An intrepid team of Alice C, Alfie G and Reuben N represented the school at the Goodwood race track in the recent International Finals of the Greenpower Education Trust electric car challenge. The team of Year 8s and 9s performed really well, exceeding expectations and covering a total of 181 miles in 540 minutes with an average speed of 20.1mph!
WBS Flyer, car number 164, finished 3rd in its first race, 10th in its second and 14th in the finals, in what was the car’s first season. Our excellent team have learnt important lessons which will help them to go lighter, faster and more efficiently next time around. More to the point the team had enormous fun and gained huge amounts of experience.
The first season for the car was all about learning, with the correct gearing selection being a challenge to calculate on the car’s first outing. The team opted to use the practice session to get used to the track and practice driver changes in the very busy pit lane environment.
The time spent in the paddock after practice saw a frantic change of gear choice and batteries before lining up for race 1. The team performed well and were able to finish in 14th place in class – out of 45 teams/cars.
On completion of race 1 there is a longer break so the team used the time to analyse lap times and remaining battery life and selected yet another gear ratio. Unfortunately lap 1 saw a brake malfunction which cost us 15 minutes lost time. That said, after a check of the vehicle they re-entered the race and showed true grit, gaining 16 places before the race was over but more importantly delivered valuable data for the car’s next event.
With such good performances under their belts, and some important lessons learned, the team are now hungry for more! Can we make the car lighter, faster, more efficient? Can we develop our own scratch-built car? How far can the team take the technology, flying the flag for West Buckland and epitomising the school’s drive for sustainability and innovation.
Without the financial help of the Parents Association and The Foundation we would not even have a car. Without their continued support given throughout the season we would not have been able to compete and for that the team are extremely grateful. We are about to launch a drive for sponsorship and also new team members so please keep an eye out for more information soon. If you are interested in supporting this excellent project, please contact the school.