Last updated 06:47, Sunday, 16 November 2008

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REVVED UP: Daryl Johnson, 13, will drive Dowdales School’s workshop-built 24-volt battery-powered car in a nationwide four-hour endurance race CHRIS WARNER REF: 0453262

PUPILS produce some amazing things in design and technology.

You wouldn't expect to find a racing car in the corner of a school classroom, but that's exactly what is being built in the DT1 woirkshop at Dowdales school.

Students have designed and built a racing machine during lunch times and after school which they will eventually drive in a national competition.

The Dowdales Rally Team are creating a car to compete in the IMechE Greenpower Formula 24 series under the guidance of design and technology teacher Owen Belsey.

The competition promotes engineering and technology by challenging secondary students to build an electric car to race in heats at motor circuits.

Teams of six pit crew and six drivers take part in an endurance race to see which car can travel the furthest over four hours.

Each car has a standard 24-volt electric motor and four 12-volt car batteries, two on the car, and two on charge in the pitlane. The car must meet specifications and safety regulations.

The Dalton students hope to compete from the spring.

Mr Belsey, said: “This is a great way for pupils to get lots of really good engineering opportunities. It’s real engineering, solving problems and having a real product at the end of it.

“The car is coming together very well. The mechanical part is working and we are getting the body work together.

“This car is mark four. Testing will be key.

“Our long term aim is to get to the national final at Goodwood.”

The vehicle has a metal chassis and rollbars, and it uses bike gears. The car is made from plywood and styrofoam, and will eventually have fibreglass bodywork.

The school has competed in the series previously but not for a few years.

The school have in the past used Walney Airfield to test their car and hope they will be able to do this again.

Mr Belsey says the competition is a trade off between speed and endurance.

If pupils go too fast there is the danger of burning out the battery.

Mathematical modelling will be used to calculate the best gear speeds.

The design process started with a pupil sitting on a piece of wallpaper and the car dimensions drawn around him.

In previous years Dowdales has had pupils for the older year groups behind the wheel in competitions.

But this time the school is aiming to use younger and lighter drivers.

Ryan Ley, 14, and Daryl Johnson, 13, are two of the team who are busy building the car in their spare time.

Ryan, who is a Year 10 pupil, said: “I’ve been involved with the project for three years.

“I just like working with cars because it’s something I do with my dad.

“I like building the car and testing it. It feels really fast when you’re in it.

“I’d like to train as a mechanic when I leave school.”

Daryl Johnson, who is a Year Nine pupil, said: “I really like technical stuff and taking things apart and putting them back together again.

“It’s a weird feeling driving the car because you are so close to the floor.”

The team is being supported by Clarkson Hirst Solicitors. The Barrow firm has funded the cost of the car batteries.