Thread: Electrathon - A Different Kind of "Hotrod"

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Congrats on placing!

I've been remiss in my reporting... We ran our third race of the season at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, FL on January 19th. This was an oval track, so I bolted on the bumpers and my son and I "bump drafted" our way to 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the Open (adult) Division. It's amazing to me what a difference it makes to run two cars together at the relatively low speeds we achieve. Bump drafting makes sense in NASCAR where the cars are running almost 200 mph, but our top speed at this track was 30 mph. Nevertheless, when we hooked up together our amperage draw dropped by 10 - 20%... I have been told that aerodynamics become a factor at about 20 mph; I guess that must be true.

It was a learning experience, too. Before we run the bumpers again, I'm going to redesign them. The front bumpers need to be about 6 inches wider to make them easier to stay connected in the corners and the rears need to be modified so that the pushing car cannot make contact with the rear tire of the car being pushed if / when the two cars get out of alignment with each other. I rubbed the sidewall of my son's rear tire at least 4 different times when my bumper slipped off of his; it's just good luck that I didn't pop his tire.

My # 86 car had motor heating problems again and DNF'd again. The following weekend we completely rewired the car, replacing all the cables and connections. Initial test runs seem to show that the problem is solved. We'll find out Feb. 23rd at our next race; USF Tampa.

The race at USF Tampa (Feb 23) turned out to be a good one...

My son drove the #13 car to first place in the first race, but along the way he got crowded into a curb by an inexperienced driver and damaged the front axle. While checking for loose or broken spokes (as I always do) between races, I noticed that the front axle tube had a crack next to the left king-pin boss! In the second race this would be on the side that would be predominantly on the outside, so would be under the greatest stress. Doubting that the left front wheel and spindle could survive my son's agressive driving style, I traded cars with him for the second race.

I had planned to start the race with his damaged car, drive a few laps to get on the scoreboard, and park it. When the green flag dropped it took Jim Jr. about 2 laps to get into the lead with my #94 car. Meanwhile, I drove his #13 around at a conservative pace, constantly watching the left front wheel for some sign of impending failure. It never got any worse, however, so I ended up finishing the entire hour! At the end of the day, my #94 car was declared the winner with 152 total laps. Rodney Schreck from Miami ran 143 laps for 2nd place. I clocked enough laps in #13, combined with Jim Jr's win in the first race, to get a total of 135 laps and 3rd place. My #86 car had a wheel bearing problem in the second race, but after getting DNF's in its last three outings, Ralph Foss nursed it along for enough laps (134) to get 4th!

With 3 cars in the top 4, I'd say we had a great day... FINALLY!!

The picture below shows the lineup for the first race. Jim Jr.(13) is on the pole, Ralph (86) is in the 3rd row and I (94) am in the 4th row.

Wow, that's great! Congrat's on an outstanding effort... Impressive to say the least.

Congrats to all Jim, a very good outing!!!!! Now I suppose all the college boys are about ready to put a bounty on you and your cars!!!!!!

Jim way to go. Love reading these posts! Father son stuff is great too. You guys are starting the Electric carthon version of the great nascar family drivers tradition! Now you just need some sponsors!

Thanks, guys. Yep, my son and I have a lot of fun doing this.

Dave - those college kids go away wondering how a bunch of overweight old farts keep kicking their butts every race. The highest finishing college team scored a total of 130 laps, 4 laps BEHIND my ailing 4th place #86 car and 22 laps behind my winning #94!

There are lots more pictures on the Electrathon of Tampa Bay facebook page if anybody is interested.

I didn't get to go to the March race at Aparicio-Levy School, so "Racin' Ralph" took my #94 car and raced it. First, he had a couple of glitches in the first race because he was unfamiliar with the temperament of the motor controller in this car (it is different than the #86 car he usually drives). In the second race, the rear tire went flat a few laps from the end and he was forced to drop out. Regardless, Ralph clocked enough total laps on the day to finish 4th overall and 3rd in the adult division.

This past Saturday (5-4-13) we raced at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, FL. This was a parking lot course shaped like a big banana, two long curved runways connected at each end by a hairpin turn. Except for a bone-jarring bump at one end, it was a nice course and fun to drive. In the first race, my son (#13) and I (#94) traded the lead several times. The last 15 minutes became a "tooth and nail" battle between us, sometimes swapping the lead multiple times on the same lap, and the spectators were treated to a good show. Finally, the old man prevailed; I crossed the finish line first with my son just inches behind my rear wheel. We both turned 95 laps. Racin' Ralph Foss was 3rd in my #86 car with 92 laps.

In the second race, Cliff Rassweiler in the #39 car lapped me a few times. I let him go because in the first race his batteries gave up early and I had gained a 5-lap advantage at the end. Meantime, my son and Racin' Ralph both had chain problems. My son pulled into the pits after 18 minutes, having derailed his chain twice. Then, after cutting his finger while trying to make adjustments, he decided not to resume. Ralph had no further problems with his chain and finished in 4th place.

At the end of the day, when the races were totaled up, Jim Jr. was 5th, Rodney Schreck was 4th, and Racin' Ralph was 3rd. Cliff and I both had completed a total of 192 laps, a virtual tie. The tiebreaker in a case like this is time; because of my dominant run in the first race, I had actually completed the 192 laps with a 7 second advantage! I got FIRST!! It just goes to show that old and fat are not excuses for not participating!

Next week we go to Quitman, Georgia for our last race of the season. I'll keep you all posted...

Congrats Jim, another great weekend of racing!!!!! Goes to prove that old age and treachery will overcome youth and exuberance!!!!

The trip to Quitman was a success. Fellow Electrathoner and good friend, Rodney Schreck, and I teamed up to make the trip. We put my #94 car and Rodney's #11 on the rack in my truck so we could make the trip in one vehicle. There were 3 new Georgia high school teams at Quitman this year plus the host school (Brooks County High) had added a second car to their team. Rodney and I were the only Florida "invaders" this year; none of the Florida high school teams made the trip.

Seven cars took the green in both races. In the first race I got run off the track into the dirt three times in the first two laps. I was attempting to pass a rookie driver and he apparently had limited peripheral vision. I was right beside him all three times and he cut me off. Rather than wreck both cars, I took to the dirt. I eventually got past him and pulled away for a while. At this stage of the race I was just trying to maintain my 35 amp current draw on the batteries, so I was far from running "full throttle". Pretty soon the rookie decided to try me again; I just maintained my speed, let him go, and kept my distance. About 30 minutes into the race, as I knew would happen, his batteries started to fade. By the 45 minute mark he was parked in the pits. I "throttled up" with 15 minutes to go, led the rest of the way, and finished with 69 laps. Rodney had 67.

In the second race, I started right behind Rodney. At the drop of the green we rocketed to the front and on the first straight, Rodney motioned for me to pass him. With Rodney right behind me and my rookie friend from the first race right behind Rodney, we set the pace for over half the race. Shortly after the halfway point, Rodney's front tire popped and he lost 13 laps in the pits changing it. The rookie's batteries started to fade and I eventually lost sight of him in my mirrors. With 18 minutes to go, I "throttled up" and turned some of the fastest laps of the day. I led every lap of this second race and finished with 69 laps again. I finished first overall with a total of 138 laps for the day. Rodney was second with 123. The winning high school team finished with 104 laps total.

That's all for this season. I had remarkable results this year. My #94 car participated in 7 events, achieving 2 third-places, 2 seconds, and 3 firsts. My #13 car participated in 5 events, garnering 1 second place, 3 thirds, and 1 fourth.

Way to go Jim. Hopefully the Rookie learned to share the road! You've had an incredible season!

Congrats Jim! Awesome results....

What a great season Jim, very well done!!!

I had hoped to have some racing news to report, but yesterday's season-opening race got cancelled due to rain... I sold my copper colored car to a school in Augusta, Georgia last month and I needed a replacement fast, so I thrashed the last 3 weeks to finish this car that I started back on page 17. It looks very similar to a car I had a few years ago (orange & silver car on page 1), but is much improved. Anyway, I didn't get to race it yesterday, but here it is (below).

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Nice looking car Jim! Hope you and the gang have a great season again!!!!!