Latymerians race at Goodwood

At the end of a very busy Summer term our Year 6 Engineering Club got to race the electric car they had built at Goodwood Motor Circuit. 

This is the first time Latymer Prep has taken part in the scheme run by Greenpower Education Trust, a UK based charity which gets young people enthusiastic about science and engineering by challenging them to build and race an electric car.

Year 6 pupils had been involved in every aspect - from design, to manufacturing, marketing and fundraising. 

Mr Richter and Mr Curran, who had been overseeing the project, transported the vehicle which pupils had affectionately named ‘Ziggy Car Rust’ to Goodwood very early on race day. The pupils were very excited when they arrived with their parents and after a briefing they went straight into the racing. 

First there was a drag race, with pupils taking it in turns to be driver and pusher. After winning a couple of the heats the Latymer team came twenty-third  out of 64 cars which is really good for a team debut. “We were the rookies and it felt good to surprise some of the schools who’ve been racing for years,” said Mr Richter. “It was a real achievement to do that well and end up that high up the table.”

The next event was a slalom - a challenging course of tight turns around cones. Pupils took it in turn to drive, tackling multiple laps. Again they did really well, coming 35th. “We’d only had one test run before the race,” said Mr Curran. “which proved to be invaluable as we got to fix various things on the car before going to Goodwood which really made a difference.”

Next was the sprint race - a mini circuit with a tight U-bend and drivers had to stop in a box at the end - requiring skilled driving. After multiple goes the team came fifty-second. “We learnt a lot from this event,” said Mr Richter, “which we’ll apply for next year particularly around the brake system.”

Then came the main moment of the day - the big lap of Goodwood - the course driven by legends. The ‘Lap of Honour’ was driven by all participants - schools from across the UK, many of whom have been racing for many years - and the pupils made sure Mr Richter got to drive too. 

“Ziggy behaved impeccably,” said Mr Richter. “We couldn’t have asked for more and the fact that Mr Curran ended up helping other teams as their cars were falling apart is a real testament to the good job our pupils have done building the car. 

“It was a long but brilliant day and we made sure everyone got to drive and push start.  A big thanks to the Lester family for helping us pack everything away and wave us off. We’re now keen to start building the 2023 car and applying the learnings from 2022,” said Mr Curran.