Getting CRATE Results!
January 28, 2024
The very first CRATE to hit the track in competition brought home the overall win in a field of 10 cars on a half-mile course in Jacksonville, Florida. This CRATE was entirely stock but with the optional 13 tooth motor sprocket and the standard 57 tooth rear and was running three Interstate DCM0035 batteries.
At the end of the two hours of racing it had completed 119 laps and was 20 laps (10 miles!) ahead of second place and had averaged approximately 30mph.
A great first result!
March 20, 2024
Monroe Area High School finished 5th out of 70+ cars with their CRATE at the Georgia TSA state competition. Congratulations on a great result!
April 6, 2024
The CRATE hit the track again this time in Pensacola, Florida on a half mile, banked, stock car track and once again brought home the big trophy. In a field of 26 cars (including some lithium powered) it completed 132 laps in 2 hours of racing besting second place by ten laps (5 miles!) and was the overall winner.
It was once again running three Interstate DCM0035 batteries but with a 13/55 sprocket setup and the newly offered motor heat sink for additional motor cooling.
Not bad for a budget-minded, bolt-together kit car!
April 27, 2024
Well I feel like I finally found the limit of this little motor and controller combo. I went to a race In Jacksonville, FL on a very rough and twisty parking lot track with approximately 10-12 feet of elevation change. THE CRATE was running a 13/59 sprocket ratio but was having trouble maintaining speed up the hills. It used less than 23 amp/hours of battery capacity (I can usually get 26 amp/hours out of my packs) due to the controller not having a high enough current limit. In the end it took second place out of 11 cars and was 2 laps behind the winner at the end of the two hours of racing. It also suffered some minor nose damage from a bit of a snarl in a congested corner when the car in front broke their steering and caused a bit of havoc among those of us in the immediate vicinity. The styrofoam nose really does absorb impact nicely though. I always intended to offer a more powerful motor and controller as an upgrade option and I think this experience may be the impetus to get that started.
September 01, 2024
The CRATE traveled to south Florida to race INDOORS in conjunction with the Miami International Auto Show. The track was just under a half-mile per lap of polished concrete with 12 turns including two hairpins. Still running the stock drivetrain with a 11/59 sprocket combo, the CRATE ran problem-free and won overall by two laps out of a field of 13 cars. The many twists and turns limited top speed so I geared low for max acceleration out of the corners. It definitely paid off but would have been better yet if the driver (me) hadn’t weighed in at 215 lbs. :( Traction was a bit of a problem for everyone on the slick concrete but it made for an exciting and enjoyable event. The air-conditioning was especially nice!
The CRATE wins again!
November 8th, 2024
Cook High School took 3rd out of 25 cars with their CRATE in the lead-acid race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference. Stock 11:57 gearing and a very tidy coroplast body. Great work from a brand new team!
November 8th, 2024
Creekview High School placed 4th out of 25 cars with their CRATE in the lead-acid race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference. Stock 11:57 gearing and a 36v pack.
November 8th, 2024
Dade County High School took 2nd out of 25 cars with their CRATE in the lead-acid race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference. Stock 11:57 gearing and a eye-catching color scheme.
November 8th, 2024
Johns Creek High School placed 5th out of 25 cars with their modified CRATE in the lead-acid race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference. It ran with 16” wheels all the way around, a VESC controller, 12:73 gearing and an interesting composite nose.
November 8th, 2024
Chamblee High School placed 7th out of 25 cars with their CRATE in the lead-acid race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference. It ran with stock 11:57 gearing and a very clean looking body design. Great work from a brand new and enthusiastic team!
November 8th, 2024
Not a CRATE but the granddaddy of them all…The Test Mule!
Jasper County High School took first place in the Lithium battery race at the Georgia TSA Fall Leadership Conference with the original CRATE prototype. The Test Mule put down 91 laps and was running a 48v pack with 11:60 gearing. It ran smooth and quiet and turned in a drama-free victory.
January 11th, 2025
The ElectrathonParts.com CRATE returned to the scene of it’s very first race in Jacksonville, Florida for another competition. It was a chilly 48 degrees with a pretty steady breeze of 10 to 15 mph as 8 cars took to the 1/2 mile track. The CRATE was outfitted with the same 13/57 sprocket combo as last time at this track and was sporting nifty new CNC cut aero wheel covers on the front. When the green flag dropped it didn’t take long to determine that something was off. The steady breeze never seemed to be from a helpful direction, the actual top speed was nearly three mph slower than the calculated, and the current draw was much too high at right around 31 amps. (Presumably this stemmed from the additional aerodynamic drag of the wind.) I cut back on the throttle until it was pulling a more sustainable 25 amps on average and just put down the laps. At the end of the first race the CRATE was in first place overall and had turned 53 laps, using 25.5 amp-hours (918 Watt-hours) to do it.
The failure to achieve the calculated top speed as well as the excessive current draw prompted a gearing change between races so the second race started with the CRATE running a 12/57 combination. Now the top speed was only half a mile per hour off of the calculated speed and the current draw was down to a manageable 24-ish amps on average at full throttle. At the end of the second race it had turned 54 laps using only 24.7 amp-hours. A 5.2% efficiency improvement over the first race! (There’s a lesson to be learned here)
Overall the CRATE took first place out of a field of 8 cars and continued it’s streak of podium finishes!
January 26, 2025
The brand new CRATE belonging to 4H TechGarage out of Boca Raton made its racing debut at Mulberry High School in Tampa on a chilly Saturday morning. Running the stock 11/57 sprocket combo it turned a very respectable second place finish in the High School Class out of eight cars competing. Here’s what one of the students had to say:
“In Race 1, Crate 777 completed 91 laps in 1:00:54.229 with an average lap time of 40.156 seconds and a best lap of 30.641 seconds on Lap 10. Race 2 showcased even greater efficiency, with 102 laps completed in 1:00:38.135, an average lap time of 35.668 seconds, and a standout best lap of 29.895 seconds on Lap 54. Overall, Crate 777 completed 193 laps in 2:01:32.364, achieving a combined average lap time of 37.912 seconds.”