TV Total Stock Car Crash Challenge
Again the competitors of the TV Total Car Crash Challenge 2009 in Gelsenkirchen battled it out in a dramatic contest. And again this year his rival Christian Clerici in the 3.000 ccm “Top Class” defeated Stefan Raab. ProSieben television had not only broadcasted live from the qualifying in the Veltins Arena the night before but also from the spectacular crash race its self. In on the production teams was lunatX special effects GmbH, who where commissioned by BRAINPOOL TV to supply the impressive special effects on the 9th and 10th of October.
First of all lunatX highlighted the presentation of the track: In total 60 positions with jets and LX mines were fired on 5 cues in front of the soil banks in order to depict the race circuit, one cue being a stepped chase of jets and one both effects all in one. The arrival of Stefan Raab too was duly staged by lunatX. The host was driven into the arena on the back of a trailer pulled by a truck. The band Scooter accompanied Raab, whilst he was standing on a scissor lift stage. H.P. Baxxter’s guitar was fitted with pyro-fountains, which were triggered via micro receiver, whilst the truck entered to Scooters music. Ten newly developed X-FLAME 5G flame systems were fitted on the truck, spitting huge flames. Eight of them were mounted on truss directly onto to the trailer and the other two were mounted on the scissor lift stage from where they shot upwards. The truss had also been fitted with pyrotechnic.
The driver teams were introduced whilst they drove through a rapid dissolving fog curtain at the drivers entrance tunnel, which was created through a fog/wind-machine combination.
Even the gig of the Canadian band Nickelback was staged by lunatX: In total 322 pyro-effects were fired to the song “Burn it to the ground” and triggered via wireless receivers. 28 flame systems of the type X-FLAMEliquide C.1 were fired into the air per SMPTE timecode music synchronously. 19 of them were arranged in a semi-circle behind the stage of which 9 were the pivot systems X-SWIVELS and a further nine systems were fitted as an angled triple fan in three mobile cases in front of the stage. CEO Frank Lohse’s show design impressed through the rapid movements of the X-SWIVELS on the back truss and the dynamic flame chases.
Spectacular premiere for two further X-FLAMEliquide C.1 systems was their operation at the start and finish. On the track they created a vertical flame gate as a start signal. Two blasters fired LX gold flitter for the final award ceremony.
With the selection of effects lunatX had to consider the special features of the location – the closed arena roof- which only allowed a minimum of smoke development. In addition the effects specialists had to save the flame units against the stock cars and protected the X-FLAMEliquide C.1 systems mounted in front of the soil banks.
