Ultimate LEGO Vehicle Contest

The Ski Jump
The aerodynamics contest, or "ski jump" involves vehicles gathering great speed while maneuvering down a sloped track, then launching off a steep ramp which (theoretaically at least) sends them aloft. Vehicles are judged by the distance they travel from the ramp.

While the 2000 ULV contest relied on a flimsy makeshift ramp constructed out of posterboard and duct tape, this year's jump was contructed entirely out of LEGO. To give the vehicles a smooth send-off, the ramp was built with the stud-side of the LEGO plates facing downward.

The great speed achieved by the vehicles as they come down the sloped track can make for spectacular jumps, or more entertainingly, terrible disaster.

Here, Matthew's vehicle drops some excess weight at the start of the ramp, but makes a highly successful, if somewhat crooked, take-off.

Proving that corporate sponorship can only get you so far, Dan's Wife's vehicle collides with the ramp to explosive results.

As two hands steady the ramp, Brendan's vehicle loses its front end and careens off in a wild direction.

Even as it flies into pieces, Lila's cat vehicle bears its eerie Cheshire grin in mid-air.

Finally Dan's vehicle executes a picture perfect jump, soaring its way to victory in the event

On to the real destruction...