This is it. After 9 regional heats and 179 entries the final lineup has been decided. The top 75 cars can now advance to the National Final, at Glorious Goodwood as always, ready to fight for the chequered flag. For a full list click HERE.
This will be our third final and things have never looked better for us. We are now car 16, sitting on the third row of the grid, shoulder to shoulder with such illustrious competition as last year's champions, Zebedee, and our perennial nemesis, Megazord. Our target for the race will be Corporate Challenge qualification which requires us to finish in the top 15 but being so close to the front of the pack makes us think we can do even better, maybe even break the 100 mile barrier, a feat managed by only 4 cars this year.
The arrangements for the day will be the same as for Castle Combe but for those of you who need it, here is the schedule:
0730 - Teams arrive and sign on
0815 - Scrutineering opens
0900 - Team briefing 1
0930 to 1030 - Practice
1040 - Team briefing 2
1100 to 1230 - F24+ race
1300 to 1700 - F24 race
1730 - Prize giving
We will be travelling up to West Sussex on Saturday, taking advantage of early scrutineering at the Greenpower Centre so we can crack on with practice and get the car up to speed as soon as possible. We have also been working on sprucing up the aesthetics of the team, we won the award for 'Best Presented Team' at last years final and we are determined to take it again. Time to get the vinyl cutter out I think. And the spray paint. and the texiprint. and the... ok, this may take some time!
Showing posts with label Heat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heat. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Monday, 3 October 2011
RLR1 at the Western Heat 2011
Sunday saw another early start for Richard Lander Racing as we made the journey up to Castle Combe for the Formula 24 Western Regional Heat. These early starts and long journeys have been surprisingly good for morale, nothing bonds a team better than shared adversity! A great appreciation goes to Mr. Beech who is doing all the minibus driving, but is it worth the singing?!
With several races done now the team are running like clockwork, flying through scrutineering and getting out to practice nice and early, myself and the other adults just setup our seating and let the team crack on. After a few pace laps from Harrison it was time to debut one of our new drivers, Jack, to take the wheel. As one of the two kids to have attended every race we have done, Jack is finally old enough to get out on the track.
With practice over it was time for the race to begin, Jacca lining up the car for RLR. The starting grid for regionals is a first come first served affair but with the team working so smoothly we managed to get ourselves right on the front row of the grid with such esteemed competitors as Rotary Racer and BY-Pod. The sun was beating down and track temperature rising, this would be a tough race for the drivers.
An swollen field of 49 competitors with a few former champions thrown in for good measure would make this a difficult race, even getting into the top fifteen would be a challenge but that's the target we set ourselves
Our strategy for this race was to increase our gearing to try and find our limit before the final so Jacca knew that he had to pace the car for the long race ahead keeping consistent laps (but still managing to sneak in our fastest lap of the race). by the end of Jacca's stint we were sitting in 18th place.
Next up was Ben to chase down some of those cars who had edged ahead of us and get into that top 15 bracket. With the determination and consistency Ben has shown all season those last few cars were picked off one by one and by the end of his run we were comfortably inside our target in 13th position, but with two thirds of the race to go, could we hold on? Could we do even better?
Time for the long stint, this time it was Harrison. Battling hard for those extra places and holding off the cars chasing us down, at the halfway point Harrison had taken us up to 10th, revealing a frustratingly familiar sight, the back of Megazord! The team from Bristol has finished one place ahead of us at both our previous heats and the team were determined to not let it happen again. As teams rose up and fell away, positions changed regularly but we still couldn't pass Megazord, although we were slowly gaining lap after lap. With ourselves in 9th, Megazord in 8th and Piranha in 7th it was time to start changing batteries. Megazord and Piranha came in first, allowing us to take both positions but we still had to pit ourselves on the next lap. When our time came, the team pulled off annother great pit stop, getting Gareth in and an exhausted Harrison out, and we were out and we settled around the timing board to see if we could beat Megazord and Piranha out, but it was mixed results, ahead of Piranha but still behind Megazord, leaving us in 8th place.
Gareth spent a few laps eating away at 'zords lead, but it wasn't to last, lap times were dropping off, the batteries were failing! Euan made the decision to bring him in a lap earlier than schedule, getting Becky in with the last set of batteries to run for the flag, but with an extra few minutes to run, would she make it?
Becky put in some great laps, tailing 'zord the whole way, putting the pressure on the whole time when completely out of the blue Superformance overtook us both, pushing Megazord and ourselves down to 8th and 9th. With only 12 minutes of the four hour race to go we got our chance, Meagazord's early pace had left them short on juice and they needed a battery change, and we finally overtook with just 8 minutes left on the clock, all we had to do was finish our last lap. As they disappeared up the Avon Rise, RLR1 was ahead with Megazord perilously close behind, the team took up a position on the pit wall to see the cars cross the line. For us the race was down to two cars, the other forty something competitors didn't matter now, only the red of RLR1 and the blue of Megazord, which one would come around first and claim 8th place?
It was blue.
Becky's batteries just couldn't keep up the pace for that extra lap. They had pipped us again!
9th place was our final position, well within our top 15 target and with mileage of 92.5, we continue to improve race after race. We are now 15th on the grid for the final, looking on target for a good result at Goodwood in a fortnights time, we may even beat Megazord one day!
With several races done now the team are running like clockwork, flying through scrutineering and getting out to practice nice and early, myself and the other adults just setup our seating and let the team crack on. After a few pace laps from Harrison it was time to debut one of our new drivers, Jack, to take the wheel. As one of the two kids to have attended every race we have done, Jack is finally old enough to get out on the track.
With practice over it was time for the race to begin, Jacca lining up the car for RLR. The starting grid for regionals is a first come first served affair but with the team working so smoothly we managed to get ourselves right on the front row of the grid with such esteemed competitors as Rotary Racer and BY-Pod. The sun was beating down and track temperature rising, this would be a tough race for the drivers.
An swollen field of 49 competitors with a few former champions thrown in for good measure would make this a difficult race, even getting into the top fifteen would be a challenge but that's the target we set ourselves
Our strategy for this race was to increase our gearing to try and find our limit before the final so Jacca knew that he had to pace the car for the long race ahead keeping consistent laps (but still managing to sneak in our fastest lap of the race). by the end of Jacca's stint we were sitting in 18th place.
Next up was Ben to chase down some of those cars who had edged ahead of us and get into that top 15 bracket. With the determination and consistency Ben has shown all season those last few cars were picked off one by one and by the end of his run we were comfortably inside our target in 13th position, but with two thirds of the race to go, could we hold on? Could we do even better?
Time for the long stint, this time it was Harrison. Battling hard for those extra places and holding off the cars chasing us down, at the halfway point Harrison had taken us up to 10th, revealing a frustratingly familiar sight, the back of Megazord! The team from Bristol has finished one place ahead of us at both our previous heats and the team were determined to not let it happen again. As teams rose up and fell away, positions changed regularly but we still couldn't pass Megazord, although we were slowly gaining lap after lap. With ourselves in 9th, Megazord in 8th and Piranha in 7th it was time to start changing batteries. Megazord and Piranha came in first, allowing us to take both positions but we still had to pit ourselves on the next lap. When our time came, the team pulled off annother great pit stop, getting Gareth in and an exhausted Harrison out, and we were out and we settled around the timing board to see if we could beat Megazord and Piranha out, but it was mixed results, ahead of Piranha but still behind Megazord, leaving us in 8th place.
Becky put in some great laps, tailing 'zord the whole way, putting the pressure on the whole time when completely out of the blue Superformance overtook us both, pushing Megazord and ourselves down to 8th and 9th. With only 12 minutes of the four hour race to go we got our chance, Meagazord's early pace had left them short on juice and they needed a battery change, and we finally overtook with just 8 minutes left on the clock, all we had to do was finish our last lap. As they disappeared up the Avon Rise, RLR1 was ahead with Megazord perilously close behind, the team took up a position on the pit wall to see the cars cross the line. For us the race was down to two cars, the other forty something competitors didn't matter now, only the red of RLR1 and the blue of Megazord, which one would come around first and claim 8th place?
It was blue.
Becky's batteries just couldn't keep up the pace for that extra lap. They had pipped us again!
9th place was our final position, well within our top 15 target and with mileage of 92.5, we continue to improve race after race. We are now 15th on the grid for the final, looking on target for a good result at Goodwood in a fortnights time, we may even beat Megazord one day!
Sunday, 18 September 2011
RLR1 at Somerset Heat 2011
Our races just keep getting more exciting! A superb effort from the team secured our second podium of the season, bringing home a well earned bronze with the silver so tantalisingly close.
Spirits were high at 5 in the morning as the team met to make the trip up to RNAS Merryfield. With qualification for the guaranteed from our performance at Newquay, this race was all about grid position, a good performance here would move us closer to the front of the grid. We were unfortunately missing Mr Lloyd-King who is expecting a baby any time now.
After making good time on the journey, we arrived with plenty of time to set up our paddock at a leisurely pace, giving us plenty of time to walk the track, get some data and get focused for the days racing ahead of us.
With setup and practice out of the way, it was time to get settled on the grid. We were starting from the 3rd row in a race with 31 competitors, the quality of the other cars was daunting, including the current provisional pole position car, Rotary Racer. Gareth was in the driver's seat for the start, a strong driver and more than capable for the hazards of traffic that comes at the start of the race. After gaining us several places, 40 minutes later, Gareth's time was up and we were 6th.
Next up was Ben for another 40 minutes. The quality of the cars at this end of the race were proving difficult to contend with, but Ben was more than a match for them putting in our fastest lap and taking us to 4th during his run, despite the odd light shower.
With Ben's time up it was time for the long, 80 minute stint, this time going to Becky. She soon settled into a groove, keeping pace with the cars in front, slowly eating away at their lead. It was during Becky's run that the sky really opened up, the downpours were mercifully short but heavy when they came. some of the cars began to struggle with the conditions and the front runners began to bunch up (except Rotary Racer which was ahead of the pack by a country mile) but with our wide track and cool headed driver, our lap times were barely affected.
A cold and wet Becky was finally swapped out for Jacca to continue the chase for 3rd place. Our consistency paid off eventually as MPH put in a few dodgy laps allowing both Megazord and ourselves to pass, we finally had a podium place but we were closely followed by a familiar team, Hummingbird from Plymouth Girls' School.
As the race was entering the final stages, success or failure would depend on how well the teams had managed their batteries throughout the race and Megazord was struggling. At only half a lap ahead of us they made their pit stop, allowing us to take the silver medal position but we had to stop ourselves and it had to be quick if we wanted to keep the position. Unfortunatly some dodgy pit lane marshaling lead to a blocked pit lane and our hopes for 2nd were slipping away as the car stood stationary some distance from our pit crew. We finally got the car in and the team did a great pit stop but it wasn't enough and we emerged back in 3rd place by some way, Lucky for us it was Harrison behind the wheel and if anyone could catch up it was him. After putting some distance between himself and the 4th place car, sights were set on Megazord once again. With only 20 minutes or so their lead was shrinking, we were catching them! As the last few minutes of the race ebbed away we were back to within half a lap and Megazord's batteries were failing, but sadly the checkered flag came down before we could get them, all we needed was a few more seconds as they ended up crawling across the line but it was not meant to be.
The team continues to go from strength to strength and this has been our best result ever with a race distance of 85.5 miles we have jumped from 59th to 20th on the final grid. We also brought home the IMechE 'Best Engineered Car' award to add to our impressive trophy collection.
Spirits were high at 5 in the morning as the team met to make the trip up to RNAS Merryfield. With qualification for the guaranteed from our performance at Newquay, this race was all about grid position, a good performance here would move us closer to the front of the grid. We were unfortunately missing Mr Lloyd-King who is expecting a baby any time now.
After making good time on the journey, we arrived with plenty of time to set up our paddock at a leisurely pace, giving us plenty of time to walk the track, get some data and get focused for the days racing ahead of us.
With setup and practice out of the way, it was time to get settled on the grid. We were starting from the 3rd row in a race with 31 competitors, the quality of the other cars was daunting, including the current provisional pole position car, Rotary Racer. Gareth was in the driver's seat for the start, a strong driver and more than capable for the hazards of traffic that comes at the start of the race. After gaining us several places, 40 minutes later, Gareth's time was up and we were 6th.
Next up was Ben for another 40 minutes. The quality of the cars at this end of the race were proving difficult to contend with, but Ben was more than a match for them putting in our fastest lap and taking us to 4th during his run, despite the odd light shower.
With Ben's time up it was time for the long, 80 minute stint, this time going to Becky. She soon settled into a groove, keeping pace with the cars in front, slowly eating away at their lead. It was during Becky's run that the sky really opened up, the downpours were mercifully short but heavy when they came. some of the cars began to struggle with the conditions and the front runners began to bunch up (except Rotary Racer which was ahead of the pack by a country mile) but with our wide track and cool headed driver, our lap times were barely affected.
A cold and wet Becky was finally swapped out for Jacca to continue the chase for 3rd place. Our consistency paid off eventually as MPH put in a few dodgy laps allowing both Megazord and ourselves to pass, we finally had a podium place but we were closely followed by a familiar team, Hummingbird from Plymouth Girls' School.
As the race was entering the final stages, success or failure would depend on how well the teams had managed their batteries throughout the race and Megazord was struggling. At only half a lap ahead of us they made their pit stop, allowing us to take the silver medal position but we had to stop ourselves and it had to be quick if we wanted to keep the position. Unfortunatly some dodgy pit lane marshaling lead to a blocked pit lane and our hopes for 2nd were slipping away as the car stood stationary some distance from our pit crew. We finally got the car in and the team did a great pit stop but it wasn't enough and we emerged back in 3rd place by some way, Lucky for us it was Harrison behind the wheel and if anyone could catch up it was him. After putting some distance between himself and the 4th place car, sights were set on Megazord once again. With only 20 minutes or so their lead was shrinking, we were catching them! As the last few minutes of the race ebbed away we were back to within half a lap and Megazord's batteries were failing, but sadly the checkered flag came down before we could get them, all we needed was a few more seconds as they ended up crawling across the line but it was not meant to be.
The team continues to go from strength to strength and this has been our best result ever with a race distance of 85.5 miles we have jumped from 59th to 20th on the final grid. We also brought home the IMechE 'Best Engineered Car' award to add to our impressive trophy collection.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Midseason Update
With the summer break fast approaching, I thought i would give an update of how things stand and what we will be expecting from the rest of the season. With seven of the eleven regional heats complete the qualification ladder is starting to show which cars are the ones to beat. 150 cars have competed so far and leading the table is Rotary Racer from Chipping Sodbury, 2009 champions and one of only four cars to break the 100 mile threshold so far this season. Last years most dominant car, Zebedee, has had a slow start, struggling with the new batteries perhaps, but have since shown their colours and put in a big mileage at Rockingham to put them comfortably back in the top ten.
As for us, we are guaranteed our place at this years final after our podium finish but with only the relatively slow circuit of RAF St Mawgan under our belts we are languishing down in 50th position at the moment. However, with RNAS Merryfield and Castle Combe yet to come, we hope to improve upon this massively. RLR 1 still has a lot more to give, there was plenty left in the batteries after the Newquay heat so we will give it a bit more welly at the next race in September.
Our goal for this season, as determined by team captain, Euan, is Corporate Challenge qualification. To achieve this we will have to finish in the top 15 at the National Final @ Goodwood, an ambitious target but one we think the team can really pull out of the bag. The current team is working magnificently and the recent modifications to the car have released so much of her previously unused potential, the future looks bright, the future is Richard Lander Racing!
As for us, we are guaranteed our place at this years final after our podium finish but with only the relatively slow circuit of RAF St Mawgan under our belts we are languishing down in 50th position at the moment. However, with RNAS Merryfield and Castle Combe yet to come, we hope to improve upon this massively. RLR 1 still has a lot more to give, there was plenty left in the batteries after the Newquay heat so we will give it a bit more welly at the next race in September.
Our goal for this season, as determined by team captain, Euan, is Corporate Challenge qualification. To achieve this we will have to finish in the top 15 at the National Final @ Goodwood, an ambitious target but one we think the team can really pull out of the bag. The current team is working magnificently and the recent modifications to the car have released so much of her previously unused potential, the future looks bright, the future is Richard Lander Racing!
Friday, 1 July 2011
Qualification Ladder 2011
Over on the Greenpower website they have just published the qualification ladder for this year. With several regional heats yet to race this list will change over the next few months but it can be found here:
http://www.greenpower.co.uk/uploads/Qualification_Table_30.6.11.pdf
The top 3 teams from each heat qualify automatically and the remaining places are made up by sorting the cars in order of distance covered. We are currently sitting in 30th position but hope to climb up the rankings by putting in some big milages at the more open tracks in the autumn. The position in this table also becomes the grid position in the final so getting high in the list is now our priority now that our qualification is guaranteed.
http://www.greenpower.co.uk/uploads/Qualification_Table_30.6.11.pdf
The top 3 teams from each heat qualify automatically and the remaining places are made up by sorting the cars in order of distance covered. We are currently sitting in 30th position but hope to climb up the rankings by putting in some big milages at the more open tracks in the autumn. The position in this table also becomes the grid position in the final so getting high in the list is now our priority now that our qualification is guaranteed.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Back in the Workshop
Now that the car is back in the workshop we can finally survey the damage from the race last Thursday.
Most of the damage has come from the collision with the Penair car, both right hand wheels are buckled and will have to be trued, right brake disc is coated in a melted layer of solar film and the left hand front axle is bent from where it was forced into the cones.
There are also a few bumps and scrapes which will need attention as well, the rear cowling needs a touch up where it hit the road after flying off mid-race as well as a new fixing system! The seat back also has a crack in it which we will replace before it has a chance to fail.
Our next race will be The Somerset Heat @ RNAS Merryfield on the 17th September 2011, this sounds like its a long way off but it only works out to be four weeks of school time so we had better get to work!
On a more recreational note, the team will be going karting next week as a well done for their awesome performance at the heat last week. The level of professionalism and Independence shown by the team is one of the reasons that Richard Lander Racing is such a great flagship project for the school.
Most of the damage has come from the collision with the Penair car, both right hand wheels are buckled and will have to be trued, right brake disc is coated in a melted layer of solar film and the left hand front axle is bent from where it was forced into the cones.
There are also a few bumps and scrapes which will need attention as well, the rear cowling needs a touch up where it hit the road after flying off mid-race as well as a new fixing system! The seat back also has a crack in it which we will replace before it has a chance to fail.
Our next race will be The Somerset Heat @ RNAS Merryfield on the 17th September 2011, this sounds like its a long way off but it only works out to be four weeks of school time so we had better get to work!
On a more recreational note, the team will be going karting next week as a well done for their awesome performance at the heat last week. The level of professionalism and Independence shown by the team is one of the reasons that Richard Lander Racing is such a great flagship project for the school.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Southwest Heat 2011
This years heat has got to have been the most exciting race we have driven in. The three top teams, Penair's Blue Raptor, Bristol Grammar's Megazord and our own RLR1, were so evenly matched that the race could have been any body's. The day started off with scrutineering, now made so much simpler with the new MOT system which we passed with ease, allowing plenty of time for practice. Mr Lloyd-King's gear prediction turned out to be right on the money, but some issues with chain tension and some significant play in the steering meant a super quick fettling session before the race itself began.
First in the driving seat was Gareth, one of our best (but maybe not the luckiest!) drivers to set the pace. It soon became clear who the top contenders were and at the end of Gareth's run the team pulled out an excellent pit stop to keep us in with the front runners.
Next up was our newest driver, Becky, who had better lap times round our astroturf than any of the boys! With open track in front of her she was lighting quick. Her inexperience lead to some hesitation around traffic in her first few laps and a penalty for aggressive driving but she soon got into a groove and stayed hot on the heals of the leaders.
Our battery strategy meant the next stint would be a long one so it had to be Harrison to take us to the half way point and beyond. RLR1 is built for speed and not comfort so and extended driving stint is a bit of an ordeal but Harrison put in some excellent, consistent laps, despite loosing the rear cowling along the way, gaining the lead as the two front runners pitted.
To keep the position, the team now had to pit in record time. Harrison was replaced by Ben, the batteries were changed and the car was back out in the premier spot by a hair's breadth. The top three cars, with ourselves in the lead all went diving into the second corner which was already crowded with slower cars. As Ben tried to take the inside line, he was cut up by the Penair car, forcing him off the track and causing some spectacular wheel damage, putting us out for a good 9-10 laps while we repaired the wheel and brake caliper. From defending first place we had dropped down to third and Plymouth School's Hummingbird was right behind us, trying hard to deny us our qualifying place.
After Ben saw out the last of his time, the car had one last pit stop and Jacca finally got behind the wheel. After a bit of a ropey start, he finally got the car going and did enough to see off the challenge from Plymouth School, bringing the car home safely in third place and guaranteeing our place at Goodwood in October.
The team has gone from strength to strength this season and once again they can be extremely proud of their performance. Their tenacity and determination is exemplary, when it looked like our race was over and our chance had gone they got the car back out there and earned their qualifying place. The staff at Greenpower also recognised this, awarding us the Spirit of Greenpower award.
Well done team!
First in the driving seat was Gareth, one of our best (but maybe not the luckiest!) drivers to set the pace. It soon became clear who the top contenders were and at the end of Gareth's run the team pulled out an excellent pit stop to keep us in with the front runners.
Next up was our newest driver, Becky, who had better lap times round our astroturf than any of the boys! With open track in front of her she was lighting quick. Her inexperience lead to some hesitation around traffic in her first few laps and a penalty for aggressive driving but she soon got into a groove and stayed hot on the heals of the leaders.
Our battery strategy meant the next stint would be a long one so it had to be Harrison to take us to the half way point and beyond. RLR1 is built for speed and not comfort so and extended driving stint is a bit of an ordeal but Harrison put in some excellent, consistent laps, despite loosing the rear cowling along the way, gaining the lead as the two front runners pitted.
To keep the position, the team now had to pit in record time. Harrison was replaced by Ben, the batteries were changed and the car was back out in the premier spot by a hair's breadth. The top three cars, with ourselves in the lead all went diving into the second corner which was already crowded with slower cars. As Ben tried to take the inside line, he was cut up by the Penair car, forcing him off the track and causing some spectacular wheel damage, putting us out for a good 9-10 laps while we repaired the wheel and brake caliper. From defending first place we had dropped down to third and Plymouth School's Hummingbird was right behind us, trying hard to deny us our qualifying place.
After Ben saw out the last of his time, the car had one last pit stop and Jacca finally got behind the wheel. After a bit of a ropey start, he finally got the car going and did enough to see off the challenge from Plymouth School, bringing the car home safely in third place and guaranteeing our place at Goodwood in October.
The team has gone from strength to strength this season and once again they can be extremely proud of their performance. Their tenacity and determination is exemplary, when it looked like our race was over and our chance had gone they got the car back out there and earned their qualifying place. The staff at Greenpower also recognised this, awarding us the Spirit of Greenpower award.
Well done team!
Monday, 20 June 2011
Live Timing
For all those who can't make it on Thursday you can still keep up with our progress on the Greenpower live timing website. The address is www.bbk-online.net/gpt/race28.htm and is updated in real time as the race progresses.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Back on the Road, Well Almost!
With the Southwest Regional Heat approaching fast (23rd June, be there!) the car is almost back together after the major overhaul that's been going on since we got back from Silverstone. The most striking new feature is the new slimline look,
This has been done to save both weight and rolling resistance and with a track of over 600mm should have a minimal practical effect on stability. Other weight/resistance savings have been made in the drive train. We have switched from two cantilevered axles to a single transaxle at the rear which has let us get rid of two bearings and their supports. We have also simplified our drive train by removing the CVT gearbox, replacing it with just a regular cassette hub to act as a lay shaft. This has saved us loads of weight and resistance but we do lose out on flexibility on the the track with only a single gear.
The brakes are now mounted on the front wheels. The regulations demand two wheels be independently braked so we have had to mount them up front. This means we take a bit of an aerodynamic hit but this is more than made up for by the weight savings at the back.
The car has also had an aesthetic spruce up with a new coat of paint and brand new decals, just to finish her off properly. There are still a few more tweaks and nudges left to do this afternoon but she should be ready for a pre-race shake down at the end of the day.
This has been done to save both weight and rolling resistance and with a track of over 600mm should have a minimal practical effect on stability. Other weight/resistance savings have been made in the drive train. We have switched from two cantilevered axles to a single transaxle at the rear which has let us get rid of two bearings and their supports. We have also simplified our drive train by removing the CVT gearbox, replacing it with just a regular cassette hub to act as a lay shaft. This has saved us loads of weight and resistance but we do lose out on flexibility on the the track with only a single gear.
The brakes are now mounted on the front wheels. The regulations demand two wheels be independently braked so we have had to mount them up front. This means we take a bit of an aerodynamic hit but this is more than made up for by the weight savings at the back.
The car has also had an aesthetic spruce up with a new coat of paint and brand new decals, just to finish her off properly. There are still a few more tweaks and nudges left to do this afternoon but she should be ready for a pre-race shake down at the end of the day.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Details for Newquay 2011
The Southwest Regional Heat is now less than a fortnight away and the team are cracking on well with preparations to the car which have included some pretty hefty modifications, I will give some more details in the next post but for now I will pass on the schedule for the day at RAF St Mawgan on the 23rd June:
0900 - Teams arrive and sign on
0930 - Scrutineering opens
1000 - Team briefing
1030 to 1130 - Practice
1200 to 1600 - Race
1630 - Prize giving
This is an open event so anyone can come and spectate. For those who need them, here are the directions, please note that there is no access through the main gates at RAF St Mawgan, we use one of the side entrances:
0900 - Teams arrive and sign on
0930 - Scrutineering opens
1000 - Team briefing
1030 to 1130 - Practice
1200 to 1600 - Race
1630 - Prize giving
This is an open event so anyone can come and spectate. For those who need them, here are the directions, please note that there is no access through the main gates at RAF St Mawgan, we use one of the side entrances:
- From A30 at St Dennis roundabout join A39
- At the second roundabout take the first exit on the A3059
- Continue on the A3059 for approximately 5 miles then turn right, following signs for RAF St Mawgan
- Go straight past the main gates to RAF St Mawgan, the crash gates are a short distance further along the road. Marshals will be on hand to direct you from the crash gates.
Friday, 20 May 2011
More Modifications
With the experience of the Season Opener under our belts and now knowing how we will be affected by the battery change, the team have been making some modifications to the car to improve the performance ahead of our local qualifying race in June.
One of the major changes, due to the overall reduction in speed is that aerodynamics has become slightly less important but weight has become more important. With this in mind we have put the car on a crash diet. We have removed as much material as possable from the rear sub frame without compromising its strength. This includes the replacement of the cantilevered drive shafts with a single through axle.
This allows us to remove two bearing blocks and theirssupports from the frame but it does mean moving the braking system to the front wheels. One of our kind sponsors, Teagle, have offered to make our new steering assemblies which will now include the necessary mounting points for the brake calipers and also give us much more control over the precise geometry of the steering system.
While the car has been stripped down the team have also been working on the surface finish. We are trying to get a perfectly smooth finish to reduce turbulence as the air flows over the surface. With only a few weeks left until our next race we will have to get cracking to get all these mods completed but we will be working every lunchtime until the car is back on its wheels once more.
One of the major changes, due to the overall reduction in speed is that aerodynamics has become slightly less important but weight has become more important. With this in mind we have put the car on a crash diet. We have removed as much material as possable from the rear sub frame without compromising its strength. This includes the replacement of the cantilevered drive shafts with a single through axle.
This allows us to remove two bearing blocks and theirssupports from the frame but it does mean moving the braking system to the front wheels. One of our kind sponsors, Teagle, have offered to make our new steering assemblies which will now include the necessary mounting points for the brake calipers and also give us much more control over the precise geometry of the steering system.
While the car has been stripped down the team have also been working on the surface finish. We are trying to get a perfectly smooth finish to reduce turbulence as the air flows over the surface. With only a few weeks left until our next race we will have to get cracking to get all these mods completed but we will be working every lunchtime until the car is back on its wheels once more.
Friday, 17 December 2010
2011 Race Calender
The dates of the coming season's races have been published over at www.greenpower.co.uk. We really want to focus on racing this year so as well as the Season Opener we will be entered for 3 regional heats. The dates for our races this season will be:
- Season Opener @Silverstone - 1st May 2011
- Southwest Regional Heat @RAF St Mawgan - 23rd June 2011
- Somerset Regional Heat @RNAS Merryfield - 17th September 2011
- Western Regional Heat @Castle Combe - 2nd October 2011
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
The Subframe Arrives
The newly modified sub-frame arrived yesterday and the boys got to work on polishing it, ready to be installed soon. The roll hoop height was deemed to be marginal at the Southwest regional heat and a note was made in our logbook to change it before our next race, an extra 6" has been added so there is plenty of room under there now, even if our drivers grow some in the near future. The fabrication work was done by the engineers at Callestick Farm through the Rotary Club, completely free of charge, thanks guys!
At the same time today some of us were working on wheel coverings. To improve aerodynamics we have decided to cover the wheels in Solartex, a heat shrinking film normally used on model aeroplanes. This is still a bit of a work in progress but when it is complete the wheels will not only look great dished out in red, but also improve performance.
At the same time today some of us were working on wheel coverings. To improve aerodynamics we have decided to cover the wheels in Solartex, a heat shrinking film normally used on model aeroplanes. This is still a bit of a work in progress but when it is complete the wheels will not only look great dished out in red, but also improve performance.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
South West Heat, Well done Boys!
What an awesome day of Racing! The sun was shining on us in Newquay today as the car took to the track in its first competitive race. After a bit of a ropey start the boys settled in and we started to put some consistent laps in. The track surface was really rough on the tyres and some emergency tyre repair took us out for another long period, dropping our position in the field. This was when our star driver, Harrison, stepped up. After putting in some awesome laps we started gaining on the opposition. As the final minutes ticked away we found ourselves in 3rd position with plenty of juice left in the batteries and took lap after lap off the second place cars from Penair and Newton Abbot College; but it proved to be a stretch too far and we finished in the bronze medal position, guaranteeing us a place at Goodwood in October.
As well as the bronze medal, we also picked up some of the supplementary awards. We were awarded the IMechE 'Best Engineered Car' and also the IoM3 'Innovative Use of Materials' awards, but perhaps the most prestigious is the Sustainability Award from CoolEarth who were so impressed with our biodegradable chassis and overall 'green' ethos that we were awarded an acre of Amazonian Rainforest!
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Our Sponsors
With the car progessing so well, we are soon going to be thinking about decals and sponsor logos so I thought it would be a great time to reaffirm our thanks to all the companies and individuals who have helped us to get this far.
Ladds Concrete have supplied us with epic amounts of funding, without which we would certainly be struggling to complete this project, especially to the high standard we have set for ourselves.
Woodstock have donated, free of charge, all the ply and cedar used in the chassis construction as well as providing thier expert advice on some construction techniques.
Teagles, especially Callum Evans, have machined the drive shafts and bearings as well as some smaller machining jobs, not only providing labour for free but also sourcing materials at thier own cost.
Our aluminium subframe was constructed by Mr McReady's contact at the Rotary Club, again supplying materials and labour free of charge.
Bike Chain in Redruth have also been helpful in supplying wheels and brakes at reduced cost.
We are extremely grateful to all these companies for their help and support and now that the regional heat is approaching we hope to repay them with a great result.
Ladds Concrete have supplied us with epic amounts of funding, without which we would certainly be struggling to complete this project, especially to the high standard we have set for ourselves.
Woodstock have donated, free of charge, all the ply and cedar used in the chassis construction as well as providing thier expert advice on some construction techniques.
Teagles, especially Callum Evans, have machined the drive shafts and bearings as well as some smaller machining jobs, not only providing labour for free but also sourcing materials at thier own cost.
Our aluminium subframe was constructed by Mr McReady's contact at the Rotary Club, again supplying materials and labour free of charge.
Bike Chain in Redruth have also been helpful in supplying wheels and brakes at reduced cost.
We are extremely grateful to all these companies for their help and support and now that the regional heat is approaching we hope to repay them with a great result.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Back to Work
Work has resumed on the car after the Easter break, luckily none of the team is stuck overseas! Work continues on the drive chain with the addition of the sprockets and chain from HPC Gears, The gig used for the body has now been reworked into the gig for the bonnet section and the electronics for the autochanger have been prototyped and are ready for testing. With only 2 months to go to the heat however, we need to start getting a move on if we want to do any significant testing before hand.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
It's Official
We have now recieved our entry confermation with the date of our heat, it will be on the 24th June 2010. That should give us plenty of time to build and fully test the car before the season starts. The venue is Newquay Airport this year, a new track to us so we will definatly have our work cut out for us! To qualify for Goodwood we have to procure a podium finish which last year was a drive of about 60 miles in 4 hours, a tough task but one that I am sure that we will be more than capable of. On a construction note, the fillets which reinforce the bulkheads are ready to be glued into place using the bone glue which will happen in the next few days so we are still on track for the Christmas deadline for the box chassis.
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