This is Tampa Bay’s oldest and biggest Maker festival celebrating the DIY Inventive Spirit! More than 100 exhibitors, comprising of more than 400 technologists, artists, crafters, mechanical and electrical wizards, costumers and prop makers, robot cists, musical artists, inventors, coders, gamers, electric car races, battle bots, drone racing, and more!

Every spring, Gulf Coast MakerCon holds an annual community festival celebrating the DIY (Do It Yourself) Inventive Spirit! Here’s some of what we have on tap for 2017:

• 40,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space at the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds
• Cigar City Multi-motor Drone Race exhibition
• 3rd Annual Southeast Combat Robotics Championship
• 3rd Annual Electrathon Car Races
• Annual Inventors & Entrepreneurs Showcase
• Makers Market
• Young Makers Village
• Workshops & Demos
• Deconstruction Zone
• Gaming Expo
• Heritage Makers
• Transportation Exhibits
• Garden Tech & Sustainability
• 21st Century Tech
• And much more!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4pr8jtqkiti8a72/electrathon.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n1q5f77t0d0xa2x/Gulf%20Coast%20Maker%20Con.mp4?dl=0

We have obtained a fix it up trailer for a team to transport their Electrathon car and supplies. Trailer is available and free to any high school or college team, trailer needs some TLC (tender loving care). The closed container of the trailer inside is 6′ long, 4′ wide by 3′ tall. It will connect to a vehicle using a 1 7/8 inch ball. Please have your team sponsor contact Charlie to arrange viewing and pick up of trailer. Trailer offered on a first come first gets it basis.

Our next event will be held at Wharton High School located at 20156 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa 33647. The day will include two Electrathon Races (10am and 1pm), Junior Solar Sprint Races (1030am to 12pm), and RoboFlag Competition (10am to 2pm). Our Wharton Electrathon Team and Sponsor Chris Hart are hoping to debut their new car at this race.

We want to thank Matt and Bob Clarke at Clarke Automotive located at 131 Central Drive, Brandon, Florida 33510 for the use of the tires at the Lennard High School Race. Go by and say hello to them and tell them you saw it on our website.

We want welcome Ace Hardware located at 13364 Lincoln Road, Riverview, Florida 33578 as a 2016 – 2017 Electrathon Sponsor. Manager John Dallimore assisted us in the Lennard High School Race by providing us with bales of hay to use on our course. Please stop by and say hello to John and tell him you saw the post on our website.

We are in a parade, Longwood Florida on December 3rd, if your team plans to attend, please contact Fredi to obtain all of the information.

ETO will pick up and transport at least 4 cars from the Tampa area to the race as long as teams have contacted and arranged it with Fredi, cars will be returned to the school on Monday or Tuesday after the parade.

Update: We took 3rd place in the Auto Division of the parade, Monday, December 19, 2016, we will be presented the award. Here is the video link that Andrew (Electrocutioners) made. Thanks

UPDATE: We conducted another on site visit to complete the design of the track and the safety barriers. The straight away is 667 feet long and 25 feet wide, the 180 degree turns / portion will be 40 feet or more in width. Our safety barriers will consist of cones, hay bales and tires. Set up will begin on Friday afternoon and be completed early Saturday morning.

The fourth race of our season is rapidly approaching along with the holidays. ETO wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Our next race will be held at Lennard High School, 2342 Shell Point Road East, Ruskin Florida 33570. The track is approximately four tenths of a mile (approx. 2112 feet) and should challenge our teams and drivers.

Red – Course

Yellow – Safety Barrier

Blue – Pits

Black – Safety Divider – Tires / Cones / Hay Bales

Green – Registration

Gray – Scoring Tower

Electrathon and Junior Solar Sprint Racing Teams, our next race of the season will be held at Middleton High School, located at 4801 North 22nd Street, Tampa Florida 33610. The race day schedule will be the same as last season.

Yellow Safety Barrier

Red Track/Course

Green Registration and Scoring

Black Scoring Tower

Blue Pits

Steve Lamson, one third of the Electrocutioners Team who has raced with ETO for the last 8 years, delivered two donated Electrathon race cars to us on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. ETO is deeply honored by this generosity and will put the cars to great use towards growing our program!