"Bring 'em on!", wailed the Good Captain as he cuddled his bright, new testing machine. "I'll get 'em this year for sure!", he screamed, referring of course to the constant smashing of records. "Every day I check every thread, every bolt, every wire, then eat my lunch", stated the Delirious Doctor of Doom. But wouldn't you know it! The good Captain held them at bay until the very last of 78 bridges. Then all chaos broke loose as Mark Belanger came forward with what turned out to be the greatest bridge ever built. The Ruler of Ruin lost his concentration for a brief second at the thought of a hot roast beef sandwich. Before he recovered, Mark's bridge had blown every record right out of the testing machine!
| Bridge Image |
|
| Winners Name | Mark Belanger, 3CV15 |
| Bridge Weight | 0.472 lbs. (213.8 g) |
| Load at Failure | 2503 lbs. (11133.7 N) |
| Performance Rating: | 5303 lb./lb. (52,075 N/kg.) |
"I hate it when that happens", screamed Crunch. Mark's bridge achieved
unbelievable numbers. Team Popsicle again had to wonder where it would end,
and if Crunch's new, unbeatable testing machine would remain unbeatable.
Shawn Winters of 2CV14 took 2
nd
place with a 4348 performance. Poor Shawn had held down first place since the
early going in the Competition only to be beaten by the very last bridge.
However, being the gentleman that he was, Shawn congratulated Mark and was
happy with his 2
nd
place finish. Shawn would be back. McMaster U.'s entry ranked 76/78.
Click the link for the entire results of 1997
.