UPDATE

On 4/21/16 we met with the staff at the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan the course for our race (1062′). TEAMS MUST PRE-REGISTER USING THE LINK BELOW.

Our next race (last one of the season) will be on May 14, 2016 at the Florida Solar Energy Center located at 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, Florida. We will be meeting soon to plan the course.

The Florida Solar Energy Center’s Energy Whiz is all about clean energy and creative kids. Once a year hundreds of students converge at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida to participate in renewable energy competitions. Created by the Florida Solar Energy Center in 1999, the Energy Whiz is a forum for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, artistic and mathematics (STEAM) knowledge and skills, as they relate to energy topics such as solar thermal, photovoltaic’s (PV) and hydrogen technologies. Competitions include: Junior Solar Sprint, Critter Comfort Cottage, Energy Transfer Machine, Solar Energy Cook-off, Energy Innovations, Hydrogen Challenge, and of course, the Energy Whiz EVTC Electrathon race.

For more information about the Energy Whiz Olympics, you may download their brochure at http://www.energywhiz.com/energywhiz/EWO-brochure_EW-10.pdf.

ATTENTION: TEAMS

If you intend to participate in the Electrathon race held at the Florida Solar Energy Center during the Energy Whiz Olympics on May 14, YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER. TO REGISTER, click on this link, complete the form, and click the “submit” button at the end of the registration page.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/98GZ8C6

Our next race will be held on April 9, 2016 at the Florida State Fairgrounds located at 4800 US Hwy 301 in Tampa Florida. Our track is 1710′ long and includes an S curve and a tight turn on the North end of the track. Our first race will be at 10am and our second race will be at 1pm. This race will be part of the 2016 MakerCon Event which will include mechanical, electrical, communications, transportation, hardware and software development, heritage crafts and trades, arts, music, gaming, modeling and simulation, and STEM initiatives.  We will have one of our Electrathon cars (ETO Car 60) on display inside with brochures for guests attending the event.

http://gulfcoastmakers.com/gulf-coast-makercon/

Our next race will be held at Middleton High School, located at 4801 N. 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33610 on March 12, 2016. This race will be unlike our normal races as our drivers will have only 20 minutes to obtain as many laps as possible. The course will be the oval track at the stadium. In between our Electrathon races, 11am to 1230pm our Junior Solar Sprint Teams will be racing their cars.

Our High School and College Divisions will race at the same time, line up for the first race will be at 945am, green flag racing will be 10am to 1020am. The second race line up will be at 1245pm, green flag racing will be 1pm to 120pm.

Our Open and Experimental Divisions will race at the same time, line up for the first race will be at 1025am, green flag racing will be 1040am to 1100am. The second race line up will be at 125pm, green flag racing will be 140pm to 2pm.

Lennard High School tested their new Electrathon today. Team Sponsor Jim Reve and his Electrathon Team are energized and ready for our March 12, 2016 race at Middleton High School. We welcome them to the Electrathon Family.

Our next race will be held at the University of South Florida Campus located at 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa 33620. The Engineering Expo will have events on Friday, February 19, 2016 of which ETO will have cars on display. Our Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) and Electrathon Races will be Saturday, February 20, 2016. The green flag for the first Electrathon race will drop at 10am. Our JSS Races will be between 11am and 1230pm. The green flag for our second Electrathon race will drop at 1pm. The Electrathon course is challenging for our drivers and exciting to watch as a spectator. Come out for a free day of fun for the entire family.

The results from the Wharton Race have been added into the 2015 – 2016 Season Points Stats.

We want to thank the good folks at Olin Mott Tires (528 West Brandon Blvd) for their use of old tires for our Electrathon Race on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at Wharton High School. Olin Mott and his family has supported ETO for a number of years. Please go by and support Olin Mott in Brandon when you make your next tire purchase.

Once again Rob Nolen and his Team at the Lowes in Valrico (1515 East Brandon Blvd) came through for ETO, donating yellow caution tape and a folding six foot table. Since the start of our race season this Lowes has supported ETO each month with a donation for each race. A special thank you to Rob Nolen and everyone at the Valrico Store. Please support them by driving the extra mile to visit their store to purchase your supplies.

It was a brisk morning when the teams started to arrive at Wharton High School for the fifth race of the season. Team members assisted in the set up of the track, moving cones, placing tires and even walking the track to clear any debris that could cause a safety issue. The new trailer that was donated to us was on display and everyone was asked to send us suggestions on setting it up and what we should place on the outside to promote ETO. As the teams lined up for the first race, Electrocutioners Car #90 was back on the track, the only car that accepted our challenge to teams that were missed and wanted back onto the track.

The green flag dropped for the first race at 10am, 12 cars were now competing for the winners circle. Brandon Car #9 had mechanical issues after fifteen laps and had to retire for the day. Tampa Bay Tech Car #242 had numerous challenges in both races as their car continued to put the pit crew to the test. Simmons Car #60 had two of their three wheels loose spokes causing their race day to end after 61 laps.

When the flag dropped for our second race at 1pm, only nine cars were racing for the checkered flag. USF Car #132 spun out sending the driver into a safe area until the pit crew arrived. Middleton Car #133 went over a curb and landed in the grass causing team members to pick up the car to place it back onto the track.

When the day was over the results were announced.

In our High School Division, Middleton Car #80 took 1st place for the day and had the fastest lap for their division 47.244 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Brandon Car #14 and 3rd place was Simmons Career Center.

In our Open Division, Tiger Racing Car #4 driven by Rodney Schreck took 1st place with the fastest lap for the division 47.171 seconds and 2nd place was Team USF in Car #132.

In our Experimental Battery Division, the three Electrocutioner Cars raced hard against one another with only one lap separating them after the first race. Car #72 did not return to the track for the second race as charging issues occurred and the batteries were not ready for the second race. First place was taken by Car #90 with the fastest lap for their division 36.965 seconds beating Pony in Car #8 by two laps for first place.

The results from the Simmons Race have been added into the 2015 – 2016 Season Points Stats.