Whiplash

Whiplash is a heavyweight robot built by Team Fast Electric Robots which competed in both seasons of the BattleBots reboot on Discovery and Science. The robot carries a heavy resemblance to Splatter, who competed in the first two seasons of ABC's BattleBots reboot. Whiplash's main weapon was an articulated disc spinner; a small spinning disc mounted on an arm which could rotate 180 degrees. The arm had forks so it could be used as a lifter, and it could also use the disc as a hammer weapon, making it a versatile weapon.

Whiplash also competed at RoboGames 2015 and 2017. While it lost twice in 2015, Whiplash performed really well in 2017 as it reached the championship final and finished second overall losing to Original Sin. Due to its weapon, drive power and speed, and Matt's driving, Whiplash made it smoothly into the semifinals.

For Season 4, Whiplash was now an electric yellow replacing the red and had a new, more destructive disc. Even when Whiplash had three wheels left, it could still drive well. This version didn't do as well as the red version, but still made the quarterfinals nevertheless.

Although it hasn't been fully confirmed if Whiplash is applied for Season 5, a clip of it was used self-righting during a teaser video.

Robot History

Discovery Season 3

Whiplash found itself facing Team Toad's Hypothermia. The match started out poorly for Whiplash as they were quickly pushed up against the screws. Whiplash then started to retaliate with a hit of its own, sending Hypothermia flying. Its 2nd hit tore off one of Hypothermia's wheels, leaving the opponent to drive in circles. Hypothermia moved its lifting arm 180 degrees to dish out one last blow before Hypothermia was counted out, allowing Whiplash to advance to the next stage.

Whiplash's next opponent was against Christian Carlberg's Mecha Rampage. For this fight, Whiplash opted to go with a new armor set-up to protect itself from Mecha Rampage's attacks. This proved to work well as they were able to absorb the impacts from its opponent without taking much damage. Additionally, Mecha Rampage's weapon wasn't up to full speed and thus Whiplash was able to pick it up and flip it against the arena barrier under the pulverizer. Mecha Rampage was unable to get down and was counted out, allowing Whiplash to advance.

Up next for Whiplash was the reigning champion Tombstone. When the match began, things were mostly looking up for Whiplash as they were withstanding the impacts from Tombstone and sending them flying with each collision. However, that changed as they lost a tire and one of the two front scoops. Even so, they managed to corral Tombstone into the corner and keep them there for a period. When they let go, they took another hit from Tombstone that tore off another wheel. After another hit, Whiplash was left motionless against the arena barrier and smoking. Whiplash was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

In a last-ditch effort to hopefully make the top 16, Whiplash was placed against Warhead. As soon as the match began, Whiplash instantly drove out of its

square, whilst Warhead assumed chase, trailing after Whiplash. Soon enough, Warhead’s humongous mouth got hold of Whiplash, engulfing Whiplash in a fiery inferno, but Whiplash quickly scurried away. It was Whiplash’s turn to deal some punishment, getting a lift into and leaving Warhead to get shoved across the arena, but fortunately landing upright. Warhead was again in hot pursuit of Whiplash, but because Whiplash was much faster and more agile, it was hard to catch. Warhead tried to retaliate, but was being outpaced by Mat Vazquez and his driving skills. Warhead once again found itself in Whiplash’s grasp, and was violently shoved into the screws, dangerously near to being flipped over, but again, landed upright. Warhead was still spewing flames angrily at his opponent whilst Whiplash was triumphantly bullying Warhead across the BattleBox, thrashing the beast against the arena barrier. Finally, Warhead was tipped over directly in the center of the arena and struggled to self-right. Whiplash went in for another attack, but smoke began to pour out of its chassis, so Whiplash backed off.

After a multitude of squirming and readjusting positions, Warhead had no means and was unable to self-right in time and was counted out, giving Whiplash the win by KO.

Next for Whiplash was Yeti. This match was pretty even to start, as both robots met weapon-to-weapon without causing much damage or giving control to their opponent. Whiplash then had the front middle plate of its lifting arm torn off by Yeti's drum but was still able to lift Yeti up and push it around. Both robots then had another weapon-on-weapon brawl before Whiplash hit Yeti hard and disabled their opponent's weapon. Yeti continued to fight so Whiplash got under Yeti again and nearly threw it upside down but Yeti recovered. Whiplash then threw it over before hitting them hard enough to flip them back over. Whiplash managed to get a few hits on Yeti's wheels, bending the hubcaps but not affecting Yeti's mobility at all. However, with fifteen seconds left, smoke began to pour out of Whiplash as its drive motors were burning up, leaving it pretty much immobile near the killsaws. Luckily, there wasn't enough time for a count out, so Whiplash survived to the judges decision, which gave them a 3-0 decision to advance, to the quarterfinals, where it faced Bronco.

When the match began, things were off to a great start for Whiplash as they were easily able to take control of Bronco by shoving it around the BattleBox and putting pressure on them up against the arena barrier. When Bronco self-righted, Whiplash was right there waiting for them and proceeded with its 2nd attack to shove Bronco around again but this time did its best to ensure Bronco had little room to maneuver while in the corner. Whiplash was able to control Bronco a third time before they were tossed over but they quickly self-righted. After a fourth dominant attack, smoke began pouring out of Bronco, whom had no drive power left. Bronco was counted out, giving Whiplash the win by KO to advance to the semifinals, where it faced Bite Force.

Whiplash did not start off well during this bout as they were taking hits from Bite Force without being able to do much in response. Whiplash's front forks were soon bent up and were tossed into the air, jamming the right front wheel upwards but still had enough mobility to continue. However, things changed as they continued to take damage and eventually lost both right side tires, leaving them only to drive in circles with little weaponry to attack with. After the repeated impacts, Whiplash was still crab walking, but was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO. This eliminated Whiplash from the tournament.

Discovery Season 4

Whiplash's first match of 2019 was against runners-up from 2018, Team Riobotz and Minotaur. This fight also served as a rematch back in 2017 RoboGames. As the match got underway, Whiplash used its driving and weapon arsenal to keep Minotaur's weapon at bay and from reaching top speed. Whiplash continued to control the fight as Minotaur was also having issues getting its weapon to top speed outside of Whiplash's attacks. However, Whiplash eventually lost their lifting rm and were left to continue attacking with their spinning weapon. Luckily, they still had full drive and their front scoops and were still able to control Minotaur, even getting them under the pulverizer. Both robots were hit by the killsaws before time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Whiplash.

Whiplash's next opponent was against former champion Son of Whyachi. Whiplash was not off to a good start as Whiplash caught a seam in the arena floor and was unable to box rush Son of Whyachi in time. Instead, Whiplash started to take damage, losing the left scoop completely. Even so, Whiplash stayed on Son of Whyachi, working hard to prevent their opponent from having any room to get their weapon going. Whiplash managed to lift Son of Whyachi so that the lifting arm served as a grabber and Whiplash was able to push Son of Whyachi onto the screws before Son of Whyachi escaped. Whiplash stayed on Son of Whyachi, but didn't entirely stop Son of Whyachi's weapon from reaching a high speed. After another hit, Whiplash was able to move in further as Son of Whyachi's weapon had stopped working. This allowed Whiplash to finish what it started earlier as they flipped Son of Whyachi onto its top. Son of Whyachi was unable to right itself and was counted out, giving Whiplash the win by KO.

Whiplash next faced off against veteran Andrea Gellatly and Witch Doctor. In response, Whiplash opted to swap out its traditional front forks for a wedge plate. When the match got underway, Whiplash was not doing well as they were thrown into the air by Witch Doctor and had its left wedgelet bent up. As the match progressed, Whiplash lost a tire and was pushed into the screws, where it got stuck. Whiplash then used its lifting arm to escape and was pushed into the other set of screws directly next to it, but it escaped. Whiplash continued to fight and managed to flip Witch Doctor over near the screws, but Witch Doctor righted itself and escaped. As Whiplash lifted Witch Doctor up again, the chain for its lifting arm came off, rendering it useless. Making matters worse, Witch Doctor also took out their lifting arm's spinner, leaving Whiplash to try and win a shoving match as Witch Doctor had lost the use of its own weapon. Time ran out and the judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Witch Doctor.

Whiplash was now placed against Fuzzy Mauldin and Texas Twister, serving as a rematch for when they beat Hypothermia. As the match began, Whiplash was quickly on Texas Twister and flipped them over. After a few hits, Texas Twister weapon motor caught fire and had to spin down its weapon, allowing Whiplash to move in for another round of hits. Whiplash then got Texas Twister on the screws, but Texas Twister was able to escape. Whiplash continued to dominate the fight, even using its lifter's spinner to cause damage and rip off the whole rear panel before Texas Twister was motionless. The countdown started while Whiplash tried to take down the drone, but couldn't get it. Regardless, Whiplash won by KO.

Having secured a place in the Top 16 as the 5th seed, Whiplash was placed against Jonathan Schultz and the 12th seed, HUGE. Whiplash started off fairly well as they were able to use their lifting arm to attack while also being much lower than HUGE's body. Still, Whiplash managed to lose a tire, but this didn't affect them all that much. Whiplash maintained a lot of control over HUGE by pushing them around and avoiding further damage. Unfortunately, they were also not dishing out much damage either, but they maintained control of the fight until time ran out. The judges awarded Whiplash a 2-1 split decision and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Whiplash found itself in a revenge fight against Tombstone. Things got off to a bad start as Whiplash immediately had its right wedge ripped off. From there, Whiplash began losing some minor bits and pieces, even getting spun around from the sheer kinetic energy. Whiplash found its left wedge also not in the best shape, having a slice right on the left edge. Whiplash tried keeping his front pointed to the former champ, but Tombstone managed to slip underneath and rip off the right front wheel. Whiplash tried to keep his other wheels from getting damaged, but that didn't work as Tombstone tore off the forks and a chunk out of the rear right tire one, leaving Whiplash to crab walk at this point. Wounded, Whiplash received more damage, losing its other wedge, and the remainder of its right tire torn off. With a few more final shots to the front, Whiplash was finally being counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO once again.

Amazon Alexa BattleBots Challenge

Whiplash was one of 10 robots to compete in a live stream event at Las Vegas, Nevada to compete for the Giant Bolt trophy. Its first opponent was Lock-Jaw, a match the Vasquez family had been waiting for since the show's run on Comedy Central. The match was pretty even for both robots as there was no advantage gained either way. However, Whiplash started to take the better end of the collisions as they were thrown into the air by Lock-Jaw. The next few impacts were pretty minor but Whiplash soon lost its left rear tire and the left fork on its lifting arm was bent up. Luckily, the match turned in Whiplash's favor as the next impact disabled Lock-Jaw completely. Whiplash played with the dead Lock-Jaw by shoving it toward the screws and attacking with their lifting arm's spinner, mangling the top plate pretty severely. Lock-Jaw was counted out, giving Whiplash the win by KO. Whiplash wasn't finished yet as it was given a revenge match against Bite Force to compete for 3rd and 4th place respectively.

When the match began, Whiplash started to take punishment. As the match progressed, its left front scoop became slightly angled upward from Bite Force's attack. After the next attack, that same scoop was now about 45 degrees and left Whiplash with little defense. Whiplash then lost its left rear tire, which reduced its mobility and rendered its remaining intact scoop almost useless. Whiplash suffered more damage as its left scoop was torn off and then more pieces went flying as the two robots fought near the pulverizer. Whiplash was now down to two tires and few options so it tried to use its lifting arm's spinner, but Bite Force's remaining attacks took what little was left in its ability to fight. Whiplash was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO.

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 10
• Losses: 5

Competition	Wins	Losses
Discovery Season 3	Hypothermia (Undercard Match) Mecha Rampage (Undercard Match) Warhead (Undercard Match) Yeti Bronco	Tombstone (Main Event/Undercard Match) Bite Force
Discovery Season 4	Minotaur (Main Event/Undercard Match) Son of Whyachi (Main Event/Undercard Match) Texas Twister (Undercard Match) HUGE	Witch Doctor (Main Event/Undercard Match) Tombstone
Amazon Alexa BattleBots Challenge	Lock-Jaw	Bite Force (Third Place Play-Off)

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"If this bot wrote a book, it would be called Fifty Shades of Slay. Oooh child! Hope you know the safe word. It's WHIPLASH!"

"A crash with this bot will leave you with aches, pains and a visit to a questionable lawyer. Better call Brawl because you just got WHIPLASH!"

"Congratulations, this robot just proposed a ring of destruction. *sings* Every kill begins with kay. it's WHIPLASH!"

"This bot fights at the speed of sound and loves to go out and flay. It will grip, rip and send you on a trip, straight to the trash. It's WHIPLASH!"

"This family means business and business is booming. Could a spot in the next round be looming? It's here to fight, slam and smash. It'll beat you in a flash. It's WHIPLASH!"

"It dominated a monster in the opening round, sending parts of Yeti to the Lost and Found. A bot that will make you crash, give it up for WHIPLASH!"

"It's done the impossible; buck the Bronco and slayed a Yeti with a 19 year old driver whose proven he's ready. The Vasquez family is in the big show at last. Ladies and gentleman, it's WHIPLASH!"

"Buckle up, it's time to showcase your neck brace. You'll be in misery with this injury. Better call your lawyer. Get ready for the hit'n'run, it's WHIPLASH!"

"This bots family matters. It could win fast or win slow. It's going to spin you in a vicious circle, then laugh at you like Steve Urkel. Hehehehe, *snort snort* Did I do that? It's WHIPLASH!"

"When it hits, you'll be saying, "my neck, my back, someone's mom just had a heart attack." It's going to hit you hard, hit you hard, hit you hard just like IT should. It's WHIPLASH!"

"This bot is driven by a real wiz kid, who'll leave your bot twisted. Don't make him clean his room because he will send you to your doom. Here to give you road rash, it's WHIPLASH!

Trivia

• All three bots that Whiplash has lost to were BattleBots champions, with Witch Doctor later going on to be the All Star champion.
• An unpainted Whiplash was used in an 18-bot preview on Witch Doctor's Youtube channel.

See Also

• Whiplash (RoboGames)