OK, I'm back to report that the summer training session went very well. The students and I built a second frame jig - a duplicate of the one I already have - and then built two Silver Bullet frames. One frame was complete with motor mount and all steering components - it belongs to Electrathon of Tampa Bay (ETO). The second frame was paid for by Rodney Schreck from Miami (my teaching assistant) and will become his new Advanced Battery class car. We accomplished everything in the course of two 10-hour days. We may do an extended seminar in the future where I can teach some of my body fabrication methods. I don't have any secrets; some of my students admitted they just hadn't had the confidence to try building a car on their own before.

We had our first race of the new season on Saturday (9-21-19) at Hillsborough Community College. I won the Open Standard Battery class by 7 laps over my good friend Rodney Schreck (109 to 102). After the second race Rod discovered a hot connection on one of his battery cables, so it was likely drawing too much voltage and causing a power loss. We usually finish on the same lap within a few yards of each other on this track.

At our next race I will be trying my luck in the Advanced Battery class. Rodney and I are both going to give some new Lithium battery packs a try. The difference is the Lithium battery pack is 62 pounds lighter than the twin Optimas that I'm accustomed to and double the voltage! It may take a few races for me to get the hang of this new combination - different gear ratios, lighter weight, faster acceleration. I'll report here, of course, success or failure.