The 11th Annual Electrathon Road Race was one of the coldest races we have ever put on. Temps were in the 40s for the start of the first race. Drivers were briefed on frost bite on the hands. Ha.

Mulberry High School, who was displaying their cars at the Expo Friday helped Charlie set out the stakes we use to put up the caution tape to mark the course. It was WAY to windy to put the tape up and had to wait till Saturday morning.

Around 430 pm on Friday Charlie and a few others started setting out the 300 traffic cones used as barriers and course layout. Saturday at Oh Dark Thirty and 39 degrees, Charlie, Rodney and Vic finished setting out the cones and finished course prep.

We were glad to see an old face return to race with us. Slam (Steve) and his new bride from the Orlando area. They are 1/3 of the Electrocutioners and he drives the 90 car powered by lithium batteries. VERY FAST CAR! He only led both races with 73 laps each and the two fastest laps of the day at 40.912 seconds and 40.738 seconds.

Another new face was the team from Plant City High School. They have been absent from racing for several years but have a new Automotive Instructor (David Kocher) as their team sponsor who is very enthusiastic. They have a great team and raced Brady’s 242 Titan car. They are repairing their loaner car (the old long nose) and building their own car. The 242 car is very fast and has raced in the open and Advanced battery classes. Plant City had two sets of new Optima Yellow Top batteries and had nothing but problems with them. In both races they had a battery go down with a bad cell and finished behind Mulberry in the High School Class. The one thing you CAN NOT change during the race is a battery. What you start with you have to finish with.

Jim Robinson of Silver Bullet Racing out of Titusville Florida had a good day right behind the Electrocutioners. He ran the first race with advanced batteries and the second with standard batteries. Jim had a problems with his lithium ion battery pack and switched to standard batteries for the second race. He had the same lap count, 70 laps, with both types of batteries.

Jim Robinson is a Master Builder of many things, from Electrathon cars to hot rods. Many of his Electrathon cars can be found at any of our races and even up North. In order to spread his knowledge of Electrathon car building we now have two copies of his JIGS that are used to lay out the frames for welding that we will use to help teams build their cars.

Rodney with Tiger Racing had a good day in the Open Class. He was experimenting with gear ratios and had a very MINOR problem in the second race when his drive wheel, that he didn’t tighten properly between races, came loose and was rubbing on the frame. A quick pitstop and he was back on the track and still finished first in the Open Class.
That OOOOPS allowed the top High School team, Mulberry High School, to beat him by one lap on total laps for the day.

Mulberry High School car 38 is in the High School Division and occasionally gives the top Open Class cars a run for their money. One thing that Mulberry High School team does, is change drivers on a pit stop half way thru the race. This give more students a chance to drive and gives them a very good core of drivers and pit crews.

The home team, USF College of Engineering, was fielding a new team for the first time this season since Sai graduated. They had problems and only made the second race. The car performed well and they should be a contender in the Advanced Battery Class soon.

Most of the HCC team appeared to be new members for this race day. They were late starting the first race but had a good showing overall with their older design car. We will be working with them on using one of the JIGS to build a new car for their team.

A big Shout Out to all the teams who helped with turning the track back into a LARGE parking lot. The races were over at 2:00 P.M. and we were ready to hand out trophies at 2:35.

We had many new drivers for the races and some started out faster than others but by the midway point all were zipping around the track. No wrecks and no trading paint. Other than the CCOOOOOOOLD for Florida start of the day it was a very good day. Course Marshals and Flag People had a VERY uneventful day which is how we like it.

Next race will be March 7th at Mulberry High School on their track. Aprils race will be at the Florida Solar Energy Center on the 25th and will be our final race for the year. Charlie already has most of the schedule for next year firmed up and we are looking at a 2 day, 4 race event in the Fort Myers area on December 4th and 5th 2020. There are still out of area races at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Chambers County Alabama, and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds Alabama before the end of the school year for any teams that wish to compete out of our area.

Vic

The first race of the new year got off to a fast start, a few surprises and some of the same o same o.
Since our first race was just after the start of the second semester for our colleges and high schools along with the MLK Holiday Parades we had some no shows but still had a good day of racing.

The races were held along with a Robotics competition hosted by Wharton High School Sponsor Chris Hart. Many of the schools in the competition were impressed and very interested in the Electrathon cars. They gave us their contact information so we can meet with them in the near future.

Plant City High School, the New Old team, was represented by David Kocher, the Auto Tech teacher. He is working on putting together a team using one of our loaner cars. The long nose car donated by the Electrocutioners. He drove the 242 car of the Titan Racing Team. Brady was not able to be at the races but his car was. He assured us it was ready to go but first we had to fix the brakes and work on the batteries. David got some first hand experience in a competitive car right up till the time the batteries died in each race.

In the first race Pro EV car 39 took off like a bat and was leading the field till just before the end of the race when he raced the tires right off of his car. He had a tire shred, losing pieces along the way and he had to withdraw. He still took 1st Place overall in the Advanced Battery Class. Cliffs car uses 16″ tires, the manufacturer has stopped making them so he and the Mulberry team, who also uses 16″ tires, are in a bind to find a new source of 16″ high pressure tires.

Tiger Racing car 4, (Rodney Schreck) in the Open Class was working with a motor he had rebuilt and it looks like he got it right since he took his 1st Place overall in the Open Class.

Mulberry High School car 38 had a good day, taking 1st Place overall in the High School Class. They did have a few pit stops but kept up their usual fast pace. Team Sponsor Todd Thuma and his team had a good day although Todd was way under the weather. Get well soon Todd.

Our next race is a BIG ONE, we have our race in conjunction with the USF Engineering Expo. On February 21, 2020 School District Teams and businesses from all over the State of Florida will display their inventions, works and trinkets in the all day event. On the second day of the USF Engineering Expo (February 22, 2020) we take over the entire parking lot at the College of Engineering. This will be our most challenging course and should have our biggest and most competitive field.

So get those batteries charged up and those tires and wheels ready to go and we will see you there.

Vic

The first race of the season at the Hillsborough Community College, Brandon Campus saw clear skies, moderate temps and a very fast track with a nice seal coat to make it very smooth.
A special thank you to Alex Ambrioso and the entire HCC Administration and Electrathon Team for being a great host for our first race of the season.


A High School team from Palm Bay Magnet, over on the other coast, made their debut with a Blue Sky car and took a 1st place finish in the 1st race and a 2nd Place in the second race. A first for a new team. In the second race Palm Bay had continuing problems with the chain drive and spent many laps on the side of the track. Great first race appearance for this new and upcoming team.
The Mulberry team had a brake problem in the first race which left the door open for the new guys. In the second race they were back to their energizer bunny routine and racked up over 100 laps.
The Brooks team started the race in the pits working on their car and got a late start. They did better in the second race.

In the Open Class it was the AARP crew battling it out with Tiger Racing, Jim Robinson and Silver Bullet Racing, Rodney Schreck battling it out with Silver Bullet racking up 209 laps to 204 laps for Tiger Racing. The HCC home team started the first race in the pits but finished the day with a respectable showing in the second race. The HCC team has been challenged with student changes and older car parts, we believe they have a great new team and will be a team to keep an eye on as the season continues. Titan Racing had a total rebuild of their #242 car and were working on minor adjustments so that they are ready for the next race. Titans are another team that is up and coming with a new driver Victoria Hobbs.

In the Advanced Battery class University of South Florida and ProEv picked up where they left off last season. VERY FAST and racking up large lap counts.
Cliff with ProEv had a good day but came up short to the USF team which set a track record of 127 laps in the 1st race and 253 laps for the day.

From The Pits A shout out to the HCC team for their help with the new guys. The Palm Bay team had problems with their batteries and the HCC team was able to help them out so they were able to race the second race.

Our South Florida and East Coast Teams, Tiger Racing, ProEv, Robinson Racing, Electrocutioners, and Palm Bay Magnet came thru the hurricane threats in good shape. One of our Electrocutioners missed the race for the lame excuse that he was getting married on Sunday. What was the problem, we raced on Saturday. Congrats to Steve Lamson aka Slam and his new wife (he now has a pit crew).

Our President, Charlie Harrison missed his first race officiating with some excuse about having to have a stint put in one of his arteries. His wife Debbie filled in and did a great job.

Coming out of retirement for this race was Ken Fiallos, our past President and Founder, who ran the scoring and stats, Charlies job. Charlie will be back for the next race.

Speaking of the next race. We were scheduled to be at Daytona International Speedway in October for a multi day display. That has been postponed to sometime in the future. Mulberry High School has stepped up and offered to host a race in that time slot. As of Monday September 23, 2019 approval has been obtained for a race on October 12, 2019 at Mulberry HS. This was due to a very dedicated Sponsor, Todd Thuma that has been an outstanding addition to the Electrathon of Tampa Bay Family. Originally, the Daytona Event was scheduled to have no race fees charged to teams nor season points awarded. The Mulberry Race that is replacing the Daytona Event WILL be a race with entry fee and WILL have season points awarded.

Order of Finish for the day when both races are combined:
High School Class:
1st Place – Mulberry HS

2nd Place – Palm Bay Magnet

3rd Place Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate

Open Class:
1st Place – Robinson Racing aka Silver Bullet Racing

2nd Place – Tiger Racing

3rd Place – HCC

4th Place Titan Racing

Advanced Battery Class:
1st Place – USF, with new track record

2nd Place – ProEv

Vic

FREDI / TOM BECK WILL BE MISSED / BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN Fredi Beck who has been a VERT IMPORTANT part of Electrathon Of Tampa Bay for many years has retired from the School District and she and Tom will be leaving for Indiana in 2 weeks.

A going away party was held at Square One Burgers Saturday after the races and was attended by about 30 ETO supporters. Ryans dad supplied a nice cake.

Speaches and memories were shared by many in attendance. Then Fredi and Tom were presented with His and Hers Ice Scrapers as a going away present. Remember they are going to Warsaw Indiana where its in the low 30s high 20s for daily highs and nightly lows are in the low 20s high teens.

Fredi was presented a framed Checkered Flag signed by most of our members. Mike Fredricks had a plaque made up to mount on the glass of the frame.

Saturday, April 6th is our last local race of the season. It is our Speed Event where teams go for speed instead of endurance. Race day is broken up into multiple 20 minute segments instead of 1 hour events.

Teams will race in their class instead of as one large group. The strategy is totally different as gear ratios, motor set ups and computer setups are different than long distance. You will not kill a set of batteries in 20 minutes like you could in a one hour event.

Between events there will be a Sponsors Race. This is where team sponsors will take a turn in the cars, it they can fit, and see how they do compared to their team drivers.

Come out and see the races and wish Fredi and Tom good luck in their next chapter. Most people retire and move to Florida. But not Fredi and Tom. They will be leaving shortly for their new home in Indiana. Something about being closer to family. Fredi has been a very big part of the success of our program over the years and we will miss her greatly.

There will be an ETO event at Square 1 Burgers in Brandon starting at 5.p.m. to formally send them off on their next adventure. 2042 Badlands Drive in Brandon between Brandon Parkway and Providence Rd. There is a separate room reserved in the back. Adult beverages are available. Teams are encouraged to do something special on their own if they choose for Fredi and Tom.

Vic

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Terrible weather all over the place EXCEPT in Florida. Here we had to deal with an overabundance of sunshine and terribly mild temps. While others were digging out of snow.

Mulberry High School had their cars on display Friday for the USF Engineering Expo, which drew over 8000 students, it was quite a crowd. ETO Fredi and Charlie joined the students from Mulberry High School. Mulberry’s team greeted the visitors and answered questions about their cars and Electrathon racing. They did a great job! It was also a great day for ETO as other schools and enthusiasts stated they wanted to come on board to race and traded contact info.

In the Open Class (or the AARP class this race) saw Rodney Schreck from Tiger Racing car 4 and Jim Robinson and his co driver Jerry Bristow from Robinson Racing car 94 battle it out over the two races. Robinson Racing had ANOTHER NEW CAR (finished just the night before the race) for this race. In the 1st race it was Robinson Racing by four laps. In the 2nd race Rodney changed his gear ratio and it was a fraction of a second difference at the finish (1.00.01 VS 1.00.02). Robinson Racing might have done a little better if not for dragging a chunk of tree moss around the track for most of the second race. Robinson Racing took 1st in class with Tiger Racing in 2nd in class.

In the Advanced Battery Class it was USF car 48 in a class all by themselves. In the 1st race USF put up some impressive numbers with 80 laps. In the 2nd race USF car 48 was again putting up some impressive lap counts. On one of the S curves USF and I Will Mentorship Foundation (IWMF) both tried to occupy the same space, IWMF car 139, a High School Class car, went up on the curb. Neither car received any damage.

In the High School Class it was Mulberry car 38/83 and Simmons 35/53 going at it again. Mulberry car 38 came out on top with a smooth and steady day on the track while car 83 had battery issues. Simmons car 35 broke a weld at the line up for the first race and did not make it back to the track. Mulberry car 38 took 1st place in class, Simmons car 53 was right behind in 2nd place. The new team on the block, I Will Mentorship Foundation (IWMF) came in 3rd in the class and this is only their second race day. They were doing real well. In the first race they went out a little too fast and had to withdraw part way thru when the batteries ran down. In the second race they withdrew after the problem with USF to inspect the car. They are figuring out battery management and their car but still managed a strong 3rd place. Watch out for them in the future. Mulberry’s car 83 finished in 4th place in class.

Our next race will be on the track at Lennard High School. It will be a good opportunity to get some laps for new drivers and test out gear ratios.

Teams should be thinking about the upcoming out of town races at the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama (April 15th, over 50 cars come for the race) and Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola (April 27th over 25 cars come for the race). If interested you need to coordinate with Charlie as soon as possible as ETO will transport high school teams car(s) as long as two high schools agree to attend.

Vic

The first race of 2019 is in the books. What a start to the new year. New teams, new cars, old cars, spin outs, chains coming off, electrical wiring disasters. Just another race day.

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We want to thank Chris Hart of Wharton, our host, and the Wharton Administration for allowing us to use their facilities. Thank You Chris for doing a fundraiser as the hotdogs and burgers were much appreciated.

A shout out to Larry Plank from the Hillsborough Count Public School front office for stopping by to see the races.

A special thanks to Ryan Norden (Middleton Alumni) for helping with set up and for being our race steward for the day.

In the Advanced Battery Class it was USF racing against themselves. At the start of the first race the USF 132 car (John’s) was in the pits with wiring problems where it spent the whole race. They did make it to the second race and appears to be getting the bugs worked out so they can challenge others in their class. The USF 48 car (Sai) started the first race and did well, the batteries were not charged enough to start the second race at line up but did make it onto the track. It still placed 1st in class. They took advantage of points strategy to keep their class lead.

In the Open Class it was the Tiger #4 car in a class by itself. Rodney did well in the first race but had to withdraw part way thru the second race, not something that happens often to our 20+ year racer.

The High School Class had a new team and two new cars from the I Will Mentorship Foundation (IWMF) out of Ft Myers. They get the prize for the Best Team Trailer and Tow Vehicle combo. The team looked good and put on a good show of team work. They took 4th place with their 139 car. It is a modified Blue Sky car. They had chain problems that kept them out of the top 3. Their second car the #28 and a loaner from ETO had a problem with the wiring harness going into the wheel motor and despite the best efforts of many hands was not repairable. New teams with new cars tend to have problems early on and they did a great job of working thru them. We look forward to seeing them at all of our races.

The Brooks teams #55 car was plagued with problems and finished in the 5th spot. They are a strong and hard working team.

The teams from Mulberry and Simmons continue to battle it out for the top three spots. Mulberry had a 50/50 day with the 83 car having a bad battery day and finishing in the pits and their 38 car finishing 1st overall in the class. The Simmons team 35 car finishing hot on the bumper of Mulberry and the 53 car not far behind. Seven points separates the Simmons and Mulberry teams with Mulberry holding the upper hand.

As Seen In The Pits. There were many challenges during the course of the race day and I want to commend ALL THE TEAMS for jumping in and helping each other. On the track it was go go go. In the pits it was help each other to get back onto the track all day. This is what Electrathon of Tampa Bay is all about.

Our next race is our showcase race. We will be at the University Of South Florida College of Engineering Expo on February 15-16. Friday, February 15th will be a static display by some of our teams. Saturday, February 16th will be THE BIG RACE. 10 AM and 1 PM. WE hope to see everyone there. We will be setting up the course Friday late afternoon and any/all extra hands will be appreciated. Coordinate with Charlie.

On another note: The Electrathon of Tampa Bay Board Members present, voted Ryan Norden onto the Executive Board as an Intern to learn the operations of the organization. Welcome Back Ryan!

Vic

Welcome to Electrathon of Florida!

This is the beginning of a great new era for Electrathon racing in the state of Florida! For now, we are still getting the website up and running, but before long you can expect to find all news related to Electrathon in the state of Florida to show up here!

Stay tuned everyone!

The Electrathon of Tampa Bay Family suffered a loss earlier this month when Charlie Harrisons, our President, mother Stella M. Harrison passed after a long illness. Her family was by her side at the end.
The funeral will be Sat. Dec. 29th at 12 Noon. Services will be at Royal Palm North Cemetery 2600 Gandy Blvd, St Petersburg Fl 33702