The second race of the season is in the books.
The usual suspects were present for the races. We want welcome back the team from HCC for their first race since early last season and Tampa Bay Tech High School for hosting the race.
The conditions were good with cool temperatures and plenty of sunshine. The course was smooth and fast, with some cars hitting speeds in the mid 30s on the long straights.
In the experimental battery class the 08 and 72 cars battled it out during both races with Pony in the 08 beating Drew in the 72 when his batteries went down early in both races. The 72 car is new this season and Drew is working out the bugs.
In the first race the big excitement was the HCC car, with a new driver, blowing a tire on the drive wheel causing a Red Flag on the track when it went sideways and stalled. The driver did what most people do when driving. Hitting the brakes when a tire blows is never a good idea. The car got sideways and traded paint with the 08 car which escaped unharmed. The HCC car tore up the front end of the nose cone and had to withdraw as the damage caused the driver’s feet to have no protection.
A BIG SHOUT OUT to recognize the Middleton Team for jumping in to help the HCC two person team fix the car. When they were done the car looked fine but could not pass the safety inspection. The Middleton Team exhibited a good example of sportsmanship, one of the many such acts at our Electrathon Races. Before the races and during the break between the first and second races, teams were working on their cars and helping other teams with their car(s). One of the teams gave another team a new tire and inner tubes to help get them up and running.
During the second race that attention to detail monster showed up twice. The 133 car from Middleton, which was going real well and racking up the laps, lost power and had to pit. That Attention to Detail got them. A cable on one of the batteries came off. A lose bolt caused the problem and the pit crew was slow repairing the problem. The car lost multiple laps and missed out on 2nd place in that race by seconds. Then there was the 365 car from Middleton. The one that sported a green and yellow paint job that looks like a yellow beaked Oregon Duck. It spent the first part of the second race drafting the 133 car until the car took an unplanned pit, stopping up against the Brandon High School team trailer breaking its beak. The 365 car had a minor problem with the steering. The steering wheel weld to the steering shaft broke. Welds are the one thing that a safety inspection might not find, especially if the weld is not a smooth clean weld.
Thoughts from the Pits: Electrathon America Design and Safety rules allow a partial frame when the car has a full body over the frame. With the HCC and the Duck car both receiving front end damage and with no injury to the drivers the cars could not continue. The cars conformed to the safety rules and everything worked out.
ALL TEAMS should take a close look at their cars with the thought, would it be a good idea to ADD an additional piece to the frame. Look at the area where the driver’s feet rest. Then ask WHAT IF. Is there a frame component that protects the driver’s feet in the event of a front end crash, even with a full body over the frame?
Idea for the pit crews: How many different size nuts and bolt are there on the car? The fewer sizes the fewer tools needed to make an adjustment, service or repair. You can have a small GO BAG with what you need to make a QUICK Repair/Pit Stop. Think Batteries, Steering, Wheels/Tires.
Results:
High School Class: Middleton 80 – 1st place, Middleton 133 – 2nd place, Brandon 14 – 3rd place, Brandon 9 – 4th place, Middleton 365 – 5th place
Open Class: Tiger Racing 4 – 1st place, HCC 13 – 2nd place
Experimental Battery Class: Electrocutioners 8 – 1st place, Electrocutioners 72 – 2nd place
We want to welcome Plant High School, from South Tampa, to the Electrathon of Tampa Bay Family. They picked up one of our loaner cars and will be working feverishly to get it ready to race. Hope to see them on the track in December at Lennard High School.
The next race is on the Famous Middleton High School course the first Saturday in November. We will be on the BIG parking lot. It is a long course with all the turns and long straights.
See you in November
Vic Nieves