Chris Hawley, Director of Innovation, said: “It was the culmination of an eight-month project during which students built their karts, learned about the science, design and calculations behind the construction and parts, designed the graphics and got the karts track ready.
“On the day, the karts had to go through scrutineering, checking the build in detail and making any adjustments before qualifying. Our premier drivers took on this challenge, with Jamie (Year 9) and Caspar (Year 10) earning 1st and 6th place on the grid respectively. Jamie caught the eye as one of the fastest drivers from any team and there were 35 or so other karts in the competition from schools up and down the country.
“We had the opportunity to check out the food stalls, get up close to an Alpine F1 car, who were one of the main sponsors, do a track walk, and talk strategy before the final races. The final was a Le Mans style endurance challenge, with the team of four drivers completing the most laps in an hour, including changeovers, being the winners.
“With so many entrants the field was split into two races. Team Seaford watched race one to get a feel for what numbers were competitive as both karts were in the second of the two races. With plenty of drama, some incredible driving and lead swapping, the Seaford karts finished an incredible first and second in race two, with the team of Jamie, Oscar, Gus and Henry taking overall first place bringing home the race trophy and winning an Alpine HQ visit and car experience. The other kart of Caspar, Hugo, Stanley and Will did amazingly well to come 7th overall in a very tough competition. They certainly deserved their goodie bags and a KFC stop on the way home.
“We will be looking to defend our trophy next year and are on the lookout for some keen boy and girl drivers and engineers from Year 8 and 9 to join in,” said Chris.
Many thanks to the team of students for their dedication and commitment, and thanks to the parents who had to get up early and pick up late, especially those who made the long trip up to support on the day. Thanks to Mr Wilkins, Mr Pattison and Mr Hawley, but especially Mr Shaw for making the project the success that it was.
