Nice sets of races. Good finishes too. Hard to believe a little bump could do so much damage. Must of had some good momentum!
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Nice sets of races. Good finishes too. Hard to believe a little bump could do so much damage. Must of had some good momentum!
Dave - Thanks. Yes, it could have been catastophic depending on where on the track it broke... Yeah, it's fun when we old farts send the kids home scratching their heads and wondering how a bunch of old, overweight guys whipped 'em. Good question on the higher voltage systems - either a bunch of teams are going to be spending a bunch of money on batteries and controllers or there will have to be a separate class instituted for them. Only time will tell.
Steve - Apparently he whacked it pretty good. He was moving at a pretty good speed and that barrier was made of old, heavy 8-ply truck tires! The really surprising part, to me, is that the wheel suffered no damage. I've hit other things with these bicycle rims and had them bend and even had one collapse once!
I haven't checked in here in a while, so thought I should update. I used to get e-mail notices if someone posted to a thread I had commented in, but I don't get those notices any more for some reason... Anyway, I've been building a new car for a friend of mine (and fellow competitor); it's a copy of my copper #94 car. While I was at it, though, I decided to build another experimental car for myself. If you look back at the beginning of this thread, there is an orange & silver car that I had some decent success with back in 2005 - 2008. It was a good car, but a bit heavy.:HMMM: The new car will look very similar, but I am making internal changes to lighten the chassis & body while improving its reliability. Here's a pic of the chassis with no "clothes" on it yet. The seat back is just temporary to show battery location underneath. The steering column retracts forward for driver entry/egress. When I build the top hatch it will have a provision to lock the column in place when the hatch is closed.:3dSMILE:
Looks good Jim, always fun to play with a prototype!!!! When will the new car make it's debut???
Hi Dave. I'm not sure when, exactly. The new season starts in mid-October, but I've got to finish the "customer car" and do some updates on one for another fellow racer. If I get everything else done right away so I can get back to it... You know how that goes.
Yup, sure do, that's why I've got 5 of my projects in and around the shop, and a bunch more out at the Farm!!!!!:LOL::LOL::LOL: I quit doing stuff for others, try to be a nice guy and............. well, you know....Sometimes no good deed goes unpunished!!!!:LOL::LOL:
Always enjoyed this thread Jim
We ran our first race of the 2012-2013 season Saturday at Hillsborough Community College. My son was not available to drive, so I drafted an old friend from Indiana who is vacationing here to drive the #13 car. Also, my old original "Silver Bullet" car #86 (newly refurbished, painted, and on loan to a friend) made its debut. The #86 car dropped out of the second race early due to battery failure and got a DNF:(. The Electrocutioners #8 drove to first, I placed second in my #94, and my old friend drove the #13 to third.:D:cool: (Finishes are based on the total laps completed in two races combined.) Below is a pic of the lineup for the second race.
A neat deal, Jim! I see at ElectrathonAmerica.org that they mention races held nation wide, but I do not see any listing of events anywhere. Is there any calendar of events published? I did see pictures of a team in Nebraska on the website.
Great results again, Jim!!! Guess the old car still knows how to finish it's share of laps!!!!!
rspears - Here is a link to the calendar on the national website: Electrathon America Doesn't look like anyone has posted their races yet, though...:confused: Here is the link to the Tampa Bay site with races listed for Florida: Electrathon of Tampabay .:cool:
Thanks, Dave. Yeah, these things have been to all the tracks enough that they can almost drive themselves.:D
Jim,
I had pulled up that calendar, and was confused that it simply seemed to be a normal calendar denoting holidays, etc. It's good to know that it just hasn't been fleshed out with events yet. I'll have to check back in the Spring and see if there is anything near by.
We ran our second race of the season yesterday (12-8-2012) and had similar results to last month. The "Electrocutioners" #8 car won again. They beat me by one lap (total laps for the two races run) with a total of 126. I got second place with my #94 at 125 laps, and my son, Jim Jr, got third with the #13 at 123. He was leading the first race until he had a flat tire about 4 laps from the end; three spokes had broken and one of them punctured the inner tube.:mad: I ended up winning the first race by two laps. In the second race, Jim Jr lapped me twice to get back two of the four laps he lost in the first race. Unfortunately, the Electrocutioners lapped me three times to take the win by one lap. I gotta lose weight...:rolleyes:
My old #86 car had chain problems in the first race. We did some sprocket and chain realignment between races and solved that issue, but 31 minutes into race 2 the motor started smoking and lost power.:eek: The reason is still in question. Ralph was running a gear ratio we have used many times before, so the motor was not overloaded. 30 minutes later, the motor was still too hot to touch! Apparently the windings are burned up, but why? Maybe something got in there and shorted it out somehow??:confused: We'll take it to an electric motor guy we know and find out...
Next race January 19.:3dSMILE:
Great results again Jim other then the burnt up motor!!
Congrats on placing!
I've been remiss in my reporting...:HMMM: We ran our third race of the season at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, FL on January 19th. This was an oval track, so I bolted on the bumpers and my son and I "bump drafted" our way to 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the Open (adult) Division.:D It's amazing to me what a difference it makes to run two cars together at the relatively low speeds we achieve. Bump drafting makes sense in NASCAR where the cars are running almost 200 mph, but our top speed at this track was 30 mph. Nevertheless, when we hooked up together our amperage draw dropped by 10 - 20%... I have been told that aerodynamics become a factor at about 20 mph; I guess that must be true.:confused:
It was a learning experience, too. Before we run the bumpers again, I'm going to redesign them. The front bumpers need to be about 6 inches wider to make them easier to stay connected in the corners and the rears need to be modified so that the pushing car cannot make contact with the rear tire of the car being pushed if / when the two cars get out of alignment with each other. I rubbed the sidewall of my son's rear tire at least 4 different times when my bumper slipped off of his; it's just good luck that I didn't pop his tire.
My # 86 car had motor heating problems again and DNF'd again.:mad: The following weekend we completely rewired the car, replacing all the cables and connections. Initial test runs seem to show that the problem is solved. We'll find out Feb. 23rd at our next race; USF Tampa.
The race at USF Tampa (Feb 23) turned out to be a good one...:3dSMILE:
My son drove the #13 car to first place in the first race, but along the way he got crowded into a curb by an inexperienced driver and damaged the front axle. While checking for loose or broken spokes (as I always do) between races, I noticed that the front axle tube had a crack next to the left king-pin boss!:eek: In the second race this would be on the side that would be predominantly on the outside, so would be under the greatest stress. Doubting that the left front wheel and spindle could survive my son's agressive driving style, I traded cars with him for the second race.
I had planned to start the race with his damaged car, drive a few laps to get on the scoreboard, and park it. When the green flag dropped it took Jim Jr. about 2 laps to get into the lead with my #94 car. Meanwhile, I drove his #13 around at a conservative pace, constantly watching the left front wheel for some sign of impending failure. It never got any worse, however, so I ended up finishing the entire hour!:D At the end of the day, my #94 car was declared the winner with 152 total laps. Rodney Schreck from Miami ran 143 laps for 2nd place. I clocked enough laps in #13, combined with Jim Jr's win in the first race, to get a total of 135 laps and 3rd place. My #86 car had a wheel bearing problem in the second race, but after getting DNF's in its last three outings, Ralph Foss nursed it along for enough laps (134) to get 4th!
With 3 cars in the top 4, I'd say we had a great day... FINALLY!!:rolleyes::D:D
The picture below shows the lineup for the first race. Jim Jr.(13) is on the pole, Ralph (86) is in the 3rd row and I (94) am in the 4th row.
Wow, that's great! Congrat's on an outstanding effort... Impressive to say the least.
Congrats to all Jim, a very good outing!!!!! Now I suppose all the college boys are about ready to put a bounty on you and your cars!!!!!!:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Jim way to go. Love reading these posts! Father son stuff is great too. You guys are starting the Electric carthon version of the great nascar family drivers tradition! Now you just need some sponsors!;)
Thanks, guys. Yep, my son and I have a lot of fun doing this.:D:D
Dave - those college kids go away wondering how a bunch of overweight old farts keep kicking their butts every race. The highest finishing college team scored a total of 130 laps, 4 laps BEHIND my ailing 4th place #86 car and 22 laps behind my winning #94!:LOL::cool:
There are lots more pictures on the Electrathon of Tampa Bay facebook page if anybody is interested.:rolleyes:
I didn't get to go to the March race at Aparicio-Levy School:(, so "Racin' Ralph" took my #94 car and raced it. First, he had a couple of glitches in the first race because he was unfamiliar with the temperament of the motor controller in this car (it is different than the #86 car he usually drives). In the second race, the rear tire went flat a few laps from the end and he was forced to drop out:mad:. Regardless, Ralph clocked enough total laps on the day to finish 4th overall and 3rd in the adult division.:3dSMILE:
This past Saturday (5-4-13) we raced at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, FL. This was a parking lot course shaped like a big banana, two long curved runways connected at each end by a hairpin turn. Except for a bone-jarring bump at one end, it was a nice course and fun to drive. In the first race, my son (#13) and I (#94) traded the lead several times. The last 15 minutes became a "tooth and nail" battle between us, sometimes swapping the lead multiple times on the same lap, and the spectators were treated to a good show. Finally, the old man prevailed; I crossed the finish line first with my son just inches behind my rear wheel. We both turned 95 laps. Racin' Ralph Foss was 3rd in my #86 car with 92 laps:D.
In the second race, Cliff Rassweiler in the #39 car lapped me a few times. I let him go because in the first race his batteries gave up early and I had gained a 5-lap advantage at the end. Meantime, my son and Racin' Ralph both had chain problems. My son pulled into the pits after 18 minutes, having derailed his chain twice. Then, after cutting his finger while trying to make adjustments, he decided not to resume.:( Ralph had no further problems with his chain and finished in 4th place.
At the end of the day, when the races were totaled up, Jim Jr. was 5th, Rodney Schreck was 4th, and Racin' Ralph was 3rd. Cliff and I both had completed a total of 192 laps, a virtual tie.:rolleyes: The tiebreaker in a case like this is time; because of my dominant run in the first race, I had actually completed the 192 laps with a 7 second advantage! I got FIRST!!:D:D It just goes to show that old and fat are not excuses for not participating!:rolleyes:
Next week we go to Quitman, Georgia for our last race of the season. I'll keep you all posted...;)
Congrats Jim, another great weekend of racing!!!!! Goes to prove that old age and treachery will overcome youth and exuberance!!!!
The trip to Quitman was a success. Fellow Electrathoner and good friend, Rodney Schreck, and I teamed up to make the trip. We put my #94 car and Rodney's #11 on the rack in my truck so we could make the trip in one vehicle. There were 3 new Georgia high school teams at Quitman this year plus the host school (Brooks County High) had added a second car to their team. Rodney and I were the only Florida "invaders" this year; none of the Florida high school teams made the trip.:rolleyes:
Seven cars took the green in both races. In the first race I got run off the track into the dirt three times in the first two laps.:eek: I was attempting to pass a rookie driver and he apparently had limited peripheral vision. I was right beside him all three times and he cut me off. Rather than wreck both cars, I took to the dirt. I eventually got past him and pulled away for a while. At this stage of the race I was just trying to maintain my 35 amp current draw on the batteries, so I was far from running "full throttle". Pretty soon the rookie decided to try me again; I just maintained my speed, let him go, and kept my distance. About 30 minutes into the race, as I knew would happen, his batteries started to fade. By the 45 minute mark he was parked in the pits. I "throttled up" with 15 minutes to go, led the rest of the way, and finished with 69 laps. Rodney had 67.:3dSMILE:
In the second race, I started right behind Rodney. At the drop of the green we rocketed to the front and on the first straight, Rodney motioned for me to pass him. With Rodney right behind me and my rookie friend from the first race right behind Rodney, we set the pace for over half the race. Shortly after the halfway point, Rodney's front tire popped and he lost 13 laps in the pits changing it.:( The rookie's batteries started to fade and I eventually lost sight of him in my mirrors. With 18 minutes to go, I "throttled up" and turned some of the fastest laps of the day. I led every lap of this second race and finished with 69 laps again. I finished first overall with a total of 138 laps for the day.:D Rodney was second with 123. The winning high school team finished with 104 laps total.
That's all for this season. I had remarkable results this year. My #94 car participated in 7 events, achieving 2 third-places, 2 seconds, and 3 firsts. My #13 car participated in 5 events, garnering 1 second place, 3 thirds, and 1 fourth.:D:cool:
Way to go Jim. Hopefully the Rookie learned to share the road! You've had an incredible season!
Congrats Jim! Awesome results....
What a great season Jim, very well done!!!
I had hoped to have some racing news to report, but yesterday's season-opening race got cancelled due to rain...:( I sold my copper colored car to a school in Augusta, Georgia last month and I needed a replacement fast, so I thrashed the last 3 weeks to finish this car that I started back on page 17.:HMMM: It looks very similar to a car I had a few years ago (orange & silver car on page 1), but is much improved. Anyway, I didn't get to race it yesterday, but here it is (below).:cool:
Attachment 59944Attachment 59945
Nice looking car Jim! Hope you and the gang have a great season again!!!!!
Looks like a productive three weeks! Hope it sees a lot of time in the winner's circle.
Cool looks like you have a sponsor tag! Always enjoy this thread. Meant to ask before if you've experimented with different tire treads and tire diameters? I know there is a huge difference in resistance between my mountain bike tires(nobbies needing 50 psi) vs. a road bike tire on the same mountain bike.
Yes, Steve, I (and others) have tried different tires over the last 11 years that I've been doing this. We have played with tread patterns, compounds, and air pressure. I found out at my very first race that knobby tires aren't meant for asphalt; we had one on the car because we needed a tire the day before our first race and it was all that was available in town. It lasted about 40 minutes until it shredded.:eek: I tried some Avon (OK) and a couple of different style Kenda tires (the Kenda Kontact was OK). Finally, a fellow competitor steered me toward Maxxis Hookworm tires and I've been using them ever since.:3dSMILE: They are a mid-priced tire ($15 - $22 depending on vendor) that can be inflated up to 110 PSI. I've tried a couple of others since including a different Maxxis tire (Maxxis Miracle), but nothing has held up like the Maxxis Hookworm. They are a durable compound with a fairly thick tread area and a tread pattern that puts a lot of rubber on the ground, almost like a "cheater slick" for a car. I usually run them at 70 PSI, but will adjust up or down sometimes depending on track surface and configuration.:cool:
Well, the new car finally made its debut this past Saturday (12-7-13) at Middleton High School in Tampa. There is good news, bad news, and some really bad news. As soon as I unloaded it, the car was swarmed by onlookers and fellow participants. I answered lots of questions and demonstrated the tilt-away steering column several times. In the first race everything was going well. I took it easy for the first 15 minutes, running in the back of the pack, but staying on the lead lap and just getting used to the car's handling and "feel". I increased the pace then and started picking off other cars (good news:3dSMILE:). I made it up to 2nd place and was closing on the leader with 12 minutes to go when the handling suddenly went away on the right-hand turns - the left front tire was slowly going down (bad news:().
Between races I changed the left front tire and went through the usual routine of checking spokes, chain, etc. When the 2nd race started everything seemed good again. The car was performing as expected and the handling was restored. Then, on the 3rd or 4th lap, as I was entering the hairpin turn just before the start/finish line, the steering broke. The car went straight from that point and hit a concrete parking bumper (really bad news:eek:). When a car with 2 inches of ground clearance hits a solid barrier that is 6 inches tall the car becomes airborne. I barely missed the announcer and his sound system; I landed between his equipment and the trailer he uses to haul it!
I got a bruised left knee and a severely sprained right ankle, but no broken bones. I'll heal. The car didn't fare as well as I did; it will require surgery to its nose before it runs again. Below are before and after pictures... Crashing sucks!:mad:
Jim,did the guy that got Lance's,Rex an my car ever race it at all? ,if not ya should buy it from him,you know full tech support is only a call away,and the alum roll for it's aero body is still in my garage.;)
Tough luck Jim!!!! Hope you and the car both get healed up quickly!!!!
. . . and the really really good news is that no-one died . . . and no-one was hospitalised with severe injuries . . .
You are so right, Johnboy. If the steering had let go exiting that turn instead of entering, I would have hit a half-dozen folks that were standing at the edge of the track.:eek: Probably wouldn't have killed anyone, but there would have been some broken legs and serious lacerations.:HMMM:
I removed the damaged body panels and cut the front tubing off the car yesterday. That allowed me to shoot this picture showing why I lost steering. The eye bolt (blue arrow) is supposed to be between the brackets (red arrow) and there should be a 3/8 inch diameter bolt holding it all together. Problem is, during final assembly, the car builder (me) was supposed to replace the finger-tight standard nut with a wrench-tightened self-locking nut. Obviously, it was overlooked and the nut and bolt eventually worked their way out. I guess we all know what will get checked frequently for tightness in the future...:rolleyes:
Hi Bat. Rodney still has the car. I don't know why, but he has not run it yet.:confused: Last year after Christmas he bought one of my Silver Bullet rolling chassis and finished it "his way". He ran it for the first time last Saturday and won with it.:3dSMILE:
Rotten luck on the crash, Jim, and particularly humbling when you realize that it was something that was supposed to have done, but overlooked. A tough lesson for sure, but one that won't soon be forgotten for sure as you say. At least you know that your engineering was sound, it wasn't anything in the design/fabrication that failed, and no one was hurt but for your bumps, bruises and sprains. And think of the show you put on!! Did anyone get video footage of the flight?? ;):eek::HMMM: