The Corporate Challenge 2009
Sun 26 April 2009
Following on from the excitement of the Season Opener, the competitors taking part in the Corporate Challenge lined up on the grid ready for the start of the Corporate Challenge. It was an impressive line up with 12 corporate teams taking up the challenge building cars to race against the top 15 cars from the 2008 Formula 24 Season.
After the first half hour the team from Jaguar Land Rover were starting to realise some of the problems involved with electric car racing as they worked hard on their car in the paddock to get it back on the track. However, they were in good company as the 2008 champions Sandbach High School were experiencing electronic technical problems as well and Zebedee had to be brought back to the garages.
After two hours most of the teams had pitted to put fresh batteries on and change drivers. The top three cars remained the same however with the Simple Trug Kit Car holding on to its early lead and gradually breaking away from the rest of the cars. R-PodS from Chipping Sodbury School did not have quite such a comfortable lead with the Fordingbridge Flyer chasing them for second place.
There was a great mix of corporate and school cars vying for positions in the middle of the field. Prodrive’s car was maintaining a sound steady pace keeping them centrally placed and ahead of some veteran school teams with several years experience.
All the cars showed tremendous reliability with very few breaking down and needing to be recovered. The work in the pits was quick and efficient suggesting several teams had remembered the importance of practicing these vital procedures. Of all the teams, however, the pit marshals felt the team from St Paul’s Catholic College really excelled and awarded them the prize for the best pit stop which was a Scalectrix digital race set kindly donated by Scalectrix.
As the final flag fell at five o’clock it emerged that the top three cars had held onto their positions with the Simple Trug Kit Car winning followed by R-PodS in second position and the Fordingbridge Flyer taking third place this year.
David Rowley of BLOODHOUND SSC awarded Sandbach High School with their prize, sponsored by BLOODHOUND SSC, for the Fastest Lap of the day in Zebedee. However, the team have some work to do if they are going to retain their championship status this year.
Awards also went to Rotary Racer from Chipping Sodbury School who were judged by members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to have the Best Engineered Car. Foremarke Hall won the award for the Best Presented Team and Jaguar Land Rover were awarded the Spirit of Greenpower prize for their fantastic approach to the project and enthusiasm.
We are now all looking forward to the next stage of the competition with the qualifying heats starting in June but we look forward to welcoming back all the corporate entries from this year for the 2010 Challenge.
About Fordingbridge plc:
Fordingbridge design and build structures for schools. With over 300 now built around the UK, from outside classrooms to covered play areas to insulated buildings for lecture halls and sports stadiums, Fordingbridge offer a valuable service to help schools, or indeed companies, make the most out of their premises.
For further information on their services, to order a Schools and Colleges brochure, to see more on their recent works for schools near you, or to talk about your school, please contact Fordingbridge on 01243 554455 or visit their excellent website at www.fordingbridge.co.uk
Supplementary Awards:
Bloodhound SSC Fastest Lap - Sandbach High School, Zebedee, 3m 53.180s (New Lap Record)
IMechE Best Engineered Car - Chipping Sodbury School, Rotary Racer
Best Presented Team - Foremarke Hall
Scalextric Best Pitstop - St Paul's Catholic College
Spirit of Greenpower - Jaguar Land Rover