Goodwood race track based in Chichester, was the place to be for a group of Bournemouth & Poole College engineering apprentices, as they tested their Greenpower car “Knife n Fork it!”
The race team, which includes Natasha Hockey, Will Taylor, Ryan Comradie and Tyla Munday, are all completing their Apprenticeship training at Cobham plc. Over the past couple of months the team have been working hard on the race car, often giving up their spare time to ensure it meets the strict rules as set by Greenpower.
The team have implemented significant improvements to the car which has seen the nose fibreglassed to strengthen it. Reaching top speeds of 35mph, the team is competing in one of the toughest classes – Greenpower 24+, which includes companies such as Jaguar Land Rover and Renishaw.
Natasha, who is a Greenpower veteran after previously being an active member of the Parkstone Grammar School Greenpower Team said: “The test at Goodwood was such a great experience and it was really interesting to see the other team’s cars. We still have work to do on our car, but we’re confident that it will competitive in the racing season.”
Alongside the development of the Greenpower 24+ car, the team have also begun to develop a more bespoke car. Sunseeker International Technology Centre have donated raw materials for the build and it is expected it will compete against cars that are at the forefront of technology within the Greenpower rules.
Wayne Weedon, Engineering Lecturer at The College commented: “For a couple of years a selection of Engineering students have devoted their own free time to work on a Greenpower kit car which The College purchased from the Greenpower Education Trust.
“This year we had a very active team who were able to get the car ready for the official test day at Goodwood in April. The level of commitment from the students has been outstanding and is real proof that they’ve been able to use the knowledge and skills they have learnt in the classroom and apply it to this project.”
The team will take “Knife n Fork it!” to their first race at the first Goodwood heat on Sunday June 25th 2017.
