Team Break32 are an active team that made its debut in BattleBots World Championship VI with their heavyweight entry, Riptide. The team also returned for World Championship VII.
Team Break32 during the 2021 season.
As Riptide progressed through the competition, Team Break32 updated the left-side graphic which typically bore their team name. Break32 became Break16 ahead of their win over Uppercut and Break8 prior to fighting SawBlaze. As such, they are the only known team whose name has changed over the course of a season.
Team Break32 and their Rookie of the Year Award in 2021.
Riptide's Top 8 finish became one of the stories of the 2021 competition, as Team Break32 and Team CRB shared the Rookie of the Year Award. Ahead of the team's second BattleBots season, the team kept their "Break32" name, as seen on the side of the new Riptide build, but again changed it to Break8 as the team looked to surpass the quarter-final stage at their second attempt. After losing Ethan Kurtz to enforced isolation from contracting COVID-19, however, stand-in driver Felix Jing was unable to pilot Riptide to its first Top 4 finish as it fell to Copperhead in the quarter-finals.
The future of both Team Break32 and Riptide is currently unknown due to the various controversies surrounding them that happened both on and off camera.
Team Members[]
Ethan Kurtz[]
Team captain and alumni of Rolling Robots, Ethan Kurtz was just 20 years old during the 2021 season. A mechanical engineering student at the University of California Riverside, he is known for his energy and excitable nature in post-fight interviews. He has since became one of the most divisive and controversial personalities in BattleBots history. Prior to BattleBots, Ethan Kurtz earned gold medals at various VEX Robotics competitions, having picked up an interest in combat robotics during high school.[1]
In Episode 6 of World Championship VII, he provided commentary for RIPperoni vs. End Game. His beetleweight robot Rival is similarly designed to Riptide, but predates the team's heavyweight. Rival won its debut event, the Utah Bot Brawl, before placing third at the November 2020 National Havoc Robot League event. Qualifying for that year's December finals, however, Rival lost both of its fights, one by forfeit and the other by tap out.
Sid Prabhakaran[]
Sid Prabhakaran is Riptide's weapons operator and specializes in the robot's electronics. He also organizes Texas Aimbots Spring Showdown competitions outside of BattleBots. His own robot, Waga-2, sports a similarly destructive vertical spinner and has fought in numerous live events across the United States.[2]
Like Ethan, Sid Prabhakaran originated in VEX Robotics competitions.
Felix Jing[]
VEX Skills Champion Felix Jing was just 16 years old for Team Break32's debut season, but in their second, was tasked to drive Riptide in their all-important quarter-final fight against Copperhead during World Championship VII.
Robots[]
| Name | Weight Class | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Riptide | Heavyweight | World Championship VI World Championship VII |
Win/Loss Record[]
- Wins: 12
- Losses: 3