Speedy students from St John’s Academy in Marlborough are looking for sponsors from the business community to enable them to compete in an eco marathon.
The fast learners, members of the Student Racing Team, want to compete in the Schools Eco Marathon, aiming to travel the furthest possible distance on the smallest amount of fuel.
Matt Jones, 16, Dan Snipe, 16 and Euan Humphreys, 17, who have been team members for the last few years, under the supervision of design & technology tutor Clive Stell, have written to local businesses asking for support to help them raise the £500 they need to compete in the challenge.
The Racing Team is a group of young and enthusiastic engineers who are aiming to build a fuel efficient car to run in the 2013 Schools Eco Marathon on June 18. The students have invested hundreds of hours of time and effort during their lunch breaks and after school.
The club started in 2010 when a group of St John’s students went to Rockingham Raceway, where they learnt a lot about the materials used and the methods of construction, then went on to develop their first car, the St John’s Racer 1 (SJR1).
The engine used was a 35cc Honda GX35 four stroke, similar to a strimmer engine, which provided about 1.3hp, more than enough to meet the required average speed of 15mph.
The team drove the car at Mallory Park raceway in the Schools Eco Challenge 2011, even though the car was untested and completed just a few days before, achieving a credible 157 miles to the gallon.
To prepare for the 2012 Eco Challenge the team began to work on modifying “SJR1” to improve the vehicle’s mpg.
Matt said: “A technique used by almost all of the other teams was to build up speed and then coast; some could even shut down and restart the engine while driving.
“Our approach to this tactic was to fit a bicycle freewheeling mechanism to the drive wheel and mount plastic bodywork onto the previously bare chassis. As a result of these changes we achieved a much improved 253 mpg in last year’s challenge; and on the day, with the assistance of some pizza boxes, gaffer tape and fine tuning, the economy of SJR1 shot up by more than 30 mpg to 287.
“We are really proud of our achievement which shows the progress the team has made as a group of young engineers, who are now more likely to pursue engineering in the future as a career”.
For the 2013 Eco Challenge St John’s has two teams. One group is working on further improvements to SJR1 and a second group has designed and is currently building a brand new car, SJR3.
Using CAD and 1:5 scale models and a full size wooden mock-up, the new racer is still constructed from steel bars but is longer and much lower, wrapping around the driver to improve aerodynamics; as well as being much more accurately put together. The increase in planning has led to SJR3 going from first sketch to rolling chassis in less than four months.
The team has also had to learn how to put together a business plan, and has now calculated the cost of entering the 2013 challenge. They are now hoping that local businesses will help them achieve their aim of entering both cars in the 2013 Challenge later this year.
Teacher Mr Stell said: “General materials are required, and items such as harnesses and fire extinguishers are necessary to satisfy the safety rules.
“The team’s business plan shows that we need £500 to bring the two cars up to competition standard. I hope that local businesses or individuals will be prepared to help this enthusiastic group of students, who have worked extremely hard on this project, and help to encourage their passion and their design and manufacturing skills”.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the St John’s Racing Team, and taking the opportunity to have their business name featured on the car, should contact Sally Bere at sbere@stjohns.wilts.sch.uk
The team members are keen to meet potential sponsors and show the team’s developments to date.
A morning with Inside Out and a couple of very welcome birds
