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!
Showing posts with label racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racing. Show all posts
Friday, 15 July 2011
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!
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.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Preparations for Silverstone
The first race of the season is only a few weeks away and things are starting to get a little tense here at Richard Lander Racing! Our new gear hubs have arrived, thanks to the immense generosity of the guys at Fallbrook, and have been fitted and the datalogging system is pretty much complete also. there should even be time for a quick test session over at RAF Portreath after the Easter holiday just to bed everything in and get the drivers a few more hours behind the wheel.
The Season Opener is on 1st May and will be the first Greenpower event to be held at Silverstone. With the Corporate challenge being held on the same day it will be a great weekend of racing. Entry for spectators is free so feel free to make your own way up or join us in convoy on Saturday morning. We will be leaving from school at 9:00 and camping at Silverstone on the Saturday night. Make sure you bring an inflatable or camp bed as Silverstone doesn't have the best camping facilities!
The schedule for race day is then as follows:
The Season Opener is on 1st May and will be the first Greenpower event to be held at Silverstone. With the Corporate challenge being held on the same day it will be a great weekend of racing. Entry for spectators is free so feel free to make your own way up or join us in convoy on Saturday morning. We will be leaving from school at 9:00 and camping at Silverstone on the Saturday night. Make sure you bring an inflatable or camp bed as Silverstone doesn't have the best camping facilities!
The schedule for race day is then as follows:
- 0730 - Teams sign in
- 0815 - Scrutineering
- 0845 - Team briefing 1
- 0930 to 1030 - Practice
- 1040 - Team briefing 2
- 1110 to 1230 - Season Opener Race
- 1330 to 1730 - Corporate Challenge Race
- 1800 - Awards ceremonies
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!
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
New blog!
Well, this is the very first entry in the Richard Lander Racing blog. This is where we will be posting updates on the build process of the new car as well as our progress when we finally get racing in the coming season. First, a bit about Greenpower, the competition we will be racing in. Greenpower is a competition for young engineers, aged 11-16 to build and race an electric car. Everyone starts with the same motor and batteries but beyond that the teams are free to build the car in whichever way they choose. The races are endurance races, lasting 4 hours with no charging of batteries allowed during the race and no adults are allowed to work on the car during pit-stops.
The V24 was our entry in the 2008 season and made it all the way to the final at Goodwood motor circuit in Sussex. Hoping to do even better this year, construction of RLR 1 is already under way, albeit at the very early stages but stay tuned for updates and photos from the build as it happens.
The V24 was our entry in the 2008 season and made it all the way to the final at Goodwood motor circuit in Sussex. Hoping to do even better this year, construction of RLR 1 is already under way, albeit at the very early stages but stay tuned for updates and photos from the build as it happens.
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