Our next race is going to be at Mulberry High School in Mulberry Fl.
First race will be at 10:00 AM with the second race at 1:00 PM
Go all the way to the end of the road to get into the track area at the back of the school.

This is a short turnaround from our race at USF where Mulberry took top spot in High School.
The race will be on their 1/4 mile track and will be a great opportunity for teams to try out new gear ratios and tactics. It will be easier on equipment and batteries.

This will be a good tune up for our season ending race at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa in April.

Vic

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

Race day started with most teams who used GPS to find the school having to try multiple entrances before finding the track. GPS sent you to a closed gate a ways from the track.

Todd and his crew from Mulberry put on a great race. Lots of help with set up and tear down. It is appreciated when the home team helps as much as Todd and his team did.

The home team took the High School class with a total of 183 laps in the #38 car driving a conservative race with new drivers. Their #83 car had a shaky start in the first race with a new driver. Late in the first race had a spin-out and landed into the infield when the steering had a problem. Skinned up sheet metal but the driver didn’t have a scratch.

In the Open Class we had a first on race day. HCC started both races on time. When they get another good set of batteries they will be a team to watch as they will be very competitive.

Funding is always an issue for all of our teams. Teams are always looking for sponsors or donations to assist in their costs to keep the car running all season.

Another first in the Open Class was the absence of Silver Bullet Racing/Jim Robinson. He went over to the dark side to the Advanced Battery Class. Give you more on that later.

Tiger Racing/Rodney Schreck took first with 173 laps with Titan Racing coming in 2nd and HCC took third. Titan Racing withdrew towards the end of the second race with electrical problems, turned out that there was a loose connection on the master kill switch.

Advanced Battery Class saw the duel between Pro EV and USF continue. USF showed up with a whole new crew and new drivers. They still took 1st place in both races. In the second race it was a VERY CLOSE finish with USF taking it by 9 seconds over Cliff in the Pro EV car. RYNO Racing/Ryan and his 365 car had a bad day. Ryan used a past team mate from Middleton High School, Josh Ridout as one of his drivers and Mulberry graduate Dillon Meeks as a second driver. The 365 car did well the first race but late in the second race the rear tire went flat (according to another teams driver) in one of the turns sending the 365 car into a spin out causing it to roll over into the infield on the far end of the track. The car was messed up but the driver did not have a scratch or injury. The front end of the car will need to be rebuilt to get the wheels going in the right direction. Ambur from Brooks DeBartolo offered to help with welding the car in those spots that needed TLC. It is great to see teams offer to help one another.

The new/old guy in Advanced Battery, Silver Bullet/Jim Robinson, took third with his new battery pack. Sai from USF replaced the three Electrocutioners Teams as our Advanced Battery guru and helped Jim with his battery pack.

By the way, where are the Electrocutioners, they dominated the advanced battery class for a number of years, we would love to see Andrew, Pony and Slam back on the track racing with us.

As Seen In The Pits Cliff with Pro EV had a bad cell in his battery pack the first race but had a spare cell and changed it out between races. The way these guys build their Lithium Ion batteries, you have to take the whole thing apart to work on them. Not something you want to do between races, but can be done.
Nick and the guys from USF were going to help Jim Robinson between races by reprogramming his motor controller computer. They did a fine job we think they left out a step as the car wouldn’t start the second race and had to visit the pits for another programming session. When it did get back onto the track in the second race it had a top speed of only 22mph.
HCC had an 8000w generator in the pits; it could have run half the school. USF used it to charge the batteries in their car as the 3500w generator that I had would not take the load to charge three Lithium Ion cars. Thank You HCC for being a great team that helps other teams.

The day was filled with teams offering to help one another in many different ways which is what makes Electrathon of Tampa Bay such a great family of racers.

It’s all about the Batteries in Electrathon Racing.
One of the Electrathon America rules state that the batteries must be secured in such a way that they will not come out or loose in the event of an accident or roll over. Teams will not be allowed to use the standard bungee cords. Batteries MUST be secured with some form of rigid device/clamps, cargo straps or DOT black rubber straps with the hooks on the ends.
We noticed some lateral, back and forth movement in the steering columns, this makes steering more difficult as steering inputs not as crisp as needed. Teams please check your car for these safety concerns.

Our next race will be an away race down in Ft Myers/Lee County Mosquito Control, on a one mile airstrip.

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.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xwqfp7oeu147l0w/AAADTCdrnbv8Qk4lOpVoDXVEa?dl=0

The last local race on the season is in the books. High School, College, Open Class and Advanced Battery teams put in some FAST laps on the 1/4 mile track at Brandon. We thank Brandon High School Principal, Jennifer Sparano and new Team Sponsor Tim Ruman for allowing us to use their facility.

On a regular race day there are two one hour endurance races with ALL classes and cars on the track at the same time. Heats for this race were 20 minutes instead of one hour. In the dash races it was High School class racing by itself and Open and Advanced Battery together.

We were honored to have representatives of the upcoming Great American Celebration of Speed At Daytona International Speedway (celebratespeed.com) in attendance. We will be participating in their event October 10, 11, 12, 2019. They came over to see our cars and how we run our races. They also participated in our Sponsors Race.

In the Advanced class it was the new/old kid on the block taking both races. Ryan Norden racing as team Ryno (driver Neil) and the advanced battery car #365 put up 41 and 43 laps for a total of 84 laps over two heats. USF #132 car had problems in both races. The USF #48 car didn’t run the first race and was slated to run the second race,  more on that later.

Advanced finish order was Ryno #365 1st, USF #132 2nd. 

Tiger Racing #4 car and Silver Bullet/Robinson Racing #94 car battled it out for the two twenty minute heats. In the first heat it was Silver Bullet/Robinson (race time of 20.15) over Tiger #4 (race time of 20.18) and in the second heat it was Sliver Bullet/Robinson winning again over (race time of 20.21) Tiger #4 (race time of 20.22) both cars having 79 laps on the 1/4 mile track at the end of the day. The #60 car driven by Ryan Norden the first race and Todd Thuma the second race is one of the oldest cars in our area still running. It started life at King High School at least 10 years ago and has been in and out of storage since. The cars body is an old traffic signal box so it is quite unique. An oldie that still finished just 10 laps behind (69 lap two race total) Silver Bullet/Robinson and Tiger Racing.

Open Class finish order Silver Bullet/Robinson #94 1st, Tiger #4 2nd and Ryno II #60 3rd.

High School Class saw Mulberry High School and Simmons Career Center continue their season long battle.

In the first heat it was Mulberry #38 car (race time of 20.11) over the Simmons #35 car (race time of 20.13) with the Simmons #53 car taking 3rd (race time of 20.22).

In the second race it was Mulberry #38 (race time of 20.05) with Brooks DeBartolo #55 (race time of 20.18) and Simmons #35 (race time of 21.38)

High School Finish order Mulberry #38 1st, Simmons #35 2nd, Simmons #53 3rd and Brooks DeBartolo #55 4th.

Sponsors Race is a special race we do once a year where team sponsors and V.I.P.s see if they can keep up with their regular drivers. This year we had several V.I.Ps and our Brandon High School host Tim, the new Auto Tech Instructor took his turn behind the wheel.

Teams let the rookies use one of their cars for the race. Not sure if that will continue in the future as we had the most spectacular crash on the first lap. In the past we have given out a trophy, the I Broke Mine, to the team or driver who had the most memorable mishap on the track. This year we may have to rename it the They Broke Mine.

One of the reps from Daytona, who will remain nameless, was the lucky driver who got to drive the USF #48 rocket car. He did a wonderful job demonstrating the sturdiness and safety of Electrathon cars. If we scored like gymnastics he would have scored at leas an 11 for form and originality with one spin-out and multiple flips and sticking the landing on his side. Happy to report that the driver was walking and talking as soon as we got him out of the car. Bumps and sore but OK. The car on the other hand was not so lucky. We are glad that he is okay, cars can be rebuilt/replaced.

The car was taken over to Jim Robinsons shop in Titusville for emergency surgery and was back in shape, more or less, by Sunday night. The USF guys will be taking it to Alabama for races in Chambers County and at Barber Motorsoprts Park.   

This year, drivers in advanced battery cars were not eligible for placing in this race. Here are their results: Brandon Sponsor Tim Ruman completed 34 laps in Ryno #365 car and the driver in #48 car from USF stopped racing at turn three. Our lead acid racers finish: Simmons Sponsor William Knight in the #35 car was 1st with 36 laps. Executive Board Intern Nicodemus Brothers in the old King #60 Car was 2nd with 29 laps, Brooks DeBartolo Sponsor Chris Hochman in the #55 car was 3rd with 23 laps and Mulberry Sponsor Todd Thuma in #38 car was 4th with 11 laps due to old loaner batteries.

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

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4ma8stu6vju5cey/AADCRKIfYI67NYPzIcAxmWYya?dl=0

Racing on the track at Lennard High School for the first time was a huge success. Lennard’s Team had their cars back on the track after an extended absence and took 3rd in the High School Class against some tough competition.

The track at Lennard is in great shape. It is 8 lanes wide and seal coated which made for some fast lap times and minimum tire wear. Thank you Team Sponsor Jim Reve for making sure we had a great race day and a special thank you to his wife and volunteers for doing their fundraiser that had great food and drinks for all.

In the Advanced Battery Class it was USF in their 48 car running a perfect race and setting a record of 230 laps on the 1/4 mile track over two races with the best lap time of 26.914. USF Team sold one of their cars, the 132 car, to Ryan Norden formerly of Middleton High and Duck car infamy. He did very well for his first time out in the Lithium powered car. Everything was doing well in the first race until he had a flat tire late in the race and had to withdraw. In the second race he put up an impressive 103 laps finishing second for the day with 196 laps.

In the Open Class it was Silver Bullet/Robinson Racing car 94 and Tiger Racing car 4 going at it again. Silver Bullet/Robinson had a total of 195 laps for the day with a best lap time of 32.213 and Tiger Racing had back to back 94 lap races for a total of 188 laps and a second place in the Open Class.

Jim Robinson designed cars filled the track (9 of the 10 cars). Jim must be doing something right with his designs. His personal car has a suspension integrated into the design. Something about making racing easier on his old bones.

In the High School Class it was Mulberry High School car 38 leading the pack AGAIN. They even took a 3rd in total laps in the second race with 99 laps, beating the open class cars by 3-5 laps. They finished first in the High School Class for the day with 187 laps.
Simmons car 35 had a good day taking 2nd in class with 174 laps for the day. They are working on a new car and should be highly competitive with it. Simmons cars (35 and 53) are running on some old batteries or they would be finishing higher in the standings.
Lennard had both their cars out for this one and did well with their 86 car taking 3rd with 157 laps in the High School Class with a best lap time of 31.151. Their car 78 had battery problems and did not have a good day. It was good to see them back on the track.
The team from Brooks DeBartolo High School had the events of the day in their 55 car. In the first race they did a beautiful spin out on the turn by the start finish line when the driver got the inside wheel into the sand. The car spun and then got going again all in one motion. In the second race we saw something never before seen in a local race. The driver only weighs 105lbs causing the car to require A LOT of ballast, installed and bolted down by the nose of the car, the drivers boots were getting in the way of her working the throttle. Part way thru the race we see the car pull into the grass infield on the far side of the track and we see a shoe being thrown out of the car and an infield crew member giving her another shoe. A few laps later we see the car pull into the grass in the same area and here come the shoes being thrown out of the car again and more shoes being handed to the driver. After the second pit stop for shoes the 55 car ran well for the rest of the race right up till the batteries died and they had to withdraw. Now that is real teamwork.
Brooks like most of the teams in the High School Class are battling a problem with old batteries. Batteries are the single most expensive item in these cars and at $400 + per set times two sets per car, High Schools have a hard time replacing them when needed.

As Seen In The Pits Most teams now have the proper type of battery chargers and some are loaning other teams chargers to help out. Some of the teams are switching to moped tires. They are bigger than the BMX bicycle tires most teams use but will last most of a season instead of a few races. Even saw one team give another team a Master Power Cut Off Switch so they could pass inspection and race.

Our next race is going to be at Brandon High School on April 6th. This will be our DASH EVENT. Multiple 20 minute races and a Sponsors Race. Come out and see us try to fit into these cars.

Charlie already has tentative dates for the 2019/2020 races and is working to finalize one of them at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa another one at DAYTONA SPEEDWAY and a third one at an Airfield in Ft. Myers. Stand by for more info as it becomes available.

STAND BY FOR INFO FROM CHARLIE
Our short timers, Fredi and Tom are packing for their retirement move to Indiana. PLEAS DON’T GO. Isn’t that opposite of what most people do? They are waiting till after the area thaws. We will be having a Going Away event for them as soon as we get a definite get out of town date.

In case you missed it we were on TV Channel 28, they had a short clip of the start of our race on the 11 P.M. news on Saturday night, clip is at the beginning of this write up.

Vic

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rxxgj8ernho51z5/AAAMnUR2mlPnGTPfk2JuGEPza?dl=0Sent

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