preview
**1671 **- Trying to win for the first time since 2015 and secure a slot at Houston
**701 **- Due to win Chairman’s for the first time
**1323 **- Won Engineering Inspiration at CVR in week 2, looking to go one step further
Summary
Overall the event will be star studded and very competitive. With a grand total of 6 wildcards already in play, the entire finalist alliance could be going to Houston. For many teams the goal will probably be to make finals and qualify off one of the many potential wildcards. Good luck to all teams competing.
Los Angeles Regional
Event Preview
Even though **3309 **only made it to the quarterfinals, they are a perennial winner who will definitely be a threat this weekend. With their clean turret and fast floor intake they hope to reign supreme and bring home a regional win. **294 **made a strong outing at CVR, and will definitely be even better at LA. Even though they mainly focused on gears and climbing, don’t count them out as a potential strong shooter. Even if they don’t shoot, they’re sure to rank high with their consistent auto gear placement and climber. **330 **is the obvious favorite, coming off their Championship win from last year. They’re looking to come out stronger than they did last year, but they may have some growing pains; LA is their first event this year. **2761 **ranked first at CVR two weeks ago. They’re a great gear cycler with a fast climb, and could rank high and scorch the earth again. **3512 **ranked first last weekend and were finalists.Even though they didn’t come out with a win, they did qualify through a wildcard, and will be making improvements in preparation for Houston. LA is 3880’s first event of the year, and could also be very competitive.
Trying to channel their inner 254 - 4
Coming to SoCal all the way from Chile - 5512
Rookie teams - 6499, 6658, 6692
Chairman’s Preview
**2486 **- Consistently a top Chairman’s team with 7 wins
**2761 **- Won Chairman’s at the Orange County Regional in 2016
**3880 **- Have won Chairman’s or Engineering Inspiration at at least one event in every season since 2012
Summary
There are many strong teams at Los Angeles this week, including multiple previous world champions. Expect this competition to be highly competitive, with many teams making improvements from their first performances.
Summary
Week 4 should have two of the highest performing events so far, with many strong teams playing for the second time this season. There is a strong chance that we’ll see teams scoring both the pressure and rotor bonuses for the first time in Cali. The playoffs for these events should be electric. Thanks for reading guys, see you next week for the Silicon Valley and Orange Country Regional predictions. ‘Til then, I’ll be California dreamin’.
