RLR1 at the National Final 2011

We have returned after an long and incredibly tiring weekend and once again the team has done superbly.
A nice, leisurely 9am start on Saturday began our journey to West Sussex for the Formula 24 National Final at its regular home of Glorious Goodwood. With our trusty trailer, on free loan from Tyrone Snell, we were on our way. We had been given permission to sign write the trailer so we had spent all day Friday pimping her up and we were pretty proud of how we would roll.

This would be our third trip to the historic circuit, the second with the current car, and we were determined to right the disappointment of the previous year where an hour out of the race with electrical problems put us near the back of the field. We were also once again up against our local rivals and fellow Truronians, Penair School with their car, Blue Raptor, and after the 'racing incident' between us earlier in the season we were determined to finish ahead of them this time.

Before race day on Sunday we had a treat planned for the team. Andy Clarke, husband of our own TA, Emma Clarke, had got us permission to tour the composites factory where he works, Global Technologies Racing. A fantastic opportunity for the team, they got to see first hand the sort of technologies that go into Formula 1 and Le Mans cars as well as getting their hands on a few beautifully crafted carbon and glass fibre components due to be on the track in the near future.

For the first time we had forsaken the camping for the luxury of a Travelodge and the extra comfort, as well as the Olympic breakfast from the little chef next door, meant the team were ready to perform at their best on race day. With the team fed and watered we got cracking on to Goodwood. With the well practiced efficiency we have come to expect from the team we were setup and ready for practice in no time, even after some time out for team photos.

We decided to go to practice with the highest gearing we could theoretically achieve to see if it was practical but the lap times proved to be on the slow side so the team pulled the car in and changed the gear by a single tooth on the lay-shaft and sent the car out for another run but with time enough for only a single flying lap, results were inconclusive. We decided to play safe and change the gearing again before the race but without testing, would it get us to the end of the race? We sent the team out for the parade and to line up on the grid.

With Jacca behind the wheel in for the first stint we were confident of a good start  and after all the cars had settled into a groove we were cruising along in 23rd position. Our rivals from Penair School unfortunately pulled out after only four laps with technical problems, a sad way to end a race and not the way we wanted to beat them, but with that goal resolved we focused on our own race.Our pace was consistent and the team were in control but an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration meant that the pit board was missed and the car stayed out for an extra lap before the changeover. Calculations were made, plans rewritten and Ben was put in for the second stint. Driving with the consistency he is known for, Ben crept past a car or two, clocking up the miles and pushing us up to 20th at the end of his run.

With Harrison in for stint three, we were looking for some places to fall but despite some great driving and a few on track incidents to avoid we ended the long stint having only taken one place but he lap times remained consistent and the race was still going to plan. Going into the last third of the race, Gareth took over the driving duties, keen to get the laps he missed out on after the technical problems of the previous year. The counter ticked away and eventually so did the lap times, passably as a result of the missed pit earlier in the day so the team decided to pull him in but a second missed pit board lead to an awfully slow lap as the batteries began to fail. Gareth did well to nurse the car home and it was then time for Becky to finish the race and chase down a few more cars before the chequered flag.

In typical fashion for a Formula 24 race, positions changed and cars swapped places frequently in the last half hour as strategy and consistency begin to pay off for those teams that manage their cars well. Our earlier control of the cars speed was now paying off and we kept the pace consistent as other cars began to run out of juice. As the flag fell at the end of the race, we had fought our way up to 17th place in a field of 75 cars and another PB of 93.6 miles. The team had also impressed the judges with their professional demeanour and knowledge of the car and were presented with the IOM3 'Innovative Use of Materials' Award.

With a fantastic final race completed, the season has now come to a close and we will be saying goodbye to some legendary year 11s from the team. It has been an epic journey and they can all be proud of what they have achieved during their time in the team. The remaining members of the team have some big shoes to fill and with the addition of some new face in the next few months we are keen to get started on some modifications for next year and maybe even start work on a new car...

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!

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.

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!

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.

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:

• 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.

For those on Facebook we have set up an event, feel free to join here.

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.

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!

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.