The Newquay Tretherras Greenpower electric racing team had a successful day at the Predannack Airfield F24 race event.

 

The team of Year 7 and Year 10 students competed in their custom scratch-built car and achieved the third-best lap speed of the day.

 

Their car named ‘The Shark’ achieved speeds of over 25 miles per hour for over an hour. Purposely designed to slip through the air with minimal drag, the vehicle was inspired by the sleek shape of a Blue Shark.

 

Whilst the car was capable of great speeds, it was not quite stable enough and tended to ride on two wheels whilst cornering. Driver number 2, Finley, had an exciting moment when he hit a bump in the road and slid the car on its side for a few meters. Thankfully the steel roll cage and racing harness kept Finley safe.

 

The team of young Tretherras engineers are currently modifying the chassis to increase stability for future events.

The Greenpower team are also sitting down to design a new prototype, the next generation Greenpower car will be lighter and faster. Using aircraft composites and minimalist design the NT Racing team hope to reduce overall weight by 10kg and increase top speed by 5 to 10 mph.

The team will post updates as the new build takes shape. Any aspiring young engineers can get involved by speaking to Mr Vittle in the Design Technology Department.