Thread: Electrathon - A Different Kind of "Hotrod"

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Steve,
Most of our regular season races are held in the Tampa area. Our season sort of corresponds to the school year - begins in August or September and ends in May or early June. Here is a link to the Electrathon Florida website where our 2024-25 season schedule is posted: https://electrathonofflorida.org/ If you come to any of the races next season, be sure to look me up.

We're pretty much done until the new season; the schools are out, and the teams are inactive until school starts again. Also, it's just too hot...

I meant to do this right after my last post but got sidetracked (again!) ...

Anyway, we had a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 8th, sponsored by Florida Power and Light. I hate driving the highways around Miami. Everybody drives like they're late for something and they run bumper-to-bumper. If the speed limit is 70, that's just a suggestion. If you're running under 85 you're likely to get run over. I don't mind going fast if I'm familiar with the roads, but if you aren't sure where you're going, it's helpful to run a little slower so you can find the road signs and markings. HA! The drivers down there are about as courteous as rattlesnakes... Aside from getting there, it was a fun time.

Saturday, June 8th was a new experience for most of the race teams. We were treated like VIP's. Each team was assigned a garage just like professional racers from NASCAR or IndyCar. Florida Power and Light had everything well planned. They had bottled water on ice for free all day and a whole bevvy of people to give assistance wherever and whenever needed. The track staff provided the flagman, safety crews and trucks, and even an air-conditioned suite for spectators. Everything ran very smoothly... except the weather.

As we were staging the cars for the first race, it started sprinkling rain. It didn't rain hard, just a steady sprinkle that lasted about 30 minutes. When it finally stopped everything was nice and wet - cars, drivers, and most importantly the track. Thirteen cars finally took the green about 9:25 AM. I had arrived at the track later than planned that morning (bad directions from a hotel worker) and had no practice laps, so I didn't know the track. I took the first part of that first lap fairly conservatively, when I came off the infield part of the course onto the main straightaway, I cranked up the throttle to about 80%. I was clocked at 43 mph on the frontstretch. OK, now I knew the track layout, I would turn a faster lap... so I thought.

As I turned off the frontstretch onto the infield road course, I ran across a trickle of water that was only about 1/4 inch deep. When I picked up the throttle again, the car died! I was absolutely stunned. I played with the throttle and the dead-man switch and got going about walking speed. I limped back to the garage and parked. I put the car on the jack and tried everything I could think of. I blew out the controls with compressed air - no good. I borrowed a heat gun and dried them out more - no good. Between races Rodney Schreck and I replaced the potentiometer (throttle) - no good. One fairly good lap in the first race followed by the slow limp back to the pits and one trial lap in the second race gave me a total of 3 laps and I was done for the day! CRAP!

Anyway, all three of the Miami area teams that FPL gave cars to were there, the FPL-seeded team from Lyman High (Longwood, FL) was there, and one of the FPL-seeded teams from Pensacola was there with 2 cars (Pensacola to Miami is an eleven-hour drive! That's dedication!). Rodney Schreck, Florida State University of Jacksonville, and I were the three entrants in the Open Standard class. Cliff Rassweiler was the only entrant in the Advanced Battery class. When it was over, the High School class was won by the team from Pensacola (25 laps) in the FPL-seeded car that I designed. FSU broke on the first lap and was scored 0 laps, I was scored with 3 laps (second place), and Rodney turned 26 laps total (57.2 miles) for the win. In fact, he turned more laps than anyone in the car I built for him in 2012! (Yes, I'm bragging again.) Cliff's Advanced Battery car broke its brand-new 3D printed rear swing arm on the first lap and was scored 0 laps.

After the racing was over, we loaded up and reconvened in the infield building for a buffet lunch. After the lunch we moved across the hall to another room for trophy presentation. Second place earned me a nice plaque. With all the disappointment of my car quitting, it was still an enjoyable experience. Will I go there again? Absolutely! I hate the Miami area traffic, but it's worth it. There is talk of us running there again in January and also possible races at Sebring and Daytona. If it happens, I'll post it all here. Meantime, any of you who might be in the Tampa area during our racing season, come and see what Electrathon is all about.

By the way - there was one other car that had the same problem! After my car had 48 hours to dry out, everything works perfectly! I was under the impression that my controller is waterproof.., it's not. Before I run it again the controller will be protected from splashing water.

Kudo's and accolades to you Jim. And most importantly sharing it all with us! Nice to have one of "your" cars win the event.. and you're in second.

I have finally returned to Electrathon with some success. The season actually started in September, but I missed the opening race because of a family tragedy. I was completely occupied elsewhere for the month of September. October's race was preempted by Hurricane Milton. So, we finally got to race on November 16th. This was our annual "Dash Races" where the usual 1-hour race format is suspended and we run 20-minute sprints. Instead of driving conservatively to extend battery life, we gear the cars up and run as fast as we dare on the designated track. This track was an oval, set up in the parking lot at Mulberry High School, with long straights and fairly tight (almost hairpin) turns at either end. The overall length was approximately 4/10 mile (.4 mile).

Whenever we do the Dash Races, the High School and Open/Advanced classes are run separately. This limits the number of cars on the track at any one time and it's done for safety. Anyway, my Ol' Purple car performed flawlessly all day. In the first race, my good friend Rodney Schreck and I jumped to the front of the Open class. I passed him on the backstretch and held the lead for several laps. I couldn't see him in my rear-view mirror, so I didn't know where he was. I thought I must have pulled away from him.., but I was wrong. With about 6 minutes to go, I slowed a little in the turns to save my tires. Coming off turn-two, SURPRISE, Rodney blew past me. He had been lurking right behind me the whole time and I never saw him in my mirrors. I chased him the rest of the way, right on his tail, but I didn't have enough left to pass him. We finished that way - he was first and I was second, 1/10th of a second behind.

In the second race, we jumped out front again and pulled away from the rest of the field. I followed Rodney for about 3 laps and then passed him coming off of turn-two. After the first race I was confident in my car's handling, so was hitting the corners a little faster. Ol' Purple stayed under me and I was never seriously challenged. Rodney was there, about 20 feet back where I could see him in my mirrors, and we finished that way. I beat him by about 4/10ths of a second.

So, we both turned 36 laps in each race; he won the first race with me second and I won the next race with him second. When that happens, the car's times are totaled together to see who had the shorter time. I beat Rodney by just under 3/10ths (0.3) of a second. After my fiasco of a performance at Homestead-Miami back in June, it was great for my car and me to redeem ourselves.

I don't have any pics from Saturday, but if somebody posts some, I'll copy them here later.

Congrats on the successful outing!! You & Ol' Purple are a force to be reckoned with!!

Wow that's great news Jim. Congrats to both crews for their wins. Exciting to read the return of your winning form.

Thanks for the Kudos. It was a lot of fun. Here is a pic of me chasing Rodney in the first race. This was shot at turns 1 and 2 shortly after Rodney passed me.

I have been remiss in my reporting again. I have been racing periodically but have neglected to record my results. After the Mulberry Dash Races I missed the next two. I didn't go to Kirkland Ranch Academy in December because I was busy elsewhere. Then I skipped the January race at Mulberry because it was unseasonably cold, and I had just gotten over a bout of flu. Finally, on March 1st, Jerry Bristow and I went to the annual Engineering Expo race at USF Tampa. In the first race I ran my batteries down prematurely trying to keep pace with Rodney Schreck. He was experimenting with a different (bigger) motor and he was turning consistent fast laps. I finally dropped out with about 5 minutes left on the clock; my car had depleted the batteries until I was going about walking speed. Jerry drove the second race and was on his way to a second-place finish when the right front tire went flat. He came to the pits, I changed the tube and reinflated the tire, he ran another ten minutes or so, and the tire went flat again with about 10 minutes left on the clock. We got a 3rd place trophy by default - only 3 cars in Open Class.

On March 29th Jerry and I took Ol' Purple to Kirkland Ranch Academy for the first time. There was a conflicting race in Pensacola, so the field was pretty sparse. I took it fairly easy at first and gradually increased my speeds as I got used to the track. Jerry drove the second race and took it really easy. He said he wasn't going to risk crashing the car on an unfamiliar course since we had no competition in Open Class. We got a 1st place trophy, but it was basically a glorified practice session. The pic below is Jerry in the second race.

Friday and Saturday (4/11 & 12/25) Chris (my wife) and I made the journey to Homestead-Miami Speedway so I could participate in the Florida Power & Light sponsored Electrathon event. It was run in conjunction with the FIA Formula-E world championship race. We were originally supposed to run a 1-hour race on Friday afternoon and another on Saturday morning. The FPL people were absolutely wonderful, the Speedway staff were very congenial and helpful, and the Formula-E people were really nice. The FIA folks were another story... I don't think they really wanted us there. They kept changing the schedule and delaying our race schedule. There were educational activities for the high school kids (Electrathon's main reason for existence), but also a lot of down time - "hurry up and wait" times. We could have run our race at any time during the day, but FIA wouldn't let us near the track until after the Formula-E cars had their practice session... at 4:00 in the afternoon. We finally were told to stage our cars at 5:00. Then we sat for another 30 minutes while they did yet another track inspection. The pace car took the wrong road out of the pit area, so we were creeping along; just as we came out of the road course nearing the front stretch, my rear tire popped! I went into the pits where a group of teachers and other mentors were waiting. They had me get out of my car and they went to work changing my rear inner tube. They rolled my car up on its left side, removed the rear wheel, changed the inner tube, and reinflated the tire. As the other 23 cars were completing their second pace lap and taking the green flag, the pit crew was already putting my rear wheel back in the car. I jumped in, got re-strapped in, and took off. The pit crew had done the impossible - I was less than a half-lap behind! (2.2 mile road course takes approx 4 minutes per lap) I was flogging Ol' Purple for all she was worth. The only faster car on the track was Cliff Rassweiler's Lithium powered car. My first trip down the front stretch was 43 mph, the second time around I got 46. Then the yellow lights came on and we had to slow down... DARN! Next lap around we got the red flag and were routed into the pits. There were four cars broke down, scattered around the track. The real problem was that one of the new rookie drivers, sitting in his car, TOOK HIS HELMET OFF!! Dumbass! The FIA folks said we were done for the day. Our race had lasted 22 minutes.

Saturday was better. We were supposed to race at 8:30 AM; then we were told our race was shortened to 30 minutes. We took the green at about 9:30 with an unheard-of single file start right out of the pits... weird. Cliff's Lithium powered car broke its throttle on the first turn and he pulled off the track. I blew past Rodney Schreck and never saw him again. I got 43 mph on my first lap main stretch and 46 on the next three. Then more yellow lights on some of the infield sections and the last lap was a full-course yellow. We did run the full 30 minutes, at least. When the laps were totaled from both races, Rodney Schreck got first and the "Shock and Awe" team from Pensacola got second. I got third place. My trip to the pits on Friday had cost me a lap because the transponder doesn't record laps in the pit area! If not for that I would have won Open Class.

The first pic below is my car on display in the Electrathon paddock. FPL had set up a sort of "tent city". Every team had an assigned tent space so we were out of the sun and the one little rain shower we had on Friday. The second pic is one out of a series of stop-action shots Chris took of me at speed during Saturday morning's race. I was doing 46 mph when she shot this. The last pic is my car, Ol' Purple< with the trophy I got for 3rd place.