Blenheim Greenpower

The journey

At 6.30am 11 excited students met Mr Adams and Mr Wilkinson at school to load the F24 cars into a van and travel one hour in the minibus to Dunsfold Park. This was trickier than expected because the wheels needed to be removed and cars turned sideways to fit them in the van!

Prior to the practise laps and races the cars must undergo scrutineering to ensure they comply with safety and design modification requirements. Unfortunately KT19 MK.2 had a faulty break light which required fixing and both cars battery clamps were missing. Fortunately with quick thinking and improvisation from parent, Mr Kirby-Rose, two clamps were attached meaning we could race.

Race one

Despite running just beforehand, frustratingly KT19 MK.2 didn't make it off the starting line. This did not dampen team spirit. A broken relay was identified and fixed in time for the car to return to the track to get some laps in before the end of the race. Although we weren't close to winning, everyone carried on and demonstrated resilience, team work and problem solving skills. KT19 MK.1 had a far better race. It successfully completed 16 laps.

Race two

Although the first race had some issues race two started perfectly with both cars zooming into the distance and the race went well until we identified that the motor was over heating we took a small break and let the motor cool down slightly. The race then went well and we all managed to get lots of laps in, until the end when their was a red flag and we all had to stop, luckily that gave the motor another chance to cool down. The race then carried on and we ran MK.2 out until the battery died and MK.1 had loads of battery left to finish the race with a spectacular ending.

What we learnt

1. Laps that involve a pitstop do not count but there must be two driver changes during the race. Therefore we needed to balance the desire to win with giving as many team members a chance at driving so we agreed to change from changing driver every 3 laps to every 5 laps.
2. To prepare the car and check everything is correct more thoroughly before the race.
3. Make sure the motor is suitable cooled and that we check the temperature every time we have a pitstop.