Electrathon America Forum

I might come, two cars, from ,Seattle Wa. David Cloud

I'll be there with at least 2 cars, possibly as many as 4 if I can acquire enough batteries to run them all... When I'm not physically IN one of my race cars, I will be helping with officiating in some capacity. Anyway, I am close by also; I live near the Kennedy Space Center and Disney is just over an hour away.

There will be a lot more specific information released as details are worked out, but this should be an Electrathon event unlike any in the past. Although the official format has not been finalized, tentative plans are for up to 8 to 10 races taking place over the 3-day period with the finals being on Saturday afternoon. This is not just an Electrathon only event; our races will be a part of a much larger "green fair" featuring concept cars, robotics, alternative energy sources, etc. There will be a lot to see and do for everyone.

I would love to be there, but it is a LONG way away.

For those in the Oregon area. Aimee is thinking about driving down with her dad and maybe a couple of others she knows can drive another rig if there are that many cars. I told Aimee that she can borrow my trailer and her dad has a big diesel truck that she said would easily haul it. So that might be an option if it works out. If the cars are packed tight and not longer than 8' you can fit 14 cars on there--12 of our cars fit easy with some room between them. Then all you will need to do is come up with $$$ for plane tickets, room and board etc. I will let you all know that right now the site has been changed a little and the track looks like it might just be a simple rectangle and about 1/3 mile long by the Richard Petty driving track and away from the main part of Disney World and the Coranado resort. We have an Electrathon Foundation meeting next Tuesday PM to try to work out some of the details and feasibility of the whole race.

Would it be at all possible to have a longer track as well? While I understand many people find the shorter tracks more fun, it actually is drifting away from what electrathon actually stands for. (And no, I am not just saying this because many people think our cars do better on longer tracks because we have vehicles that have won and broken records on very tight tracks too). The goal of electrathon racing is "To drive an electrically powered vehicles as far as possible in one hour" (Page 3 of the official handbook and the number 1 competition objective). And the key words in the description of an electrathon are lightweight and aerodynamic. On a small course you are not showing the true capability of electrathons. If electrathon racing is about "develop[ing] a sport that improves public understanding of electric vehicles" as the official EA statement of purpose says then the best way to due so is by presenting vehicles going as far as possible. 

I do not see why this race gets to be called the "National Championship". It is not showcasing the sport and electric vehicles to the maximum. On a tight course the best a car is going to be able to do is probably around 30 miles give or take, where as the record for an hour is more than double that. While I understand that a short track race may be more entertaining to watch and more fun for many drivers its just doesn't make sense, nor is it logical, to call it a championship when it does not showcase the best performance capabilities.

I assume at this point it may be too late to secure a larger space or track. But if multiple races are going to happen, maybe different course types could be set up. A vehicle that can to both is clearly more impressive and showcases the full potential of the sport. 

 

Shannon Cloud

 

After much discussion the 1st ever Electrathon America Championships are a GOOOOOO.  Dec. 5-6  Friday and Sat.

The location has changed from the Coronado Resort and Convention Center at Disney World to an area to the 

North West of the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  The track is less than a mile from the ticket counters for the Magic Kingdom

Track layout will take up almost all of the parking area plus.  It will be about 1/3 mile and challenging.

Set up will be on Thursday the 4th with races starting on Friday the 5th with 4 races and Sat the 6 with multiple races and the Championships.

  

 

Vic Nieves

 

 

   

-- Edited by Vic556 on Thursday 12th of September 2013 04:13:19 AM

As an old former stock car racer, nobody enjoys the speed of a long smooth track more than me, but I have to agree with Slam. Distance and speed records may not be broken on the short tight courses, but a lot more is required than just going as fast as possible for an hour. The car has to be designed and built to handle well while withstanding all the stresses that come with turning tight corners at racing speeds. New teams usually find out very quickly if their design is viable and if their preparation was adequate. Also, the short tight road courses quickly separate the real drivers from the "wanna be's". Drivers must be very focused on the task at hand at all times. Rookie drivers sometimes find out very quickly if they can do the job or if they should leave the driving to someone else.

I always assumed the quote from the rule book, "To drive an electrically powered vehicle as far as possible in one hour" meant that the challenge was to complete the most laps on any given course. In fact, I think that is how most people interpret that statement. If speed and distance were our only goals, we would only be racing at places like Daytona or Indianapolis where the turns are all big and banked and the tracks are so big that traffic is never an issue. That, unfortunately, would take driving out of the equation and we might as well be racing Hotwheels cars down a ramp somewhere. I will race anybody on any type of course; just give me the track layout so I can make a guess at the proper gear ratio and let's rock!

I don't think any records are going to be broken, unless you are on a banked oval, which is not available. My personal preference is the short tight course. I also think that is a better spectator layout, which is one of the main reasons for this venue. It is hard to call this a championship, as normally that would involve tabulating totals from many combined races, not just one weekend.