We came in 3rd place for our first sprint, pretty good for our first race ever! The build of 'wooden go kart 2: electric boogaloo' started just 16 days before the race. It was going to comprise of a steel frame made of recycled bed frames, rear suspension with door hinges and a shock from a honda motorcycle, seat from a chair found in a dumpster, and a mustang power wheels body from a nice family just outside of rochester that had seen a lot of use. After a lot of cutting, welding and last minute jerry-rigging, the car had its first successful test drive just 2 days before the race. Powered by 4 12v lead acid batteries in series and an 1800w brushless motor, the top speed was 22mph, plenty fast for something no bigger than a shopping cart.
Ideal Farms NJ 2019 makerfaire: 1st place overall
Before the race, we had a lot of upgrades planned and started fixing them one by one about a month before the race. The build sessions were moved to my new house just off campus which gave us more room and flexibility. Things that were changed: New solid 1in axle Hydraulic bicycle brake (mechanical go kart brakes really sucked) Changed shock angle and raised car by 2in for more clearance and travel Larger axle chain sprocket for more torque Paint on the body was touched up and wiring re-done New lithium ion battery packs were spot welded together The offroad race at Ideal Farms in NJ was hard fought but I have never had so much fun. After a 4 and a half hour drive, 2 cars filled with friends and a trailer, we brought all the tools we had and battled it out over 2 days, 3 sprints, 1 relay, and a final time trial. The first day was bright and sunny and we came in first for the first sprint, 7th for the second sprint because of a loose key fob wire, and 2nd for the last sprint of the day. On the second day, we were greeted with pouring rain but only 3 other teams showed up, we powered through the relay race and the time trial and pulled ahead and won 1st place overall for the NJ event! Go Coyotes!