Category Archives: Uncategorized

Welcome 2024-2025 Electrathon Season

We welcome the 2024-2025 Electrathon Season.

*Our race schedule for the season has been posted on our Websites and Facebook pages for a few months now.

Electrathon of Tampa Bay (Electrathon events we host)
https://electrathonoftampabay.org/www/

Electrathon of Florida (Electrathon events in Florida)
https://electrathonofflorida.org/

We have two Electrathon of Tampa Bay Facebook Pages

The one that has the Electrathon of Tampa Bay’s blue and white banner photo:
Members can post and ask questions for others to provide feedback

The one that has a group picture from a USF Race:
ETO admin manages contents and posts

*Our Executive Board had their pre-season meeting in July.

*On August 14th our inspection team and race steward will have their meeting to get ready for the upcoming season. More info from Ryan, after their meeting.

*Electrathon America has held a few meetings this summer and will be implementing some new and clarifying some current rules/guidelines.

For Electrathon America’s Handbook, member/car number renewal, etc.
Their website is
https://www.electrathonamerica.org/

*On August 24, 2024, we will have our all teams meeting and workday/car inspections/practice laps at Middleton HS 8am to 2??.
Please let Trish know if you are attending (for lunch count) in person or calling in for the meeting. Meeting will start around 1130am during lunch.

*All Teams with participants under 18 years of age will need parent/minor waiver forms completed and turned in (form covers entire season) before minor can participate. (turn in at registration booth on race day) Forms attached

*Team Sponsors are responsible for getting their minors press releases for social media. Sponsor will sign the registration book at each race for ETO verification that they have media releases for the minors attending event. If a minor cannot have their picture and/or name on social media, the sponsor must let us know in advance.

*Team cars should be race ready prior to race day so that an inspection can be done in an orderly/timely fashion. The race day should not be the only time that the car is worked on. No car/driver will be permitted on the track until their car has passed inspection.

Thanks
Charlie

August 24, 2024, Workday/Inspections/Test Runs Middleton HS

On Saturday August 24, 2024, we will conduct an ALL-TEAMS workday/car inspections/test runs and ALL-TEAMS Board Meeting at Middleton High School, located at 4801 N. 22nd Stret, Tamps FL 33610. We will get things going around 8am, Board Meeting will be around noon. We will be discussing the changes that Electrathon America has made to their Handbook (unknown when they will implement and publish). Hope to see everyone there, if you cannot make it and want to phone in for the meeting, contact Trish so she knows who wants to phone in for the meeting.

End of Year Banquet/Awards May 11, 2024

The 2023-2024 race seasons ended with the dinner and awards/recognition banquet. On Saturday, May 11th, Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida took over the American Legion Post 4 dining area with the help of ETO Co-Founder Mike Frederick. We thank The American Legion Post 4 for everything they did in making our banquet a success again this year. Their support for our organization has continued every year for quite some time, from mounting the brackets in our trailer for the scoring tower to preparing and serving the dinner for all of those that attended the banquet. We had a salad, steak, grilled shrimp, baked potatoes, green beans, and let’s not forget the cupcakes loaded with icing and a great atmosphere. Mike Frederick, aka race steward/co-founder and final say on ruling for inspections and track activity was awarded a special thank you gift for arranging our banquet. We thank everyone (especially the parents and sponsors) that supports the students/our organization each year, without their support; we may not be as successful as we are.

Electrathon is growing in the State of Florida; we have assisted Florida State College with two of their events/races to attract interest in a northeast region of Florida. We hope that a northeast Florida organization develops in the future. Watch our websites for updates as they come available.

We recognized our graduating high school seniors and told them that we hope to continue seeing them on a college team, an enthusiast, a guest, better yet, a volunteer at the races.

The high school student of the year from each high school is selected by the team sponsor. To qualify, a high school must be active in our organization for 50% + of the race season for this award to be given.

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation – David Kocher
Student of the Year – Santiago Zapata
Santiago Zapata is a great addition to the team this year as he has really stepped up and has taken on a lot of responsibilities that I (sponsor) previously handled. Middleton High School – William Knight
Student of the Year – Joshua Joseph
Middleton’s Racing Tigers outstanding student is the strong silent type. He is the epitome of dependability, a constant presence in our garage. He is committed to excellence, and it shows through his questioning other teams about their techniques and his practicing his driving skills weekly. He approaches every project with determination and wants to deliver nothing but his best. His relentless work ethic stems from an innate desire to succeed, propelling him to push the boundaries of his abilities in pursuit of victory. In both the garage and on the track, Joshua Joseph’s unwavering dedication shines through, making him a true asset to Middleton’s Racing Tigers. Mulberry High School – Todd Thuma
Student of the Year – Aiden Johnson
Aidan joined the Electrathon team last year and has made significant progress and contributions to the team. He has stepped up and learned various aspects of engineering related to automotive and racing. He volunteers with a formula 5 team. He researches many aspects of racing including rack and pinion, regenerative braking, and alternative motors for our humble style of racing. He has demonstrated leadership and mastery of new skills. For example, Aidan has learned to respoke and true our wheels. For all of these reasons, Aidan Johnson is my choice this year for Mulberry Electrathon Student of the Year. Plant City High School – David Kocher
Student of the Year – Dylan Mitchell
Dylan Mitchell is the student of the year for PCHS. I am very pleased that he has stuck with it despite having no support from the school. Dylan’s family (support) has been a great help to Dylan and our team, without them I may have sidelined the PCHS team to focus on KRAI. Past team member Torie Hobbs from Simmons and Middletons Ryan Norden has challenged each other. It’s going to take a few years for their kids to compete against one another, but we believe it’s going to be worth the wait. We were not able to show one of the competitors as their arrival is a few weeks away. Let the competition begin! Middleton High School was awarded the Best Pit/Equipment Trailer this year. It is 100% self-contained with solar energy to run everything from lights to charging the batteries for all three of the team cars. Supporter of the Year – Dawn Swanson accepted by daughter Ambur
Dawn started helping years ago when her daughter was on a race team. Dawn continues to be at the races, helps set up, works the registration area and helps wherever she is needed. Parent of the Year – Renee Dunham (Mulberry HS Parent)
Renee assists the Mulberry HS team at the races, anywhere from the purchase of items for the team cars, bringing or purchasing lunch for the entire team, etc. She has started helping at the registration area and at an out of area race, the food truck did not show up and she went and contributed and picked up the pizza for all the teams. Volunteer of the Year – Mike Ralph
Mike does not want to be thanked for what he does, but we had to let folks know and recognizing him, this way was the best way. Mike comes to every race, helps with track set up, the scoring tower, goes around with a blower or broom so that the track is safe for drivers, does car inspections (and at times doesn’t make folks happy as he is one that likes to go by the Electrathon America Handbook rules), serves as race steward, assists teams that break down, then makes sure everything is accounted for when the race day ends. Without Mike, Charlie’s race day would not be a good one as Charlie depends on Mike because he is always there for the organization, students and participants. College Sponsor of the Year – Robert Wechsler
Florida State College Jacksonville has the best sponsor. Robert makes sure that his team car makes it to the races. We are talking about a drive to and from Jacksonville so that his students can compete. He is a true leader. The award had a little twist (zip ties) as the team car had a battery issue at one of the races and zip ties were not the solution. Robert is also working with others in the Jacksonville area to possibly get their region up and running with a race circuit. We are here for you Robert and appreciate all you are doing. Charlie gave appreciation items to those that share the registration/scoring canopy with him. It does get stressful and challenging during the race day but without them, it would be difficult to get done what has to be done.
Thank You Dawn Swanson accepted by daughter Ambur Thank You Trish Ralph you are amazing and appreciated This year our open and advanced class participants were down. We spoke with teams the first part of the season and changed their season points to overall laps during the race season. When we reviewed everything at the end of the season, it was a better way to make it competitive for those attending. Award for 1st place only

Advanced Class – Season Lap (top three)
1st Place Middleton HS car 27 – 472 season laps 2nd Place Pro EV car 39 – 463 season laps
3rd Place University of South Florida car 48 – 429 season laps

Open Class – Season Lap (top three)
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 – 1301 season laps 2nd Place Florida State College (Jacksonville) car 904 – 706 season laps
3rd Place Silver Bullet car 94 – 341 season laps

The high school teams competed for season points per race. (top 3 awarded trophies, top 5 listed)
1st Place Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation car 555 – 380 season points 2nd Place Mulberry car 100 – 208 season points 3rd Place Plant City car 83 – 204 season points 4th Place Mulberry car 38 – 187 season points
5th Place Middleton car 80 – 169 season points

We will have a all teams workday at Middleton HS on August 24th from 8am to 2pm

Our first race of the season will be at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation on September 14th.

Last Race of the Season May 11, 2024, Mulberry High School

We held our last STEM Electrathon Event for the 2023-2024 race seasons at Mulberry High School on Saturday, May 11th.

We thank Mulberry HS Sponsor Todd Thuma, his team and MHS Administration for hosting our event.

We welcome back the Lyman High School Team. The pit area was full of energy as teams got ready for the last race of the season. We attached our normal receiver strand for scoring to the suspension tower that Ken Fiallos designed/built to test its ability during a normal race day. (It performed well) The teams met with our Race Officials for instructions, flag identification and safety protocols. The track opened for 30 minutes so that drivers could run practice laps.

The teams lined up for the first race, USF car 132 had a last-minute issue and did not make lineup. Silver Bullet car 94 had a rear wheel issue and started later. Tiger racing car 4 got in the lineup and their rear tire lost its bead sending them to the pits. The green flag dropped and off they went. During the race S & J Racing had a few issues come up that sent them into the pits and then back to racing they went.

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

High School
1st Place Lyman car 12 with 91 laps
2nd Place Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation car 555 with 90 laps
3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 88 laps
4th Place Plant City car 210 with 81 laps
5th Place Middleton car 133 with 79 laps
6th Place Mulberry car 38 with 71 laps
7th Place Mulberry car 100 with 65 laps
8th Place Middleton car 80 with 63 laps

Open
1st Place Florida State College (Jacksonville) car 904 with 89 laps
2nd Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 73 laps
3rd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 22 laps

Advanced
1st Place Middleton HS car 27 with 91 laps
2nd Place University of South Florida car 48 with 88 laps
3rd Place S & J Racing car 128 with 66 laps
4th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 44 laps

Between races, the teams worked on their cars, ate some lunch and shopped the parts that were on display and for sale.

Teams lined up for the second race, all 16 cars were ready. The green flag dropped, and the teams found their line on the track. The race went well and was fun to watch.

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

High School
1st Place Kirkland Ranch car 555 with 96 laps
2nd Place Lyman car 12 with 93 laps
3rd Place Middleton car 80 with 90 laps
4th Place Plant City car 210 with 87 laps
5th Place Mulberry car 38 with 86 laps
6th Place Plant City car 83 with 84 laps
7th Place Middleton car 133 with 74 laps
8th Place Mulberry car 100 with 60 laps

Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 99 laps
2nd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 93 laps
3rd Place Florida State College (Jacksonville) car 904 with 87 laps

Advanced
1st Place Middleton HS car 27 with 97 laps (fastest track lap of day 29.819)
2nd Place University of South Florida car 132 with 92 laps
3rd Place University of South Florida car 48 with 52 laps
4th Place S & J Racing car 128 with 52 laps
5th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 19 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 Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation car 555 with 186 laps 2nd Place Lyman car 12 with 184 laps 3rd Place Plant City car 83 with 172 laps 4th Place Plant City car 210 with 168 laps 5th Place Mulberry car 38 with 157 laps 6th Place Middleton car 133 with 153 laps 7th Place Middleton car 80 with 153 laps 8th Place Mulberry car 100 with 125 laps Open
1st Place Florida State College (Jacksonville) car 904 with 176 laps 2nd Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 172 laps 3rd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 115 laps Advanced
1st Place Middleton HS car 27 with 188 laps 2nd Place University of South Florida car 48 with 140 laps 3rd Place S & J Racing car 128 with 118 laps 4th Place University of South Florida car 132 with 92 laps 5th Place Silver Bullet car 13 with 63 laps We had a great race season, thank you for supporting the teams and organization.

April 27, 2024 Engineering Expo Florida State College in Jacksonville

We assisted Florida State College in Jacksonville (FSCJ) with an Electrathon Race during their Engineering Expo and Car Show on April 27th.

Thank You, Florida State College at Jacksonville Culinary Arts Program for selling homemade baked goods for breakfast and burgers/hot dogs for lunch. The apple/cinnamon and the raisin/nut muffins were delicious.

The teams arrived and got their cars inspected.

We welcome new teams from:
West Florida HS (Pensacola FL) Jaguars car 25 Navarre HS (Navarre FL) Shock and Awe cars 15 and 155 Nease HS (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) Lightening car 550 Pensacola FL HS car 850 St Paul’s HS (Louisiana/Advanced) car 300 The drivers meeting with the teams went well. They were informed of track conditions and race guidelines. We had 11 cars line up for the first race of the day. The green flag was dropped by FSCJ Dr Sheri Litt and her grandson (Jay), starting the one-hour competition. Pensacola car 850 had a rough start as something happened, making the front of the car scrap the track. They went into the pits and were determined to get it corrected. Great teamwork got the car back to racing.

Nease HS car 550 had challenges with their car during the first race but with no luck, it just continued to have a new challenge appear which shortened their race day.

University of Central Florida car 741 was running well until their weld broke on a front wheel assembly, ending their race day.

Electrathon Parts car 654 rear ended St Paul’s car 300, making a good size dent in the back of car 300. Both drivers did well and remained in control of their cars.

When the checkered flag dropped it was:
High School
1st Place Navarre car 15 with 51 laps (race time of 1.00.25)
2nd Place Navarre car 155 with 51 laps (race time of 1.00.41)
3rd Place West Florida car 25 with 43 laps
4th Place Augusta Prep car 1324 with 42 laps
5th Place Pensacola car 850 with 21 laps
6th Place Nease car 550 with 14 laps

Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 62 laps (race time of 1.00.34)
2nd Place Electrathon Parts car 654 with 62 laps (race time od 1.00.39)
3rd Place Florida State College Jacksonville (FSCJ) car 904 with 48 laps

Advanced
1st Place St Paul’s HS car 300 with 56 laps
2nd Place S & J car 128 with 39 laps
3rd Place University of Central Florida car 741 with 10 laps

Between races teams worked on their cars and allowed those attending the Expo to check out the cars and answer questions.

We had 10 cars line up for the second race. The green flag dropped and off they went. Drivers seemed ready to step up the pace to challenge one another.

St Paul’s HS car 300 (lithium) ran an excellent race even after being side swiped by Navarre car 155 in a turn and then the next lap, same turn, Tiger Racing side swiped them. The car/team from St Paul’s is a team to watch at races.

Electrathon Parts car 654 and Tiger Racing car 4 did not let up the pressure on each other making the last few laps the deciding factor for overall winner.

Navarre HS cars 15 and 155 were fun to watch as this race would decide the overall winner in their class (tied in laps the first race). This is another team to watch at future races.

West Florida HS Jaguars car 25 stepped up their pace and completed 13 more laps than their first race.

When the checkered flag dropped it was: High School
1st Place Navarre car 15 with 59 laps
2nd Place Navarre car 155 with 58 laps
3rd Place West Florida car 25 with 56 laps
4th Place Pensacola car 850 with 29 laps
5th Place Augusta Prep car 1324 with 4 laps

Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 63 laps
2nd Place Electrathon Parts car 654 with 61 laps
3rd Place FSCJ car 904 with 51 laps

Advanced
1st Place St Paul’s car 300 with 53 laps
2nd Place S & J car 128 with 42 laps

We thank Nabil Jabberi (automotive student FSCJ) for the additional action filled pictures.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Qtxwt5jUTN3BhquqTgr9g1XuTsfapzmD

We add the laps from each race to get our overall race results for the day.
High School
1st Place Navarre (Shock and Awe) car 15 with 110 laps 2nd Place Navarre (Shock and Awe) car 155 with 109 laps 3rd West Florida Jaguars car 25 with 99 laps 4th Place Pensacola car 850 with 50 laps 5th Place Augusta Prep car 1324 with 46 laps 6th Place Nease Lightening car 550 with 14 laps
Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 125 laps 2nd Place Electrathon Parts car 654 with 123 laps 3rd Place Florida State College at Jacksonville car 904 with 99 laps Advanced
1st Place St Paul’s car 300 with 109 laps 2nd Place S & J Racing car 128 with 81 laps 3rd Place University of Central Florida car 741 with 10 laps

The fastest lap for this track is:
High School – West Florida HS Jaguars car 25 with a 52.215 lap
Open – Tiger Racing car 4 with a 48.767 lap
Advanced – S & J Racing car 128 with a 51.461 lap

The next STEM Electrathon Event will be held on Saturday May 11th at Mulberry High School followed by Electrathon of Tampa Bay/Florida annual banquet at American Legion Post 4.

May 11, 2024, Last Race of the Season

Our last STEM Electrathon Event for 2023-2024 Season will be held on Saturday, May 11th at Mulberry High School. The address is 1 Panther Place, Mulberry Florida 33860.

The awards for this race will be presented at the End of the Year Banquet.

End of Year Banquet will be held at our Race Stewards (Mike Frederick) American Legion Post 4, 1375 Ariana Street, Lakeland Florida 33803. Arrive at the banquet after the race, 3pmto 330pm, dinner will be served, and awards will start no later than 4pm.

Red Track
Orange Cones
Black Tower
Green Scoring/Registration
Purple Guest/visitor parking
Pink Overflow for team parking

Thanks

Energy Whiz at UCF/Florida Solar Energy Center

We held our STEM Electrathon Event at the University of Central Florida in conjunction with Energy Whiz on April 20, 2024.

We thank the Florida Solar Energy Center and University of Central Florida for their support.

The teams arrived, registered and got their cars inspected by ETO volunteer Mike Ralph.

We missed our Middleton HS team and Pro EV.

We welcome new teams from University of Central Florida Indiantown High School, Trailblazers Lyman High School We had teams arrive with their new second car, Palm Bay Magnet High School University of South Florida We had a great driver meeting with the teams informing them of track conditions and race guidelines.

We had 15 cars line up for the first race of the day. When the green flag dropped, the teams started their one-hour competition.

The first race of the day did not go well for our new team from the University of Central Florida as their car had issues that ended their race day.

Mulberry HS car 38 had challenges with their rear wheel.

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation had their battery come loose and slide onto the track.

When the checkered flag dropped it was:
High School
1st Place Plant City car 210 with 61 laps
2nd Place Palm Bay car 101 with 58 laps
3rd Place Lyman car 12 with 55 laps
4th Place Plant City car 83 with 46 laps
5th Place Kirkland car 555 with 45 laps
6th Place Trailblazers car 901 with 29 laps
7th Place Mulberry car 100 with 25 laps
8th Place Palm Bay car 102 with 22 laps
9th Place Mulberry car 38 with 4 laps

Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 67 laps
2nd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 64 laps
3rd Place Florida State College Jacksonville (FSCJ) car 904 with 44 laps

Advanced
1st Place University of South Florida (USF) car 132 with 59 laps
2nd Place USF car 48 with 27 laps

Between races teams worked on their cars and allowed those attending the Energy Whiz to check out the cars and ask any questions about the program or cars. We thank Florida Power and Light for providing lunch for everyone.

We had 14 cars line up for the second race. The green flag dropped and off they went. Drivers seemed ready to step up the pace and challenge one another.

When the checkered flag dropped it was:
High School
1st Place Kirkland Ranch car 555 with 62 laps
2nd Place Lyman car 12 with 58 laps
3rd Place Trailblazers car 901 with 46 laps
4th Place Mulberry car 38 with 40 laps
5th Place Palm Bay car 101 with 31 laps
6th Place Palm Bay car 102 with 26 laps
7th Place Plant City car 83 with 21 laps
8th Place Mulberry car 100 with 9 laps
9th Place Plant City car 210 with 7 laps

Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 65 laps
2nd Place FSCJ car 904 with 55 laps
3rd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 20 laps

Advanced
1st Place USF car 48 with 31 laps
2nd Place USF car 132 with 13 laps

We add the laps from each race to get our overall race results for the day.

High School
1st Place Lyman car 12 with 113 laps 2nd Place Kirkland Ranch car 555 with 107 laps 3rd Palm Bay car 101 with 89 laps 4th Place Trailblazers car 901 with 75 laps 5th Place Plant City car 210 with 68 laps 6th Place Plant City car 83 with 67 laps 7th Place Palm Bay car 102 with 48 laps 8th Place Mulberry car 38 with 44 laps 9th Place Mulberry car 100 with 34 laps Open
1st Place Tiger Racing car 4 with 132 laps 2nd Place Florida State College at Jacksonville car 904 with 99 laps 3rd Place Silver Bullet car 94 with 84 laps Advanced
1st Place USF car 132 with 72 laps 2nd Place USF car 48 with 52 laps Our next STEM Electrathon Event will be held on Saturday, May 11th at Mulberry High School followed, by our annual banquet at American Legion Post 4.
ALSO
April 27, 2024, Florida State College Jacksonville Race, be sure to sign up, see our website or Facebook for detail.

May 11, 2024 End of Year Awards Banquet

END OF YEAR BANQUET

Once again our Co-Founder/Race Steward, Mike Frederick has got us our end of the year awards banquet at the American Legion Post 4 (1375 Ariana St, Lakeland, FL 33803).

The banquet will be held right after our May 11, 2024 race at Mulberry High School.

The meal will consist of a steak, shrimp with sides and dessert. Each person will be responsible for their own drink(s).

Attendees must RSVP and pay a $10.00 refundable (at banquet) deposit. RSVP and deposit must be received by April 20, 2024. To RSVP contact Trish at 813 763 2046.

NO RSVP OR MONEY ACCEPTED AFTER APRIL 20, 2024.

Florida State College Jacksonville April 27, 2024

We will be assisting Florida State College in Jacksonville with their second race this year. Anyone under 18 years of age must provide a parent consent, release and waiver of liability, assumption of risk, and indemnity agreement/minor’s assumption of risk and release and waiver of liability form to participate. (Electrathon of America Form)

Anyone under 18 years of age must have on file at their educational provider a media release allowing their picture to be on websites/social media. If a person Under 18 cannot have their photo or name on website or social media, Event Sponsors must be made aware to prevent postings.

Race Day Schedule2023 2024 Race Day Schedule

ENERGY WHIZ APRIL 20, 2024

Our next STEM Electrathon Event will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in conjunction with Energy Whiz at Florida Solar Energy Center, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa FL 32922. You can go to their website for more information about Energy Whiz, copy and paste this link in your browser. www.energywhiz.com

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.

At 930 am, April 20, 2024, the opening ceremony for Energy Whiz will take place. We ask all our teams, board and guests to attend the opening ceremony.
Red Course
Blue Pits
Orange Cones
Black Metal Rail
Yellow Tape
Green Scoring/Registration
Pink Circle Overflow Parking

Race Day Schedule2023 2024 Race Day Schedule