The Electrathon of Tampa Bay trailer picked up a nail in one of the tires during its last venture to our December race, causing us to have it go flat after sitting over the holidays. We want to thank Matt and Bob Clarke at Clarke Automotive located at 131 Central Drive, Brandon, Florida 33510 for repairing the tire. Clarke Automotive is a great supporter of Electrathon of Tampa Bay and continues to be there for our organization. Their support has the trailer ready for its next venture to Wharton High School for our next race on January 14, 2017.

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.

It was a great day for racing at Lennard High School with 14 cars from 10 teams in 3 divisions.

The schools name sake, Dr. Earl Lennard, former Hillsborough County School Superintendent dropped the green flag a 10 A.M. on a bright and sunny day.

The course was just short of a half mile around the drivers ed. range, a parking lot and as an added treat around the dumpsters.  The fastest lap of the day was just over 54 seconds by Drew in the 72 car.  He also turned in the top lap count of the day at 111 for both races.

Our ranks are growing.  USF was back with their Lithium Ion battery powered car.  They were here for testing and only ran the second race.  As fast as they were going the other cars in the Experimental Battery Class better look out when they are 100%.

Strawberry Crest was back and put in a good showing with a 3rd place finish in both races for 3rd overall.

The home team did a fantastic job getting the course ready for the races.  There were a lot of hay bales and tires to sling.  The Lennard 86 car was having a great day in the first race, right up to the point where their rear drive wheel had a slight problem when it lost its ball bearings.  Any time there is a problem with the drive wheel on any of these cars it makes for a real bad day.  Lennard missed 3rd place while sitting in the pits at the end of the race.

In the second race Brandon High School took 1st and 2nd in the High School Class.  The #14 car edged out the #9 car on time with the same lap count.  Strawberry Crest beat the Middleton #365 car by 13 seconds for 3rd place over the one hour.

Brandon took 1st in both races for their 1st overall of the year.  Something about new batteries in old cars.  They are working on a new car to start replacing the 8 year old cars they are using.

In the Open Class, in the first race Tiger Racing and Robinson Racing were neck and neck the whole race with Robinson Racing edging out Tiger for a 1st.  In the second race it was Tiger Racing all the way when Robinson Racing had to withdraw with mechanical problems.

In the Experimental Battery Class we want to welcome back Team USF.  They should give the Electrocutioners and ProEv a run for it when the are fully operational.  They only ran the second race but were very fast.  ProEv had some chain problems in the first race but kept it together in the second for a close 1st place heat win.

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PITS

Some teams need to work on their mirrors.  Way to much duct tape could cost you next race.  Check the rule book.  You can not continue racing if any safety device or ballast item fails during a race.  YOU MUST fix it or be DQ.   Our cars are electric/battery powered, everyone who works on them should know how to hook up a battery or electrical item properly and the wiring should be either red for positive and black for negative.  Positive = RED, Negative = Black.  One of the cars was having a problem getting their transmitter to register at the start of the race.  The transmitter was fried/killed/dead when it was hooked up when the ground side was connected to the positive side of the battery.  $50 plus transmitter fried.  This is the third or fourth one in two years.  All team should keep 9V batteries in their kit to use with the Red transmitters or if there is a problem with the wiring harness on the white ones.

We want to welcome Jefferson High School.  They are working on a car and had a team at the race to get a feel for how its done.  Word is Plant High School might have their car ready for the January Race at Wharton High School.

RACE RESULTS

High School  1st Brandon #14, 2nd Middleton #365, 3rd Strawberry Crest #30, 4th Brandon #9

Open Class 1st Tiger Racing #4, 2nd Robinson Racing #94, 3rd HCC #13

Experimental Battery Class  1st Electrocutioners #72, 2nd Electrocutioners #8, 3rd Pro Ev #39, 4th USF #132

Vic

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