Electrathon - A Different Kind of "Hotrod"

I use EMT conduit and weld it with a wire-feed welder using flux core wire. I use 3/4" conduit for the roll cage and the main tube of the front axle. The rest is 1/2" conduit. The main side rails are triangulated for strength and rigidity. The body sides are .025" aluminum "kick panel" normally used in screened porch installations and the tops of the nose and tail are made from .060" polycarbonate plastic (Lexan). I cut them to fit and rivet in place, so they become structural members and add to the overall strength of the "tub".

EMT conduit is, of course, just mild steel thin wall tubing that has been zinc coated. It welds best with flux core wire. I have used regular MIG on some of it in the past and the zinc splatters and interrupts the arc. The flux core wire welds more consistently because the spattering zinc doesn't affect the arc.

I have built 18 cars since 2004. A couple of them have taken violent flips and the roll cages have held up fine. Both of those cars, after some repairs to other components, are still competing.

I thought I remembered the EMT conduit, but I wasn't sure about welding it with any strength. Sounds like you've proven it to be good for the service, and using the flux core wire to offset the zinc is a good idea! I welded a bunch of rigid conduit that was galvanized, making deck railing sections, and didn't consider flux core. I do remember the fumes giving me mild flu-like symptoms for a half day or more....

Here is a series of pics showing one of the cars I built that took a nasty flip. I originally built this car to order for the Electrical Engineering group at the University of South Florida (Tampa) [Pic 1]. The car was an instant winner.:3dSMILE::cool:

Then they let an inexperienced person drive it in a "celebrity and sponsors" race. When the idiot ran into a turn at full throttle, the car "bicycled" up on two wheels, hooked the chain link fence, did an end-over-end somersault, landed on the roll cage, and then flipped side-over-side and came to rest upright.:eek: The damage was extensive [Pic 2]. Fortunately, the driver was totally unhurt. If you look closely, you can see where the paint is scraped off the roll cage.

The car was brought to me the day after the crash (Sunday); it was scheduled to leave the following morning for a trip to race in Pensacola and then Alabama.:HMMM: The full weight of the car and driver had landed on the cage and, according to my measuring tape, it only moved 1/4 inch! I cut the damaged rear body and supports off, trimmed the rear section off the broken canopy, and set about straightening the front of the frame. After pushing the frame back into shape with a hydraulic post jack, I cut off the right half of the front axle and fabricated a new piece. Five hours after the car arrived at my shop, it was ready to race again [Pic3].:rolleyes: The USF team took the car to Pensacola and Alabama and won their class (Advanced Battery) at both events. The car still looks like this today and is still competing.:)

Love the black, looks stealth! I bet it gets hot though with the Florida sunshine and humidity! Very cool that you were able to get it back on the track so quickly! Built well Obviously!

I'm a little slow to report our latest results; I was waiting to get some pictures...:rolleyes:

As I said above - after the December 11th race I cut out the 1/8 x 5-inch plate motor mount and replaced it with 1/4 x 6 plate. Our next race, and the first one of 2022, was a return to Plant City High School's front parking lot on January 8,2022. This is a long front straightaway and a backstretch with a double chicane, joined at the ends with hairpin turns. It's a bit tricky for first-timers because it's easy to overdrive the turns after such long straights. Once a driver learns the patience required to run this course, it's not too bad. It is, however, hard on tires and spokes.:HMMM:

My new #13 car, with all its bodywork in place this time, performed flawlessly all day. I finished both races with a little battery power to spare. Unfortunately, the driver (me) was not as flawless as the car. At the drop of the green flag, and after the first turn, I realized I had forgotten to put on my gloves!:eek: Gloves are required for drivers of open-cockpit cars. I knew I was in violation of this safety regulation, and I wondered how long it would take for the race officials to catch me. The answer is 13 minutes... Yep, 13 minutes into the first race I got black-flagged. I had to go into the pits, find my gloves (I was sitting on them!), and put them on. By the time I got out of the car, donned my gloves, and got strapped back in (with the help of the Plant City emergency crew), I had lost about 6 minutes. Those 6 minutes put me about 9 laps behind the second place car and a bunch more behind the leader. A deficit like that is almost impossible to recover from, so I just took it easy for the rest of the race. Since our overall finish for the day is a total of both races, I began the second race with a significant handicap. The only hope I could have was for one of the other Advanced Battery cars to have a problem that would sideline them for a while so I could make up the lost laps. It didn't happen - all three of us finished both races, so I got another 3rd place, more or less by default.:o

Meanwhile, Jerry Bristow drove my purple #94 car in the Open Standard Battery class. In the first race he beat Rodney Schreck by 2 laps. In the second race, Rodney beat Jerry by 2 laps. That gave them the same number of total laps! So how do the race officials break a tie? They use the two competitors' total elapsed times. Rodey beat Jerry by 0.16 second - the closest finish in Electrathon Florida history!:LOL::D

The race above was run on January 8th, 2022. The next race, last weekend, was run on February 19th. This was our yearly visit to University of South Florida in Tampa. The USF race has been a popular venue for years and usually has a good turnout. This year was no exception as 14 cars took the green flag.:3dSMILE: There were 4 cars in the Open Standard class, 4 cars in the Advanced Battery class and 6 High School class cars.

Jerry Bristow, in my purple #94, finished second in the first Open Standard race, two and one-half laps behind winner Rodney Schreck. In the second race, Jerry finished second again giving him an overall second place in the Open Standard class.:)

In the Advanced Battery class, the #48 USF car encountered a brake problem and only completed one lap.:rolleyes: Shortly after the halfway point I was considering dropping out to save tires. I figured the best I could do was 3rd place; after all, the #48 car was out and couldn't possibly make up all their lost laps. The #039 car was leading by several laps and #444 Fortuna was also ahead of me by a few laps I could never recover. About the time I was about to head for the pits, the #039 car suddenly stopped.:HMMM: Now I figured I might as well stay on the track and make up some of the laps I was down, so I stayed in the race. When the checkers flew, I was firmly in second place.;)

Between races it was revealed that the #039 had broken the end off his armature shaft!:eek: I sked the driver, Cliff Rassweiler, if he would like to drive my car in the second race. He agreed and, after a scramble to find ballast (he's over 100 pounds lighter than me!), he drove my #13 car to a strong first place finish.:D Altogether, the #13 car ended up second in the Advanced Battery class for the day. Cliff and I will be listed as co-drivers in the official results.:cool:

After my last Electrathon update I was vacillating on which car I would drive at the April 9th Brandon race because Jerry, my other driver, was scheduled to go back home to Indiana.:HMMM: After some consideration I settled on the purple #94 car. It’s a proven competitive front-runner, so it wasn’t really a difficult decision. It proved to be the right decision as I finished a strong second in the Open Standard Battery class.;) The surprising part is I didn’t get beat by my good friend, Rodney Schreck, as usual (He had battery problems). Instead, I got thrashed by a 14-year-old girl driving her first race!!...:eek: OK, so she and her car have an 80-pound weight advantage on me and mine, so her batteries don’t run down as quick, but she’s got finesse and the nerve of a much more experienced driver. I was impressed.:cool: Anyway, 2nd out of five cars in our class is better than 3rd out of three in Advanced Battery class, so I'm pleased.:3dSMILE:

13 year old's can be surprising! Glad you've got some competition!

First, a correction! Breanna Dye, the young lady who whipped us all at Brandon was 15, not 14. Since that last event I think she may have turned 16. Anyway, she is a competent driver and a force to be reckoned with as she proved at our season finale.:HMMM:

OK, let me digress... There was an event at Plant City on April 30th that I did not attend (other family obligation).

Our season-ending race took place on May 7th at Mulberry High School (Mulberry, Florida) on a brand-new parking lot. It was a large layout, and the new asphalt was as smooth as could be. I took my purple Open Class car again, so there were 5 cars in Open Class. The first race was halted at 50 minutes due to rain. Rodney Schreck finished 1st, Breanna Dye finished 1 lap down in second, and I ran 3rd, four laps behind the winner.:(

In the second race, Rodney won again with Breanna second and me in third, all on the same lap.:D We had exchanged the lead a few times, but in the end, as our batteries started to wane, Rodney pulled ahead and that's how we finished. Breanna was about 10 seconds behind Rodney and I was 31 seconds behind her.:cool:

After the races we adjourned to the local VFW post for our year-end banquet and awards presentations. My purple car #94 was awarded 2nd place in season points:3dSMILE: (Open Standard Battery class) and my red #13 car took 3rd in season points:3dSMILE: (Advanced Battery class).

In our Electrathon format, each event is comprised of two races run back-to-back. The total laps of both races determine your finishing order for the day. My purple #94 car was entered in 7 events this year for a total of 14 races. Ryan Norden drove the first two races and finished 2nd. Jerry Bristow drove eight races and got 4 wins and 4 seconds. I drove the final 4 races and got 2 seconds and 2 thirds.
My red #13 cars were entered in 5 events for a total of 10 races. Rodney Schreck drove the converted go-kart in one race and got a 4th place (DNF- sprocket key). Cliff Rassweiler drove the new car in one race and won! I drove both cars in the remaining races with a combination of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes.:rolleyes:

We're all done now until mid-September when we start the 2022-23 season. If the good Lord lets me stay alive and keep my mental and physical faculties, I'll be there!:whacked:

Congrats Jim. This is one of my favorite threads!

A good season indeed! Well done Jim, congratulations!

Fabulous season. Truly exciting stuff.

I got off to a really slow start this season. I had my second round of Covid in late July (Yes, I am fully vaccinated and boosted) and I had the post-Covid fatigue that hung on until after Christmas.:( On top of that, I pinched my sciatic nerve in mid-September and it almost crippled me. I walked with a cane for about a month and I still have a limp when I get tired. Therefore, I missed the first half of the racing season because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out of the cars after a race!:rolleyes: So.., the first race of the season was rained out and I just didn't go to the next four.

Finally, on February 11th I went to the University of South Florida race in Tampa. I took my red #13 car to run in the Advanced Battery class. I ran this same car at this race last year and hadn't run it since. Nothing was changed, so I expected to do OK with it. Unfortunately, I was involved in a little "bump and grind" incident with another car about 10 minutes into the first race that knocked off my chain.:mad: (Damage shown in pic 1 below) I coasted to the pits and, after re-installing the chain, I ran the car on the jack to check chain tension, sprocket alignment, etc. Everything seemed good (pic 2), so I strapped back in and rejoined the fray. Something was wrong, though, because every time I went around a right turn at speed, the chain was screaming.:eek: I made 3 laps and the chain jumped off again. I coasted to the pits and quit.

During the break between races, I re-inspected everything. Chain alignment was good. I tightened chain tension slightly. When the second race started, the chain was making bad sounds again on every right turn. I was puzzled; it lasted 11 minutes and the chain jumped again. I coasted to the pits and parked it for the remainder of the day. The only thing I could imagine was something must have been bent slightly in the earlier episode and I would have to investigate later when I could remove the body panels and do some measuring.

I finally got to spend some time on the car on Wednesday after the race. I couldn't find anything wrong at first. Everything measured correctly and everything looked normal, so I started looking for less obvious problems. Finally, I noticed on the left end of the axle, it appeared that the nut had moved in the fork flange!:HMMM: I grabbed a wrench and, sure enough, the axle was not completely tight on that end. It was snug, but not tight. I tightened it, of course, and I found no other faults anywhere. I hope it's fixed. I cleaned the tire marks off the rear body panel and bumped out the dent with a composite hammer. The white finish is a little discolored where the tire burned it, but it's good for now (pic 3). Next race is March 11th; we'll see what happens then.:cool:

Shame you couldn't finish the race and the scar adds character... I know, easy for me to say.
Thanks for the update -I always enjoy reading about your races,

Glad your fealing better. A friend of mine got covid around the same time as you. Just when he felt a little better he got pneumonia, and then the Flu. He took a big hit physically and is just now able to do things without rapid fatigue. I have sciatica on my left hip, it rears it's ugly head when I don't get out and exercise enough. I feel your pain litteraly. Glad you figured out the chain issue fingers crossed for your next race.

Glad your able to get back in racing. Is there a place you can test it before the race?

Well, I've been remiss in my reporting, so I apologize for that...
The March race was supposed to be our annual "Dash races" on a high school oval. That's where we suspend the 1-hour format and run 20-minute races. We get to gear the cars up and run as fast as we dare since battery life is not an issue in a 20-minute race. Unfortunately, the school where we were supposed to run cancelled the venue and the race organizers had to move the race. They moved it to a parking lot course at a different school that is a big triangle with one unusually tight corner. I don't think that particular course is suitable for the high-speed Dash races. Also, that venue is 3 hours away from me. I decided not to attend and I'm glad I didn't. The bad corner I mentioned caused two rollovers and one crash. The crash, thankfully, didn't cause any injuries, but one of the rollovers caused some severe bruising on one driver.
In April we raced at the Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida. This is a course we have run several times and it seems to further deteriorate every year. It was so rough in one section this year that I dropped out of the race after about 15 minutes. I was running my purple Open Class car. At least two other cars dropped out because the beating actually broke something in their steering or suspension. Between races, the race organizers rearranged the course to eliminate the rough section. I finished the full hour in the second race and got enough total laps to get second place!

The final race of the season was at Mulberry High School in Mulberry, Florida (just south of Lakeland). I took two cars to the race, my purple #94 Open Class car and my red #13 Advanced Battery class car. The original intent was to let Isabella ("Bella") Burkhardt drive the purple car and I would drive the red car. However, when I got to the track, I ended up letting Jason Gaschel and Brian Kitchner share the driving duties in the red car.

Bella drove her first race of any kind ever to a 3rd place finish in a 6-car field. Jason and Brian garnered a 2nd place in a 4-car field. Bella, Jason, and Brian are all representatives from Florida Power and Light. They were getting a first-hand taste of Electrathon competition because they are recruiting and helping sponsor some new teams for next season! Thank you Jason, Bella, and Brian and thanks to FPL.

That's awesome!

The 2023-24 season kicked off on September 16th at Hillsborough Community College. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go. My collapsed left arch decided to flare up and keep me off my feet all week, so I didn't have my E-car ready to go.:( The second race was at the Kirkland Ranch Academy in Wesley Chapel, Florida. I didn't attend that one either - it's a 3-hour drive to get there and almost 4 hours to get home because of afternoon traffic in and around Orlando. It's just not worth it to me...:HMMM:

This past Saturday, November 4th, we had a race at Plant City High School. I took my Open Class car. The racecourse is set up in the front parking lot. It's a long narrow space, so the course has two long straights connected by a hairpin turn at each end. The backstretch has a double chicane in it to make it more interesting for both drivers and spectators. The surface is relatively bump-free, but it's old sunbeaten asphalt that is very hard on tires.

There were 11 cars entered, but only 3 in the Open Standard Battery class. The first race went smoothly. I hadn't driven since last April, so I was taking it easy and getting re-acquainted with my car and its "feel". Rodney Schreck won it by 4 laps over me and a new entry from Florida State University. I got second by a scant half lap.;) For the second race I picked up my pace a bit and was running with the leaders. The FSU car dropped out at about 15 minutes with a flat tire, so I thought it would be an easy run to second place. At about the 30-minute mark, the FSU car rejoined the fray with a new tire. We were red flagged a few laps later because the scoring apparatus had come unplugged and laps were not being counted!:eek: After a 6-minute delay we continued. All was going well until about 19 minutes to go when my rear tire went flat! I limped to the pits and became a spectator.:mad: In the end, Rodney Schreck won our class by 20 laps and the FSU car beat me by 4 laps. Maybe next time...:rolleyes:

During the previous week, I had switched motors in my E-cars. My Open Class car now has the Motenergy ME-909 motor. It has a higher power rating than the Etek I took out. Because it runs at a different rpm, the ME-909 requires a lower gear ratio. The end result is faster acceleration when needed and better efficiency overall. The Optima Yellowtop batteries I have are 7 years and 9 months old! I wasn't sure they could even last a full hour, but they did. However, they do start showing some weakness after the 35-40 minute mark; I guess it's time to replace...

Well, I have been really lax in my reporting this season. It's mainly because I haven't been as active as past seasons. I have been beset with health issues at inopportune times that kept me away from racing dates...

On December 2nd there was a race at Mulberry High School, but I was in Miami presenting a seminar on Electrathon car assembly (Pic below. I'm the old gray beard guy in the center). I was representing Florida Power and Light and doing the presentation to three of the schools that received FPL car kits, so I consider this an excused absence. The Vice-president of Electrathon America, Steve Archer, attended this seminar and took notes. The following week he did a similar presentation to three more teams in the Pensacola area.

I had a stent put in one of the arteries on my heart on December 11th. I felt good and everything checked out OK when i went for my 2-week follow up. Unfortunately, after New Years I started feeling tired all the time and was getting weaker. I missed the race on January 20th at Middleton high School because I was in no shape to go. Finally, on January 22nd I ended up in the hospital; my medications were causing me to bleed internally. Long story short - I spent 7 days and nights in the hospital and missed the Jacksonville race on the 27th.

So sorry for your medical issues, Jim! The adage "Getting Old Ain't For Sissies" rings true but seems trite. Hoping that you are recovering well, and that we'll see some glowing reports of Electrathon wins in the coming months!! I enjoy seeing your reports, and your encouragement to the young guns who are racing!!

I got out of the hospital on January 29th, just in time to do another seminar on the 31st!:HMMM: This one was at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida, just 20 miles from home. Four more schools attended this one. FPL has seeded 10 new teams this season and plan to seed 10 more next season!:D After that, who knows?

The University of South Florida's annual Engineering Fair was the weekend of February 10th. They host an Electrathon race in conjunction with the fair every year and it is one of Electrathon Florida's favorite events. Unfortunately, I was still recovering from my hospital stay and was too weak to attend.:mad: The next race, on March 2nd, was our annual "Dash Races" where the races are shortened from 1 hour to 20 minutes each. Without the need to conserve battery power, we can gear the cars up and let 'em fly. Unfortunately, Electrathon Florida chose to run this event at Kirkland Ranch. I just can't bring myself to travel 3+ hours there and 4 hours back to run two 20-minute sprints on a track that I deem unsuitable for a speed contest. So, I did not attend.

April 20th brought our annual race at the Florida Solar Energy Center. The course was redesigned this year to avoid a car-breaking bump from previous years, but it was still awfully rough. I had bought new batteries and converted my car to a 36-volt system. The difference in acceleration was impressive and I managed a 2nd place finish in the first race. The second race started out OK, but about 20 minutes in the race my seat pan broke loose and my butt cheeks were about .040 inch (aluminum thickness) from becoming friction brakes!:eek:

May 5th was our final regular season race at Mulberry High School. I took both cars. My red #13 Advanced Battery car hadn't been run since this same race last year. Just as we were staging for the first race, I discovered my purple #94 Open Standard car had a flat rear tire! It was OK when I loaded the cars Friday evening and still OK when we unloaded in the pits earlier that morning, but... Ryan Norden started the race in #13 while I stayed in the pits changing the rear tire on #94. The 13 car started shutting off every few minutes just like last year. Apparently, the modifications I made to cool the battery didn't help; the BMS in the batteries must be defective. When Ryan came into the pits for the umpteenth time with about 20 minutes remaining, I told him to get out of 13 and take the (now repaired) 94. He did and he turned some impressively fast laps.:3dSMILE: For the second race of the day I had Ryan stay in the 94 and I started the race in 13. After about 20 minutes and having to restart the 13 a dozen times, I parked it. Ryan continued in the 94 and ran to a 2nd place finish. With the abbreviated first race combined with the second (total laps), Ryan in the 94 earned a 3rd place class finish (5 cars).:)

At the awards banquet (after the races), it was announced that FPL was going to host a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 8th!:cool:

Sorry to here you were in Hospital, but love reading this thread every time you get to update it. Plus you have a great way of putting things, like the 0.04 clearance buttcheeks and braking! Keep it up, and considering the problems you guys seem to always finish somewhere in the top three positions ;)

It’s great to hear the updates Jim. I’ve been wondering where you have been. Let me know if you have any races coming up on the Tampa side of the state. I’d like to stop by if I can.

Steve,
Most of our regular season races are held in the Tampa area. Our season sort of corresponds to the school year - begins in August or September and ends in May or early June. Here is a link to the Electrathon Florida website where our 2024-25 season schedule is posted: https://electrathonofflorida.org/ If you come to any of the races next season, be sure to look me up.

We're pretty much done until the new season; the schools are out, and the teams are inactive until school starts again. Also, it's just too hot...

I meant to do this right after my last post but got sidetracked (again!) ...:rolleyes:

Anyway, we had a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 8th, sponsored by Florida Power and Light. I hate driving the highways around Miami. Everybody drives like they're late for something and they run bumper-to-bumper. If the speed limit is 70, that's just a suggestion. If you're running under 85 you're likely to get run over. I don't mind going fast if I'm familiar with the roads, but if you aren't sure where you're going, it's helpful to run a little slower so you can find the road signs and markings. HA! The drivers down there are about as courteous as rattlesnakes... Aside from getting there, it was a fun time.:HMMM:

Saturday, June 8th was a new experience for most of the race teams. We were treated like VIP's. Each team was assigned a garage just like professional racers from NASCAR or IndyCar. Florida Power and Light had everything well planned. They had bottled water on ice for free all day and a whole bevvy of people to give assistance wherever and whenever needed. The track staff provided the flagman, safety crews and trucks, and even an air-conditioned suite for spectators. Everything ran very smoothly... except the weather.:(

As we were staging the cars for the first race, it started sprinkling rain. It didn't rain hard, just a steady sprinkle that lasted about 30 minutes. When it finally stopped everything was nice and wet - cars, drivers, and most importantly the track. Thirteen cars finally took the green about 9:25 AM. I had arrived at the track later than planned that morning (bad directions from a hotel worker) and had no practice laps, so I didn't know the track. I took the first part of that first lap fairly conservatively, when I came off the infield part of the course onto the main straightaway, I cranked up the throttle to about 80%. I was clocked at 43 mph on the frontstretch. OK, now I knew the track layout, I would turn a faster lap... so I thought.:mad:

As I turned off the frontstretch onto the infield road course, I ran across a trickle of water that was only about 1/4 inch deep. When I picked up the throttle again, the car died!:eek: I was absolutely stunned. I played with the throttle and the dead-man switch and got going about walking speed. I limped back to the garage and parked. I put the car on the jack and tried everything I could think of. I blew out the controls with compressed air - no good. I borrowed a heat gun and dried them out more - no good. Between races Rodney Schreck and I replaced the potentiometer (throttle) - no good. One fairly good lap in the first race followed by the slow limp back to the pits and one trial lap in the second race gave me a total of 3 laps and I was done for the day! CRAP!:mad::mad:

Anyway, all three of the Miami area teams that FPL gave cars to were there, the FPL-seeded team from Lyman High (Longwood, FL) was there, and one of the FPL-seeded teams from Pensacola was there with 2 cars (Pensacola to Miami is an eleven-hour drive! That's dedication!). Rodney Schreck, Florida State University of Jacksonville, and I were the three entrants in the Open Standard class. Cliff Rassweiler was the only entrant in the Advanced Battery class. When it was over, the High School class was won by the team from Pensacola (25 laps) in the FPL-seeded car that I designed. FSU broke on the first lap and was scored 0 laps, I was scored with 3 laps (second place), and Rodney turned 26 laps total (57.2 miles) for the win. In fact, he turned more laps than anyone in the car I built for him in 2012! (Yes, I'm bragging again.) Cliff's Advanced Battery car broke its brand-new 3D printed rear swing arm on the first lap and was scored 0 laps.:HMMM:

After the racing was over, we loaded up and reconvened in the infield building for a buffet lunch. After the lunch we moved across the hall to another room for trophy presentation. Second place earned me a nice plaque. With all the disappointment of my car quitting, it was still an enjoyable experience. Will I go there again? Absolutely! I hate the Miami area traffic, but it's worth it. There is talk of us running there again in January and also possible races at Sebring and Daytona. If it happens, I'll post it all here. Meantime, any of you who might be in the Tampa area during our racing season, come and see what Electrathon is all about.:3dSMILE:

By the way - there was one other car that had the same problem! After my car had 48 hours to dry out, everything works perfectly! I was under the impression that my controller is waterproof.., it's not.:p Before I run it again the controller will be protected from splashing water.:cool:

Kudo's and accolades to you Jim. And most importantly sharing it all with us! Nice to have one of "your" cars win the event.. and you're in second.

I have finally returned to Electrathon with some success. The season actually started in September, but I missed the opening race because of a family tragedy. I was completely occupied elsewhere for the month of September. October's race was preempted by Hurricane Milton. So, we finally got to race on November 16th. This was our annual "Dash Races" where the usual 1-hour race format is suspended and we run 20-minute sprints. Instead of driving conservatively to extend battery life, we gear the cars up and run as fast as we dare on the designated track. This track was an oval, set up in the parking lot at Mulberry High School, with long straights and fairly tight (almost hairpin) turns at either end. The overall length was approximately 4/10 mile (.4 mile).

Whenever we do the Dash Races, the High School and Open/Advanced classes are run separately. This limits the number of cars on the track at any one time and it's done for safety. Anyway, my Ol' Purple car performed flawlessly all day. In the first race, my good friend Rodney Schreck and I jumped to the front of the Open class. I passed him on the backstretch and held the lead for several laps. I couldn't see him in my rear-view mirror, so I didn't know where he was. I thought I must have pulled away from him.., but I was wrong. With about 6 minutes to go, I slowed a little in the turns to save my tires. Coming off turn-two, SURPRISE, Rodney blew past me. He had been lurking right behind me the whole time and I never saw him in my mirrors. I chased him the rest of the way, right on his tail, but I didn't have enough left to pass him. We finished that way - he was first and I was second, 1/10th of a second behind.

In the second race, we jumped out front again and pulled away from the rest of the field. I followed Rodney for about 3 laps and then passed him coming off of turn-two. After the first race I was confident in my car's handling, so was hitting the corners a little faster. Ol' Purple stayed under me and I was never seriously challenged. Rodney was there, about 20 feet back where I could see him in my mirrors, and we finished that way. I beat him by about 4/10ths of a second.

So, we both turned 36 laps in each race; he won the first race with me second and I won the next race with him second. When that happens, the car's times are totaled together to see who had the shorter time. I beat Rodney by just under 3/10ths (0.3) of a second. After my fiasco of a performance at Homestead-Miami back in June, it was great for my car and me to redeem ourselves.

I don't have any pics from Saturday, but if somebody posts some, I'll copy them here later.

Congrats on the successful outing!! You & Ol' Purple are a force to be reckoned with!!

Wow that's great news Jim. Congrats to both crews for their wins. Exciting to read the return of your winning form.

Thanks for the Kudos.:3dSMILE: It was a lot of fun. Here is a pic of me chasing Rodney in the first race. This was shot at turns 1 and 2 shortly after Rodney passed me.:rolleyes:

I have been remiss in my reporting again.:HMMM: I have been racing periodically but have neglected to record my results. After the Mulberry Dash Races I missed the next two. I didn't go to Kirkland Ranch Academy in December because I was busy elsewhere. Then I skipped the January race at Mulberry because it was unseasonably cold, and I had just gotten over a bout of flu.:( Finally, on March 1st, Jerry Bristow and I went to the annual Engineering Expo race at USF Tampa. In the first race I ran my batteries down prematurely trying to keep pace with Rodney Schreck. He was experimenting with a different (bigger) motor and he was turning consistent fast laps. I finally dropped out with about 5 minutes left on the clock; my car had depleted the batteries until I was going about walking speed.:p Jerry drove the second race and was on his way to a second-place finish when the right front tire went flat.:mad: He came to the pits, I changed the tube and reinflated the tire, he ran another ten minutes or so, and the tire went flat again with about 10 minutes left on the clock. We got a 3rd place trophy by default - only 3 cars in Open Class.

On March 29th Jerry and I took Ol' Purple to Kirkland Ranch Academy for the first time. There was a conflicting race in Pensacola, so the field was pretty sparse.:rolleyes: I took it fairly easy at first and gradually increased my speeds as I got used to the track. Jerry drove the second race and took it really easy. He said he wasn't going to risk crashing the car on an unfamiliar course since we had no competition in Open Class. We got a 1st place trophy, but it was basically a glorified practice session. The pic below is Jerry in the second race.:cool:

Friday and Saturday (4/11 & 12/25) Chris (my wife) and I made the journey to Homestead-Miami Speedway so I could participate in the Florida Power & Light sponsored Electrathon event.:cool: It was run in conjunction with the FIA Formula-E world championship race. We were originally supposed to run a 1-hour race on Friday afternoon and another on Saturday morning. The FPL people were absolutely wonderful, the Speedway staff were very congenial and helpful, and the Formula-E people were really nice. The FIA folks were another story... I don't think they really wanted us there.:HMMM: They kept changing the schedule and delaying our race schedule. There were educational activities for the high school kids (Electrathon's main reason for existence), but also a lot of down time - "hurry up and wait" times. We could have run our race at any time during the day, but FIA wouldn't let us near the track until after the Formula-E cars had their practice session... at 4:00 in the afternoon.:( We finally were told to stage our cars at 5:00. Then we sat for another 30 minutes while they did yet another track inspection. The pace car took the wrong road out of the pit area, so we were creeping along; just as we came out of the road course nearing the front stretch, my rear tire popped!:eek: I went into the pits where a group of teachers and other mentors were waiting. They had me get out of my car and they went to work changing my rear inner tube. They rolled my car up on its left side, removed the rear wheel, changed the inner tube, and reinflated the tire. As the other 23 cars were completing their second pace lap and taking the green flag, the pit crew was already putting my rear wheel back in the car. I jumped in, got re-strapped in, and took off. The pit crew had done the impossible - I was less than a half-lap behind!:D (2.2 mile road course takes approx 4 minutes per lap) I was flogging Ol' Purple for all she was worth. The only faster car on the track was Cliff Rassweiler's Lithium powered car. My first trip down the front stretch was 43 mph, the second time around I got 46. Then the yellow lights came on and we had to slow down... DARN!:p Next lap around we got the red flag and were routed into the pits. There were four cars broke down, scattered around the track. The real problem was that one of the new rookie drivers, sitting in his car, TOOK HIS HELMET OFF!! Dumbass!:mad: The FIA folks said we were done for the day. Our race had lasted 22 minutes.

Saturday was better. We were supposed to race at 8:30 AM; then we were told our race was shortened to 30 minutes. We took the green at about 9:30 with an unheard-of single file start right out of the pits... weird. Cliff's Lithium powered car broke its throttle on the first turn and he pulled off the track. I blew past Rodney Schreck and never saw him again. I got 43 mph on my first lap main stretch and 46 on the next three. Then more yellow lights on some of the infield sections and the last lap was a full-course yellow. We did run the full 30 minutes, at least. When the laps were totaled from both races, Rodney Schreck got first and the "Shock and Awe" team from Pensacola got second. I got third place.:confused: My trip to the pits on Friday had cost me a lap because the transponder doesn't record laps in the pit area!:HMMM: If not for that I would have won Open Class.

The first pic below is my car on display in the Electrathon paddock. FPL had set up a sort of "tent city". Every team had an assigned tent space so we were out of the sun and the one little rain shower we had on Friday. The second pic is one out of a series of stop-action shots Chris took of me at speed during Saturday morning's race. I was doing 46 mph when she shot this. The last pic is my car, Ol' Purple< with the trophy I got for 3rd place.:)

Nice time despite the run arounds they put you guys thru