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After months of hard work the “Roadrunner” electric car was ready to enter its, and indeed Dollar Academy’s, first motor sport event.
The team headed north to Alford on a cold and wet June morning with a strong sense of excitement and expectation. This was to be the moment of truth for the electric car that had taken almost two terms to construct.
The car had already been taken to the racing venue the previous day, and had passed all the scrutinisers' checks. Things were looking good. The morning was spent tinkering with the car and testing it on the track, until the first official race event of the day started, the Junior “Goblins” heat. Although Dollar did not enter a team in this particular event, it was very encouraging to see so many young children aged from 9 to 11 involved, and the hour-long race proved to be very competitive.
Soon, it was time for the main event: the four hour Formula 24 Scottish Regional Heat. The race began at 13:00 with all eleven cars on the race track, each unique but with one common goal: to win the race. Michael Bowers was the first driver for Dollar, and after thirty minutes a driver changeover put Mairi Gillespie in the driving seat, followed by David Allan. Niamh Allum and Georgina Bruce Jones did wonderful jobs giving trackside signals to indicate pit stops, battery changes and driver changes. Around this time, however, things were not going well for the car, and it soon ground to a standstill, surrounded by an acrid odour; the electric motor had burned out.
A gentleman in charge of one of the Goblin teams, kindly agreed to sell us a motor from his school’s car, so an hour was spent changing over the new motor, with Calum Duncan, Fergus Band and Matthew Orr working flat out. This gave the car a new lease of life, and Caitlin Grupping took to the wheel, followed by Alasdair Melling. The new motor coped well, but would the batteries last the final quarter of the race?
Towards the end, the car was moving very slowly, and required constant cooling from water, sponges, buckets - anything to lower the temperature of the motor. Callum Aitken managed to drive the car over the finishing line, with a little help from Alastair Fenwick, but the car had made it, and was one of four cars left on the track at the end of the race.
In terms of the number of miles covered, the Roadrunner came in 6th place, something that the team was happy with, despite the technical problems experienced. More importantly, the race was an ideal opportunity to establish the weak areas in the car, which can now be improved upon.
All the pupils enjoyed the event and thought it was a great experience. Racing a car that they had built seemed to give a sense of completion to the whole project, as well as developing the pupils’ skills overall.
The team would like to thank all the sponsors who kindly provided financial support for the project:
- Dollar Academy
- Elite Control Systems
- Lawrie Orr Associates
- Arnold Clark
- Patterson Gardens and Buildings
The team would also like to thank Mr Miller for providing overalls, and Mr. Campbell for the use of the trailer.
Design work has already commenced on the Roadrunner Mk2 and updates will appear in due course.
The Greenpower team continues to appreciate any support, and if you can help in any way then please contact Mr. Cochrane in the Technology Department.
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