The 2008 FIRST Robotics game is entitled FIRST Overdrive. This NASCAR-esque game employs an oval-shaped track with an "Overpass" across the middle. Teams can elect to simply race around the track (a la NASCAR), OR teams can choose to score using the Trackball, this year's gamepiece. The Trackball is a 42" diameter, 10lb ball that is very bouncy and difficult to control. However, for every time it is "Hurdled" (crosses the Finish Line above the Overpass), a team receives 8 points (vs 2 points for simply racing). Overdrive departs from past years' games in several ways. For one, teams are only allowed to go around the track in a counter-clockwise direction (DriveStraightturnLEFT). Another important departure is the removal of Autonomous mode. This year brings "Hybrid mode" to the field, in which teams will use a "Robocoach" to control the robot using an infrared transmitter (i.e. TV remote), limited to 4 commands/programs. The game's rules have also scaled back considerably on the defensive strategies that teams are permitted to use.