Category Archives: Uncategorized
Middleton High School December 11 2021
Our next race will be held on December 11, 2021 at Middleton High School located at 4801 North 22nd Street in Tampa Florida. This road course is a challenge for teams and cars as it has changes in track elevation along with some turns.
We will do a partial set up on Friday around 430pm and finish the set up of the scoring tower and registration area on Saturday morning at 630am.
We invite everyone to this fun filled FREE day of STEM Electrathon Racing for the entire family and friends, come out and support our high school, college and enthusiast while they compete at this race.
RED – TRACK
YELLOW – SAFETY BARRIER
BLUE – PIT AREA
GREEN – REGISTRATION/SCORING
BLACK – SCORING TOWER
Plant City High School STEM Dash Rally
On November 6th we held our Annual STEM Electrathon Dash Race at Plant City High School (PCHS). We thank PCHS Electrathon Sponsors David Kocher, Fernando Guillen, their team and Administration for hosting our races.
We arrived as the rain was coming to an end for the day but the cold breeze continued to keep it cooler than normal. While set up began and our teams arrived, we had to work around the water sprinklers that were soaking the football field and spraying the track and scoring tower.
Our annual STEM dash race allows the driver to race their car at its best performance for 20 minutes on one set of batteries (most laps wins). This time we divided up the cars by class and ran a total of seven races.
In the first race, we had four high school cars, Mulberry car 38 and Plant City cars 83, 208 and 210. The cars performed very well with only a few minor issues towards the end of the race. The receivers on our scoring tower did not do as well with the sprinklers pounding water into them before we could get it stopped. Our race lap totals were done the old way, pen and paper.
When the checkered flag dropped ending the high schools first race it was:
1st Place Mulberry car 38 with 34 laps
2nd Place was a tie between Plant City car 208 and 210 with 26 laps
4th Place Plant City car 83 with 24 laps
In the second race of the day we had four Open Class cars, Kinetic Industries cars 19 and 919, Silver Bullet car 94 and Tiger Racing car 4. The Silver Bullet car 94 and Kinetic car 919 kept the pace and tied for 1st Place.
When the checkered flag dropped ending the Open Class first race it was:
1st Place Silver Bullet car 94 and Kinetic Industries car 919 tied with 35 laps
3rd Place Tiger Racing with 32 laps
4th Place Kinetic car 19 with 27 laps
The third race of the day had four Advanced Battery Class cars, University of South Florida car 48, Pro EV car 39, Silver Bullet car 13 and Fortuna car 444. The Fortuna car had a returning driver, Lizzy Bailey from the Middleton HS team a few years ago, she shared driving with Victoria Hobbs.
Lizzy Bailey and Josh Ridout were both drivers for the Middleton HS Team until they graduated (maybe we can get Josh back in the drivers seat for a team).
The advanced cars performed well and the drivers did not push their cars on the still wet track putting safety first.
The checkered flag dropped with:
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 42 laps
2nd Place Fortuna car 444 and University of South Florida car 48 tied with 40 laps
4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 35 laps
We had our special dash race where Team Sponsors, Principals and Executive Board Members (not the regular driver) got into cars and raced for 20 minutes. Mulberry HS Sponsor Todd Thuma drove car 38, Silver Bullet Sponsor, Jim Robinson drove car 94 and Plant City HS Sponsor David Kocher drove car 210. All the cars and drivers did well. Todd did not have a fresh set of batteries as he saved the charged set for his students second race. We tried to get Todd to go faster with a bribe of a donut that would be waiting for him.
When the checkered flag dropped it was:
1st Place Plant City HS car 210 with 39 laps
2nd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 34 laps
3rd Place Mulberry car 38 with 33 laps
As the high school teams lined up for their second race of the day, the excitement filled the air as the teams were all so close on lap counts that anyone could take the gold for the race day. The drivers did well and the cars performed without major issues.
At the end of the race it was:
1st Place Mulberry car 38 with 38 laps
2nd Place Plant City car 83 with 34 laps
3rd Place Plant City car 210 with 33 laps
4th Place Plant City car 208 with 28 laps
The second race for our Open Class went well, Caleb in the Kinetic Industries car 19 found a line on the track and stayed steady the entire race.
When the checkered flag dropped it was:
1st Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 39 laps
2nd Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 36 laps (Rodney said he hit 40 mph during the race)
3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 919 with 32 laps
4th Place Kinetic Industries car 19 with 25 laps
The last race of the day found the advanced cars running on a dry track. Pro EV car 39 and University of South Florida car 48 ran strong races finishing with just one lap difference. The Pro EV car could be heard when Cliff accelerated on the straight away (awesome sound). We had to really pay attention when the Fortuna car 444 came around the track as it is so quite you would never know it was going by.
Pro EV shared the video from the 2nd race before the checkered flag dropped. He also shared the entire video for the 2nd race
When the checkered flag dropped it was:
1st Place Pro EV car 39 with 44 laps
2nd Place University of South Florida car 48 with 43 laps
3rd Place Fortuna car 444 with 29 laps
4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 12 laps (did not race the entire time as something came loose in one of the wheels)
The totals from both races were combined for the overall winners for the day.
In the High School Class it was:
Gold Metal (1st Place) Mulberry car 38 with 72 laps
Silver Metal (2nd Place) Plant City car 210 with 59 laps
Bronze Metal (3rd Place) Plant City car 83 with 58 laps
Plant City car 208 with 54 laps received an honorable mention (4th Place)
Our High School Winners
In the Open Class it was:
Gold Metal (1st Place) Silver Bullet car 94 with 74 laps
Silver Metal (2nd Place) Tiger Racing car 4 with 68 laps
Bronze Metal (3rd Place) Kinetic Industries car 919 with 67 laps
Kinetic Industries car 19 received an honorable mention (4th Place) with 52 laps
In the Advanced Battery Class it was:
Gold Metal (1st Place) Pro EV car 39 with 86 laps
Silver Metal (2nd Place) University of South Florida car 48 with 83 laps
Bronze Metal (3rd Place) Fortuna car 444 with 69 laps
Silver Bullet car 13 with 47 laps received an honorable mention (4th Place)
Our next race will be held on December 11th at Middleton High School.
STEM ELECTRATHON RALLY NOVEMBER 6, 2021
On November 6, 2021, Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida; will hold the third race of the 2021–2022 season. The host will be Plant City High School located at 1 Raider Place, Plant City, Florida. The races will be held on the football field’s track.
This race is our “DASH” STEM Electrathon Rally. Teams will drive their cars at the safest optimal performance for 20 minutes, most laps wins.
We will also have our “Sponsor/Board Members Dash Race.” Team Sponsors and Executive Board Members will drive a car (non-advanced battery) for 20 minutes.
Health and safety guidelines will continue due to COVID. Masks are expected at this Plant City High School sponsored event.
All parent consent and minor waivers must be turned in at the registration booth when you sign in. Team Sponsors cannot sign these forms for participation.
All drivers will weigh in and must have their long sleeve shirt, long pants, helmet, shoes, gloves, eye protection and required ballast for weigh in so that they are a minimum of 180lbs. Ballasts will be checked when cars line up to race.
All Advanced Battery Division teams will be required to provide a copy of the manufacturer’s specs for the weight of the batteries to comply with Electrathon America and ETO rules for advanced batteries. If a team does not have their manufacturer’s specs sheet, the batteries will need to be weighed at the race.
Car inspections will be performed at each race, roll bars, brake test, and driver exit of vehicle will be key factors this year for the safety of all drivers.
Anyone planning on driving a car in these races will be required to attend the Driver Meeting with the Race Steward for information on driving, flags and safety protocols.
Clean up and awards will follow.
Co-Founder Vic Nieves Retires from Electrathon
One of the Co-Founders of Electrathon of Tampa Bay retires from our organization but will always be part of our family. Vic Nieves is already missed at our races as he was always there to support the students, enthusiasts and our family of Electrathon of Tampa Bay. We congratulate Vic on this next chapter in life. You are always welcome at any and all of our events.
Plant City High School October 9, 2021
The second race of the 2021-2022 race season was held at Plant City High School on Saturday October 9th. We thank Plant City HS Electrathon Team Sponsors David Kocher and Fernando Guillen along with their team and Administration for hosting the race.
As the teams arrived and set up was finished, you could feel the excitement building. A loud noise came from the pit area as teams were finishing up their last minute preparation on their cars. We found out that the Pro EV Team had a tire blow while being inflated causing the boom.
The drivers met with Race Steward Mike Frederick for instructions and flag recognition.
The Kinetic Industries team had another new car ready for the track with Caleb driving. All through both races, Caleb in car 019 kept a steady pace and did not appear to have any issues. Caleb did a great job driving and Kinetic Industries team had a great showing of their new car.
Nine cars lined up to start the first race of the day. Mulberry HS had to do a last second adjustment to their GoPro.
During the first race, Kinetic Industries car 919 blew a front tire and had to pit. Mulberry HS car 38 changed drivers at the half hour mark giving more students an opportunity to drive. Ten minutes left in the race, Pro EV car 039 spun out in turn three and faced all the cars heading into turn three.
When the checkered flag dropped ending the first race it was:
High School
1st Place Plant City car 210 with 91 laps
2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 85 laps
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 53 laps
Open
1st Place Titan car 242 with 87 laps
2nd Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 79 laps
3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 019 with 77 laps
4th Place Kinetic Industries car 919 with 42 laps
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV car 039 with 95 laps
2nd Place Fortuna car 444 with 44 laps
The University of South Florida team arrived with car 48 after the first race and got their new drivers to run a few practice laps before the second race lined up.
There were ten cars lined up for the second race. Just before the green flagged dropped, Kinetic Industries car 919 had to leave the line up due to a controller issue.
During the second race Mulberry car 38 had a chain issue in turn two. On lap 38 Pro EV car 039 blew the front tire on the straight away heading to turn one, got it changed and back into the race. Mulberry car 38 blew the right front tire, changed it and got back into the race. Kinetic Industries car 919 came out and had the chain come off in turn three, rough day for their team. They were able to get that resolved and got into the race for the last seven and a half minutes. Mulberry car 38 had to pit as their steering came loose for no reason at all. Todd and his crew fixed it and back into the race they went. The Titan team had battery issues causing them to stay to the inside while others passed them giving Tiger Racing a chance to catch up on overall laps. Just before the checkered flag dropped, Pro EV car 039 and Mulberry car 38 blew tires, both teams were able to make it around the track to complete their final lap.
At the end of the second race it was:
High School
1st Place Plant City car 210 with 64 laps
2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 60 laps
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 52 laps
Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 85 laps
2nd Place Titan car 242 with 72 laps
3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 019 with 69 laps
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV car 039 with 84 laps
2nd Place University of South Florida car 48 with 47 laps
3rd Place Fortuna car 444 with 35 laps
The total from both races were combined to determine the winners overall in each class.
High School
1st Place Plant City car 210 with 155 laps and a best lap of 33.352 for the day
2nd Place Mulberry car 38 with 145 laps and a best lap of 35.136 for the day
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 105 laps and a best lap of 38.842 for the day
Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 164 laps and a best lap of 38.093 for the day
2nd Place Titan car 242 with 159 laps and a best lap of 38.476 for the day
3rd Place Kinetic Industries car 019 with 146 laps and a best lap of 40.724
4th Place Kinetic Industries car 919 with 42 laps and a best lap of 34.882 for the day
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV car 039 with 179 laps and a best lap of 31.061
2nd Place Fortuna car 444 with 79 laps and a best lap of 37.310 for the day
3rd Place University of South Florida Car 48 with 47 laps and a best lap of 35.721 for the day
Our next race will be held on November 6, 2021 on the track at Plant City High School. This race is our anual DASH RACE. All races will only be 20 minutes at the safest rate of speed for optimal performance of their car.
October 9, 2021 Plant City High School
On October 9, 2021, Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida; will hold the second race of the 2021 – 2022 season. The host will be Plant City High School located at 1 Raider Place, Plant City, Florida.
Health and safety guidelines will continue due to COVID. Masks are expected at this Plant City High School sponsored event.
Set up will begin on Friday around 530 p.m. so that safety barriers are in place for the track and course design completed. Final set up of the scoring system and registration area will start at 630 a.m. on Saturday morning.
All parent consent and minor waivers must be turned in at the registration booth when you sign in. Team Sponsors cannot sign these forms for participation.
All drivers will weigh in and must have their long sleeve shirt, long pants, helmet, shoes, gloves, eye protection and required ballast for weigh in so that they are a minimum of 180lbs. Ballasts will be checked when cars line up to race.
All Advanced Battery Division teams will be required to show manufacturer’s specs for the weight of the batteries to comply with Electrathon America and ETO rules for advanced batteries. If a team does not have their manufacturer’s specs sheet, the batteries will need to be weighed at the race.
Car inspections will be performed at each race, roll bars, brake test, and driver exit of vehicle will be key factors this year for the safety of all drivers.
Only team driver’ will be required to attend the Driver Meeting with the Race Steward for information on driving, flags and safety protocols.
The first race lineup is 9:45 A.M. and the green flag will drop to start the race at 10:00 A.M.
The second race lineup is 12:45 P.M. and the green flag will drop to start the race at 1:00 P.M.
Clean up and awards will follow.
Red – Track
Blue – Pits
Green – Registration
1st Race of the Season Hillsborough Community College
Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida held the first STEM Event of the 2021-2022 Race Season on September 11, 2021 at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Brandon Florida.
We thank Hillsborough Community College Administration and Electrathon Team for hosting our first race of the season, without you, we would not have had a great day of STEM competition.
When we arrived it was a fresh but overcast Florida morning filled with excitement and anticipation as this was the first race of the season.
Signs were posted at the registration area reminding everyone of the social distancing and mask guidelines.
Teams arrived and got to work on their final adjustments to their cars.
A total of eleven cars registered for our first race of the season. We missed our teams from Simmons, Brooks DeBartolo, Middleton, Lennard, Brandon, Parrish, Palm Bay, USF, Seminole State, Electrocutioners, Archer, and I will Mentorship. We hope to see you at our upcoming races.
We welcome our new team to the Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida family, Kinetic Industries, Kevin and Amanda.
To honor and remember the individuals of 9/11 we had a moment of silence and sang the National Anthem with the American Flag at half staff before our first race.
In the first race there was a lot of exciting things to keep you watching. Our new team Kinetic Industries car 919 blew multiple tires but Kevin kept his car under control, changed tires and got back into the race.
Tiger Racing and Mulberry bumped each other in turn three and both drivers recovered and continued racing. Mulberry blew a tire and got their replacement tire on in lightening speed. Pro EV and Mulberry bumped in turn one. Plant City car 83 blew a tire and had to hit the pits to get it replaced. Mulberry spun out in turn one and was pointing in the wrong direction, the driver got on the throttle and turned it around and back to racing. Mulberry’s rear tire was rubbing the frame and did not look like a tire at the end of the first race.
At the end of the first race it was
High School Class
1st Place Plant City 210 with 102 laps and best lap time of 30.200
2nd Place Mulberry 38 with 72 laps and best lap of 31.109.
3rd Place Plant City 83 with 32 laps and best lap of 32.125.
Open Class
1st Place Tiger 4 with 102 laps and best lap of 30.024.
2nd Place Silver Bullet 94 with 94 laps and best lap of 32.329.
3rd Place Titans 242 with 74 laps and best lap of 37.728.
4th Place HCC 30 with 58 laps and best lap of 43.882.
5th Place Kinetic Industries 919 with 35 laps and best lap of 32.716. Great best lap for a first time car and driver.
Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 118 laps and best lap of 26.010. This lap time was the best for the entire race day.
2nd Place Fortuna 444 with 83 laps and best lap of 30.965.
3rd Place Silver Bullet 13 with 76 laps and best lap of 35.115.
As the teams lined up for the second race, you could tell the drivers were having fun at this STEM Electrathon Event.
In the second race the teams continued with the excitement. Kinetic car 919 had his chain come off, Mulberry had a tire issue, Plant City car 83 came around turn four on two wheels and the driver recovered and kept on racing.
HCC Team had to pit for a chain issue, and Pro EV and Plant City 83 bumped each other. Pro EV spun out in turn one and had to take care of a small repair and back into the race he went.
At the end of the second race it was
High School
1st Place Plant City 210 with 97 laps and best lap of 29.707.
2nd Place Mulberry 38 with 62 laps and best lap of 34.637.
3rd Place Plant City 83 with 50 laps and best lap of 33.447.
Open Class
1st Place Tiger 4 with 101 laps and best lap of 31.817.
2nd Place Titans 242 with 99 laps and best lap of 33.086.
3rd Place Silver Bullet 94 with 80 laps and best lap of 32.545.
4th Place HCC 30 with 39 laps and best lap of 41.540.
5th Place Kinetic 919 with 17 laps and best lap of 34.021.
Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 98 laps and best lap of 27.494.
2nd Place Fortuna 444 with 89 laps and best lap of 30.539.
3rd Place Silver Bullet 13 with 80 laps and best lap of 32.346.
The overall totals for the race day were calculated and awards were presented to:
High School
1st Place Plant City 210 with 199 laps
2nd Place Mulberry 38 with 134 laps
3rd Place Plant City 83 with 82 laps
Open Class
1st Place Tiger Racing 4 with 203 Laps
2nd Place Silver Bullet 94 with 174 laps
3rd Place Titans 242 with 173 laps
4th Place HCC 30 with 97 laps
5th Place Kinetic 919 with 52 laps
Advanced Class
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 216 laps
2nd Place Fortuna 444 with 172 laps
3rd Place Silver Bullet 13 with 156 laps
Please join us for our next race at Plant City High School on October 9, 2021.
September 11, 2021 Hillsborough Community College STEM Electrathon Rally
On September 11, 2021, Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Electrathon of Florida; will hold the first race of the 2021 – 2022 season. The host will be Hillsborough Community College located at 10451 Nancy Watkins Drive, Tampa, Florida 33619.
Health and safety guidelines will continue this year due to COVID. Masks are expected at this HCC Race Event to meet campus guidelines.
Set up will begin on Friday around 530 p.m. so that safety barriers are in place for the track and course design completed. Final set up of the scoring system and registration area will start at 630 a.m. on Saturday morning.
All parent consent and minor waivers must be turned in at the registration booth when you sign in. Team Sponsors cannot sign these forms for participation.
All drivers will weigh in and must have their long sleeve shirt, long pants, helmet, shoes, gloves, eye protection and required ballast for weigh in so that they are a minimum of 180lbs. Ballasts will be checked when cars line up to race.
All Advanced Battery Division teams will be required to show manufacturer’s specs for the weight of the batteries to comply with Electrathon America and ETO rules for advanced batteries. If a team does not have their manufacturer’s specs sheet, the batteries will need to be weighed at the race.
Car inspections will be performed at each race, roll bars, brake test, and driver exit of vehicle will be key factors this year for the safety of all drivers.
Only team driver’ will be required to attend the Driver Meeting with the Race Steward for information on driving, flags and safety protocols.
The first race lineup is 9:45 A.M. and the green flag will drop to start the race and race season at 10:00 A.M.
The second race lineup is 12:45 P.M. and the green flag will drop to start the race at 1:00 P.M.
Clean up and awards will follow. Hope everyone has their cars ready to go and remember to do all of your safety checks and be knowledgeable and understand the Electrathon America Rules and Guidelines for the car, driver(s) and teams.Yellow – Barrier, Green – Pits, Red – Course, Black – Scoring Tower
Buckingham Field STEM Electrathon Rally July 25, 2021
On Sunday, July 25th teams were ready for the final race day at Buckingham Field. Today’s race day consisted of two, one hour races. The course was changed and included a center insert which made the course approximately 1.4 miles long.
We thank the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Explorers for their support and assistance again this year. The LCSO provided Explorers all three days for our event, they were an asset at the entry gate directing those arriving to their designated areas. The Explorers were fantastic with the tear down of the venue at the end of the third day.
As teams lined up for the green flag we had to change the classes as we obtained advanced team Pro EV car 39 and lost open team Tiger car 4 (due to his pit malfunction on Saturday). This gave us two cars in high school, one in open (Archer 321) and three in advanced. Our open car had to run in the advanced class for the day giving us four in the advanced class.
As the green flag dropped and cars took off, you could tell the teams were going to push their cars to optimal performance. Pro EV provided us with video of their last lap in race 1, Thank you Cliff and James.
Fortuna car experienced a transponder issue believed to be heat or battery related causing three laps not to register.
When the checkered flag dropped it was:
High School
1st Place Mulberry 38 with 16 laps and best lap of 214.557
2nd Place Mulberry 242 with 12 laps and best lap of 178.624
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 24 laps and best lap of 140.515
2nd Place Archer 321 (open car) with 21 laps and best lap of 168.151
3rd Place Archer 0 with 19 laps and best lap of 165.568
4th Place Fortuna 444 with 18 laps and best lap of 168.748
Between races teams made some adjustments to their cars, charged batteries and drank fluids to stay hydrated.
The last race of the three day rally brought challenges to some teams. Fortuna 444 was not able to race due to battery issues. When asked about it at the end of the race, Mike was speechless. Archer 0 broke a sprocket. The Mulberry 242 returned to the pits after the race with a blown front tire and another showing its threads. Pro EV 39 blew a tire and caused them to spin out, thank you for the video from the race.
At the end of the second race , it was:
High School
1st Place Mulberry 38 with 17 laps and best lap of 172.918
2nd Place Mulberry 242 with13 laps and best lap of 221.889
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 20 laps and best lap of 144.772
2nd Place Archer 321 with 19 laps and best lap of 163.745
3rd Place Archer 0 with 16 laps and best lap of 158.552
The overall totals for the race day were calculated and awards were presented to:
High School
1st Place Mulberry 38 with 33 laps received $50 and a trophy
2nd Place Mulberry 242 with 13 laps received a Bosch charger and a trophy
Advanced
1st Place Pro EV 39 with 44 laps received $100 and a trophy
2nd Place Archer 321 with 40 laps received a Bosch charger and a trophy
3rd Place Archer 0 with 35 laps received two Bosch baseball caps and a trophy
4th Place Fortuna 444 with 18 laps received two Bosch baseball Caps
We presented Lee County Parks and Recreation a trophy of appreciation for their continued STEM Electrathon Racing support.
We thank all of the teams, parents, spectators that came out to our first three day event in Lee County,