Category Archives: Uncategorized

STEM Electrathon at Energy Whiz April 22 2023

Our next STEM Electrathon Event will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in conjunction with Energy Whiz at Florida Solar Energy Center, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa FL 32922.

Some of our teams are staying at the Best Western Space Shuttle Inn, 3455 Cheney Hwy which is approximately 16 miles from the venue. Across the street from the Best Western is a Days Inn by Wyndham 3755 Cheney Hwy.

We could have a group dinner on Friday and/or Saturday (or both) at the Durango Steakhouse and/or Florida Seafood Restaurant. Charlie says he plans to eat at both of them, one on Friday night, the other on Saturday night.

At 930 am, April 22, 2023, the opening ceremony for Energy Whiz will take place. We ask all our teams, board and guests to attend the opening ceremony.

Our track is approximately 1512 ft or .286 of a mile.

ELECTRATHON OF TAMPA BAY/ELECTRATHON OF FLORIDA
RACE DAY SCHEDULE

6:30 – 8:00 Event set up, track safety inspection, teams arriving

6:45 – 8:30 Car inspections completed, registration, driver weigh in, transmitters issued

8:30 Team, Team Sponsors and Drivers meeting with Race Steward

8:45 – 9:15 Practice laps (clockwise)

9:15 Track closed, no cars allowed on the track

9:45 – 10:00 Test of transmitters, lineup for 1st race (clockwise)

10:00 Green flag drops to start 1st race

11:00 Checkered flag drops ending 1st race

11:00 – 11:45 Lunch, cars on display for viewing

11:45 – 12:15 Practice laps (counter clockwise)

12:15 Track closed, no cars allowed on the track

12:45 – 1:00 Test of transmitters, lineup for 2nd race (counterclockwise)

1:00 Green flag drops to start 2nd race

2:00 Checkered flag drops ending 2nd race

2:00 – 2:45 Event clean up, race results recorded

2:45 Awards ceremony, announcements

Red – Track
Blue – Pits
Green – Registration/Scoring
Additional/overflow team parking will be outside of the yellow caution tape, lower left area in picture.

Dashing Day at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation

We held our STEM Electrathon Event at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation in Pasco County on Saturday, March 4th.

Unlike our normal race day of two, sixty-minute races, this was our dash day of racing, four, 20-minute races and a high school/college sponsor 20-minute dash challenge. We found out after the races that our computer set the race time for 19 minutes and not 20. (oops)

We thank Kirkland Ranch Electrathon Sponsor David Kocher, his team and school administration for hosting our event.

We thank Florida Power and Light, Charlie Driver for coming to our event. Charlie spent the entire day with us learning about our teams and organization. Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida will be there to assist them in their future plans to support students in the State of Florida.

The teams met with our Race Steward for instructions, flag identification and safety protocols.

The track opened for 30 minutes so that drivers could run practice laps. Pro EV car 39 ran practice laps and did very well on the course.

We missed our Mulberry High School Sponsor Todd Thuma and his team as they were not able to attend. We thank Mulberry team member Aiden for coming out to assist even though his team was not at the races.

The first race teams lined up.

The green flag dropped and off they went. Tiger car 4 ran lithium batteries and had controller and battery issues sending them to the pits. (We should have had him running lead acid during this race) The Kinetic car 99 tires struck the side of Jane Deere car 942 leaving tire rings and a gash in their side panel.

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the first race, the results were:
Open Class
Jane Deere car 942, 35 laps
Kinetic car 99, 33 laps
Kinetic car 19, 26 laps

Advanced Class
Pro EV car 39, 40 laps
S & J Racing car 256, 34 laps
Tiger car 4, 3 laps

Teams lined up for the second race, the green flag dropped, and the race went well.

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the second race, the results were:

High School Class
1st Place Kirkland car 555 with 35 laps (19.02.628)
2nd Place Middleton car 133 with 35 laps (19.10.587
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 35 laps (19.22.539)
4th Place Middleton car 80 with 22 laps

Open Class
Tiger car 4 with 33 laps

The third race of the day was our High school/College Sponsor Dash Challenge. The three cars lined up with Middleton Sponsor William in car 80, Middleton Sponsor Kenny in car 133 and Kirkland Sponsor David in car 555.

The sponsors ran a great race until William drove the wheel off of the 80 car (sending the tire down the course on its own) which caused the car to roll over. William was not hurt but ended the race day for the 80 car.

When the checkered flag dropped it was
1st Place Kirkland (David) car 555 with 37 laps

2nd Place Middleton (Kenny) car 133 with 36 laps

3rd Place Middleton (William) car 80 with 26 laps

Our fourth race of the day lined up.

The green flagged dropped and our High School students did exceptionally well.

When the checkered flag dropped it was
1st Place Plant City car 83 with 35 laps
2nd Place Kirkland car 555 with 33 laps
3rd Place Middleton car 133 with 12 laps

Open Class
Tiger car 4 with 34 laps

Our fifth and last race of the day lined up.

The green flag dropped, and the teams took off. The S & J Racing car 256 came around one turn and over they went causing a red flag. The driver believes that a dip in the course, his speed and the high winds caused the turnover. Stephen is ok but may have a bruised hand. Kinetic car 99 rolled in one of the turns Kevin said he is okay, but we will check on him as his helmet shows signs of impact. Pro EV car 39 spun out and faced oncoming cars in one of the turns.

When the checkered flag dropped it was
Open Class
Jane Deere car 942 with 26 laps
Kinetic car 99 with 22 laps
Kinetic car 19 with 21 laps

Advanced Class
Pro EV car 39 with 29 laps
Tiger car 4 with 23 laps
S & J car 256 with 2 laps

Due to the fact we had two red flags during the fifth race and time was lost, the time and lap factor for Tiger had to be adjusted by our Race Steward as he ran his lead acid batteries in the high school’s race. In the future teams will not be able to run other than the class they normally run for season points.

To find our overall race results for the day we add the two race lap totals. Final results for the race day:

High School
1st Place Plant City car 83 with 70 laps, best lap of the day 29.609

2nd Place Kirkland car 555 with 68 laps, best lap of the day 29.309

3rd Place Middleton car 133 with 47 laps best lap of the day 29.753

4th Place Middleton car 80 with 22 laps best lap of the day 51.590

Open Class
1st Place Jane Deere car 942 with 61 laps best lap of the day 30.316

2nd Place Tiger car 4 with 58 laps (a nine-lap reduction was made for red flag delays) best lap of the day 32.512

3rd Place Kinetic car 99 with 55 laps best lap of the day 31.188

4th Place Kinetic car 19 with 47 laps best lap of the day 36.469

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 69 laps best lap of the day 26.064

2nd Place S & J car 256 with 36 laps best lap of the day 30.612

3rd Place Tiger car 4 with 26 laps best lap of the day 32.689

Our next race will be held at University of Central Florida in conjunction with the Energy Whiz at Florida Solar Energy Center.

March 4, 2023, Dash and Sponsor Races Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation

Our next race will be held at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, 32555 Innovation Drive, Wesley Chappel, Florida 33545. This will be our Annual Dash and Sponsor Race. Drivers will safely test their cars performance for the most laps in 20 minutes. There will be a total of five races during the day. The course will be on the same parking lot as our last race at Kirkland but changed slightly.
RED – COURSE
BLUE – PITS
WHITE – TOWER
GREEN – REGISTRATION

Click on links for printable version of race day schedule. 2023 Dash Sponsor Event

MARCH 4, 2023, SCHEDULE – 20 MINUTE DASH RACES

0630 – 0800 Event set up, track safety inspection, teams arrive

0645 – 0830 Car inspections completed, registration, driver weigh in, transmitters issued

0830 Team, Team Sponsors, Executive Board and Drivers meeting with Race Steward

0845 – 0915 Practice laps (only practice laps for the entire day/Sponsors & Exec Bd should do)

0915 Track closed, no cars allowed on the track

0945 – 1000 OPEN AND EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS ONLY – 20 MINUTE RACE
Test of transmitters, lineup for 1st race (clockwise)

1000 Green flag drops to start 1st race, OPEN & EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS

1020 Checkered flag drops ending 1st race, OPEN & EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS

1030 – 1045 HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION ONLY – 20 MINUTE RACE
Test of transmitters, lineup for 1st race (clockwise)

1045 Green flag drops to start 1st race, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

1105 Checkered flag drops ending 1st race, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

1105 – 1130 Lunch, cars on display for viewing

1130 – 1145 HS/COLLEGE SPONSORS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD ONLY – 20 MINUTE RACE
Test of transmitters, lineup for race (clockwise)

1145 Green flag drops to start race, HS/COLLEGE SPONSOR AND EXECUTIVE BOARD

1205 Checkered flag drops ending race, HS/COLLEGE SPONSOR AND EXECUTIVE BOARD

1205 – 1245 Track closed, no cars allowed on the track
Lunch, cars on display for viewing

1245 – 100 HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION ONLY – 20 MINUTE RACE
Test of transmitters, lineup for 2nd race (counter clockwise)

100 Green flag drops to start 2nd race, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

120 Checkered flag drops ending 2nd race, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

130 – 145 OPEN AND EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS ONLY – 20 MINUTE RACE
Test of transmitters, lineup for 2nd race (counter clockwise)

145 Green flag drops to start 2nd race, OPEN & EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS

205 Checkered flag drops ending 2nd race, OPEN & EXPERIMENTAL DIVISIONS

205 – 245 Event clean up, race results recorded

245 Awards ceremony, announcements

USF Engineering Expo

We held our 19th STEM Electrathon Event at University of South Florida in conjunction with their Engineering Expo on Saturday, February 11th.

We thank USF for including us in their Engineering Expo every year.

We thank Acme Barricades (Jaime Gonzalez) in Tampa for their generous donations of cones for this event.

We thank Minuteman Press (new owner Ken Hunt) in Brandon for their support in making up our flyers for our events and all our copy needs.

The pit area was busy as a beehive as the teams got the 17 cars ready for the first race.

The teams met with our Race Steward Mike Frederick for instructions, flag identification and safety guidelines.

The track opened for 30 minutes so that drivers could run practice laps. The driver in the USF car was running practice laps when his throttle malfunctioned in one of the chicanes and caused the car to turn over causing damage to the front wheels. The driver was fine due to the great safety guidelines used in the design and building of these cars.

Steve Archer, Electrathon America Vice President brought down his new car to see how it would perform on our road courses.

As the teams lined up their cars for the first race, 16 of the 17 cars were ready to compete. The USF car 48 had issues that kept them out of the race.

The green flag dropped to start the first race and teams gave it their best.

00:00

00:15The road course at USF was challenging for our teams. During the first race, a number of love taps were exchanged amongst the cars/drivers.

Teams had issues with their cars but got back into the race quickly.

Jane Deere car 942 started through the chicane by the scoring tower and one front wheel turned one way and the other went the opposite way, which ended their race day.

Provided by Cliff with Pro EV car 39

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the first race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Middleton 133 with 61 laps
2nd Place Middleton car 80 with 60 laps
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 54 laps
4th Place Mulberry car 38 with 48 laps
5th Place Mulberry car 100 with 45 laps
6th Place Kirkland car 555 with 9 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 68 laps
2nd Place Kinetic car 99 with 64 laps
3rd Place Kinetic car 19 with 63 laps
4th Place Archer car 654 with 61 laps
5th Place Ryno car 360 with 32 laps
6th Place Jane Deere car 942 with 30 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 76 laps
2nd Place S & J car 128 with 62 laps
3rd Place S & J car 256 with 29 laps
4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 11 laps

Between races the teams made adjustments to their cars, changed tires and got some lunch. The USF Team was able to transfer parts from their 48 cars over to their car 132 frame and got it to the pits for inspection.

We thank Aidan (Mulberry HS) and his parent(s) for the amazing birthday cupcakes. Happy 16th Birthday Aidan. Cupcakes were really good.

When the lineup was called for the second race, 16 of the 17 cars lined up for the second race.

The green flag dropped and the teams started the second race. The love taps between cars and drivers continued. It was pure racing fun at its best.

Provided by Cliff with Pro EV car 39

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the second race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Plant City car 83 with 60 laps
2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 55 laps
3rd Place Middleton car 133 with 55 laps
4th Place Middleton car 80 with 52 laps
5th Place Mulberry car 100 with 47 laps
6th Place Kirkland car 555 with 39 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 69 laps
2nd Place Archer car 654 with 67 laps
3rd Place Kinetic car 99 with 63 laps
4th Place Kinetic car 19 with 59 laps
5th Place Ryno car 360 with 18 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 75 laps
2nd Place S & J car 128 with 61 laps
3rd Place S & J car 256 with 35 laps
4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 10 laps
USF car 132 completed 36 laps

We congratulate the S & J Racing car 128 for the fastest lap of the day, a 40.813 in the first race.

To find our overall race results for the day we add the two race lap totals. Final results for the race day:

High School
1st Place Middleton car 133 with 116 laps

2nd Place Plant City car 83 with 114 laps

3rd Place Middleton car 80 with 112 laps

4th Place Mulberry car 38 with 103 laps

5th Place Mulberry car 100 with 92 laps

6th Place Kirkland car 555 with 48 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 137 laps

2nd Place Archer car 654 with 128 laps

3rd Place Kinetic car 99 with 127 laps

4th Place Kinetic car 19 with 122 laps

5th Place Ryno car 360 with 50 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 151 laps

2nd Place S & J car 128 with 123 laps

3rd Place S & J car 256 with 64 laps

4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 21 laps

USF car 132 completed 36 laps for familiarization

Our next race (March 4th) will be held at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation

Middleton High School

We held our first STEM Electrathon Event in 2023 at Middleton High School on Saturday, January 21st.

We thank Middleton Sponsor William Knight, his team members and the Administration for hosting our event.

As the teams prepared their cars for the first race, everyone alerted when a loud explosion (sounding like a transforming blowing) was heard. We made sure everyone was okay and found that Pro EV Team bought a new brand of tire tubes, and they did not like a lot of air pressure.

As the teams lined up their cars for the first race, 10 of the 11 cars were ready to compete. Plant City car 83 had some things that kept them out of the first race.

The road course at Middleton was challenging for our teams. During the first race, Kinetic car 99 had a small chain issue reappear. Mulberry car 100 had their front alloy wheel break sending them to the pits. Pro EV tire issues continued but that was possibly due to running 52 second laps. The last few minutes of the first race did not end well for the Jane Deere car 942. While making a turn the front wheel assembly let go and buckled the tire under the front of the car, ending their race day.

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the first race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Middleton 80 with 43 laps
2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 36 laps
3rd Place Middleton car 133 with 34 laps
4th Place Mulberry car 100 with 23 laps
5th Place Kirkland car 555 with 21 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 51 laps
2nd Place Jane Deere car 942 with 47 laps
3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 99 with 34 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place S & J car 128 with 44 laps
2nd Place Pro EV car 39 with 41 laps

Between races the teams made adjustments to their cars, changed tires and got some lunch. Plant City completed the work on the 83 car and was ready to race. Mulberry checked local vendors and were unable to find a rim for their car 100, ending their race day.

There were only 9 cars line up for the second race of the day

The green flag dropped, and the teams started the second race. Kirkland car 555 had a few issues with their rear wheel. Pro EV ended the race after 36 minutes with tire issues.

We congratulate the S & J Racing Team on their performance during both races. Way to go John and Stephen.

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the second race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Mulberry car 38 with 44 laps
2nd Place Kirkland car 555 with 40 laps
3rd Place Middleton car 133 with 39 laps
4th Place Plant City car 83 with 35 laps
5th Place Middleton car 80 with 18 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 50 laps
2nd Place Kinetic Industries car 99 with 45 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place S & J car 128 with 46 laps
2nd Place Pro EV car 39 with 36 laps

To find our overall race results for the day we add the two race lap totals. Final results for the race day: During our awards ceremony, we had the 5th and 6th place teams reversed (thanks Todd for bringing it to our attention).

High School
1st Place Mulberry car 38 with 80 laps

2nd Place Middleton car 133 with 73 laps

3rd Place Kirkland car 555 with 61 laps

4th Place Middleton car 80 with 61 laps

5th Place Plant City car 83 with 35 laps

6th Place Mulberry with 100 with 23 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 101 laps (great performance in both races to complete over 100 laps)

2nd Place Kinetic Industries car 99 with 79 laps

3rd Place Jane Deere car 942 with 47 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place S & J Racing car 128 with 90 laps

2nd Place Pro EV car 39 with 77 laps

Our next race will be held at University of South Florida in conjunction with USF 2-day Engineering Expo.
February 10, 2023, Expo display
February 11, 2023, STEM Electrathon in parking lot.

WELCOME NEW SUPPORTER ACME BARRICADES

We welcome our new supporter to the Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida family.

Acme Barricades located at 2611 82nd Street, Tampa, Florida 33619

Thank You, John and Jaime for the donation of cones for our first STEM Electrathon Event at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. Your support of our program, the students of Hillsborough, Polk and Pasco County is greatly appreciated.

KIRKLAND RANCH ACADEMY OF INNOVATION

We held our STEM Electrathon Event at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation in Pasco County on Saturday, December 10, 2022.

We thank KRAI Sponsor David Kocher and the Administration for hosting our event.

This was our first race in Pasco County, and we had an amazing course to make our debut.

We want to thank John and Jaime at Acme Barricades located at 2611 South 82nd Street in Tampa for their donation of cones for our course layout and becoming one of our supporters.

As the teams lined up their cars for the first race, 11 cars were ready to compete

As the green flag dropped and the cars started their one-hour race Kinetic Industries car 99 steering wheel came apart ending their day of racing.

Plant City HS car 208 returned to the track and had chain issues.

During the first race Middleton car 133 and Tiger Racing car 4 tapped front wheels and kept on racing.

Thank You Cliff, Pro EV car 39 for the view of the driver during the first race. 

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the first race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Middleton 133 with 63 laps

2nd Place Kirkland car 555 with 55 laps

3rd Place Mulberry car 38 with 48 laps

4th Place Mulberry car 100 with 33 laps

5th Place Middleton car 80 with 29 laps

Plant City car 208 completed 7 laps but did not race for a minimum of ten cumulative minutes. They will not receive laps or season points for this race.
Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 67 laps

2nd Place Jane Deere car 942 with 61 laps

3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 19 with 50 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 75 laps

Between races the teams made adjustments to their cars, changed tires and got some lunch.
The 10 cars lined up for the second race, the green flag dropped, and the teams started the second race. Teams had a few issues during the race but worked through them. Plant City car 208 got back out on the track after a few stops in the pit area and made an awesome run with a best lap time of 47.320 for their car.
Second race video provided by Cliff, Pro EV car 39.

When the checkered flag dropped, ending the second race, the results were:
High School Class
1st Place Middleton car 133 with 51 laps
2nd Place Middleton car 80 with 50 laps
3rd Place Mulberry car 38 with 46 laps
4th Place Mulberry car 100 with 42 laps
5th Place Kirkland car 555 with 38 laps
6th Place Plant City car 208 with 25 laps
Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 66 laps
2nd Place Kinetic Industries car 19 with 48 laps
3rd Place Jane Deere car 942 with 47 laps
Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 74 laps

To find our overall race results for the day we add the two race lap totals. Final results for the race day:
High School
1st Place Middleton car 133 with 114 laps

2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 94 laps

3rd Place Kirkland car 555 with 93 laps

4th Place Middleton car 80 with 79 laps

5th Place Mulberry car 100 with 75 laps

6th Place Plant City with 208 with 25 laps

Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 133 laps

2nd Place Jane Deere car 942 with 108 laps

3rd Place Kinetic car 19 with 98 laps

Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 149 laps

Kirkland Ranch Academy Race 12-10-23 – Google Photos

Our next race will be held at Middleton High School on January 21, 2023.