CORPORATE CHALLENGE REPORT..........

Well it's been a while, but the blog is back! I know many thousands of you have been waiting anxiously for the next post to appear since last October's national final, but we've been a bit busy, sorry. Below is the report published on the new Richard Lander School website - www.richardlander.co.uk

We aim to keep the blog a little more up to date from now on, promise...

Cold, wet and smiling..

Storming performance by Richard Lander Greenpower at Silverstone as School car beats entries from Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot Citroen!

It was very, very, very, very, very wet...

On Sunday 29th April, the Richard Lander Greenpower team defied treacherous weather conditions to place 8th out of 37 competitors in the Corporate Challenge at Silverstone. This was a particularly fine achievement in light of the fact that they were competing against the likes of Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot Citroen Academy who placed 13th and 28th respectively. Richard Lander entered a car which is made entirely in after- school sessions, in a DT workshop, by a dedicated team of staff and students. The team qualified for the Corporate Challenge through their hugely successful season last year when they reached the Goodwood final.

Push start in extreme rain! After the Season Opener, we had to drill holes in the floor of the car to let the water out!

The Corporate Challenge has grown massively in its popularity since it began in 2008. The Greenpower technical regulations dictate that each team can only use six 12 volt batteries throughout the four hour endurance race and must use a minimum of three drivers. The Richard Lander car, named RLR1, uses drivers from all year groups who happily compete against adult teams from other schools and businesses from across Europe. 

On Sunday, the RLR1 team competed first in the Season Opener, a fun warm up race, where new drivers had their first opportunity to compete and placed 5th! They then moved onto the Corporate Challenge 2012 where they placed 8th. Their performance won the attention of the competition Director who described himself as “impressed” by the team.  Team Richard Lander Racing will now compete in the regional heats in a bid to reach the Goodwood Final once again this year.

No, not being lapped, keeping up with some really great cars (the ones on the right, not the ones on the left!!)

Mr Ben Lloyd-King (Science Teacher)
“The team were absolutely fantastic on the day, completing fast pit stops and managing their strategy brilliantly. The weekly Greenpower sessions after school are the bread and butter of what this project is all about, inspiring engineers for the future. The races are really the icing on the cake -  to take part is a brilliant opportunity but to also be successful is hugely rewarding for the students and for the staff who all put in hours of work on top of their timetabled lessons. We are looking forward to the rest of the Greenpower F24 racing season.”

This shot from the giant of news media - The Towcester News.

The team had a great weekend racing at Silverstone, and to finish off, a celebratory team meal out!

This is what Richard Lander Racing is all about - Team Spirit!! (and soft drinks for the students...)

Next event is the South West Regional Heat at the mighty RAF St Mawgan circuit, can't wait!

National Final 2011 Video

The good people over at Greenpower have put together a nice video of this years final. A short snippet can be seen below but to buy the full version head over to the shop section of the Greenpower website. If you look carefully you can see myself, Mr Lloyd-King and Mr. Crawley as well as our pit board made by our illustrious ally, Mat Arney.

RLR1 at the National Final 2011

We have returned after an long and incredibly tiring weekend and once again the team has done superbly.
A nice, leisurely 9am start on Saturday began our journey to West Sussex for the Formula 24 National Final at its regular home of Glorious Goodwood. With our trusty trailer, on free loan from Tyrone Snell, we were on our way. We had been given permission to sign write the trailer so we had spent all day Friday pimping her up and we were pretty proud of how we would roll.

This would be our third trip to the historic circuit, the second with the current car, and we were determined to right the disappointment of the previous year where an hour out of the race with electrical problems put us near the back of the field. We were also once again up against our local rivals and fellow Truronians, Penair School with their car, Blue Raptor, and after the 'racing incident' between us earlier in the season we were determined to finish ahead of them this time.

Before race day on Sunday we had a treat planned for the team. Andy Clarke, husband of our own TA, Emma Clarke, had got us permission to tour the composites factory where he works, Global Technologies Racing. A fantastic opportunity for the team, they got to see first hand the sort of technologies that go into Formula 1 and Le Mans cars as well as getting their hands on a few beautifully crafted carbon and glass fibre components due to be on the track in the near future.

For the first time we had forsaken the camping for the luxury of a Travelodge and the extra comfort, as well as the Olympic breakfast from the little chef next door, meant the team were ready to perform at their best on race day. With the team fed and watered we got cracking on to Goodwood. With the well practiced efficiency we have come to expect from the team we were setup and ready for practice in no time, even after some time out for team photos.

We decided to go to practice with the highest gearing we could theoretically achieve to see if it was practical but the lap times proved to be on the slow side so the team pulled the car in and changed the gear by a single tooth on the lay-shaft and sent the car out for another run but with time enough for only a single flying lap, results were inconclusive. We decided to play safe and change the gearing again before the race but without testing, would it get us to the end of the race? We sent the team out for the parade and to line up on the grid.

With Jacca behind the wheel in for the first stint we were confident of a good start  and after all the cars had settled into a groove we were cruising along in 23rd position. Our rivals from Penair School unfortunately pulled out after only four laps with technical problems, a sad way to end a race and not the way we wanted to beat them, but with that goal resolved we focused on our own race.Our pace was consistent and the team were in control but an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration meant that the pit board was missed and the car stayed out for an extra lap before the changeover. Calculations were made, plans rewritten and Ben was put in for the second stint. Driving with the consistency he is known for, Ben crept past a car or two, clocking up the miles and pushing us up to 20th at the end of his run.

With Harrison in for stint three, we were looking for some places to fall but despite some great driving and a few on track incidents to avoid we ended the long stint having only taken one place but he lap times remained consistent and the race was still going to plan. Going into the last third of the race, Gareth took over the driving duties, keen to get the laps he missed out on after the technical problems of the previous year. The counter ticked away and eventually so did the lap times, passably as a result of the missed pit earlier in the day so the team decided to pull him in but a second missed pit board lead to an awfully slow lap as the batteries began to fail. Gareth did well to nurse the car home and it was then time for Becky to finish the race and chase down a few more cars before the chequered flag.

In typical fashion for a Formula 24 race, positions changed and cars swapped places frequently in the last half hour as strategy and consistency begin to pay off for those teams that manage their cars well. Our earlier control of the cars speed was now paying off and we kept the pace consistent as other cars began to run out of juice. As the flag fell at the end of the race, we had fought our way up to 17th place in a field of 75 cars and another PB of 93.6 miles. The team had also impressed the judges with their professional demeanour and knowledge of the car and were presented with the IOM3 'Innovative Use of Materials' Award.

With a fantastic final race completed, the season has now come to a close and we will be saying goodbye to some legendary year 11s from the team. It has been an epic journey and they can all be proud of what they have achieved during their time in the team. The remaining members of the team have some big shoes to fill and with the addition of some new face in the next few months we are keen to get started on some modifications for next year and maybe even start work on a new car...

Live Timing for the Final

With manic, last-minute preparations going on at RLR HQ there is just enough time for a quick post to mention the live timing for the final this weekend:

http://www.bbk-online.net/gpt/race56.htm

We are now car number 16, which makes us the highest seeded Cornish team, so keep an eye on us online if you can't make the trip to Goodwood with us.

The Final 2011

This is it. After 9 regional heats and 179 entries the final lineup has been decided. The top 75 cars can now advance to the National Final, at Glorious Goodwood as always, ready to fight for the chequered flag. For a full list click HERE.

This will be our third final and things have never looked better for us. We are now car 16, sitting on the third row of the grid, shoulder to shoulder with such illustrious competition as last year's champions, Zebedee, and our perennial nemesis, Megazord.  Our target for the race will be Corporate Challenge qualification which requires us to finish in the top 15 but being so close to the front of the pack makes us think we can do even better, maybe even break the 100 mile barrier, a feat managed by only 4 cars this year.

The arrangements for the day will be the same as for Castle Combe but for those of you who need it, here is the schedule:


0730 - Teams arrive and sign on

0815 - Scrutineering opens

0900 - Team briefing 1

0930 to 1030 - Practice

1040 - Team briefing 2

1100 to 1230 - F24+ race

1300 to 1700 - F24 race

1730 - Prize giving

We will be travelling up to West Sussex on Saturday, taking advantage of early scrutineering at the Greenpower Centre so we can crack on with practice and get the car up to speed as soon as possible. We have also been working on sprucing up the aesthetics of the team, we won the award for 'Best Presented Team' at last years final and we are determined to take it again. Time to get the vinyl cutter out I think. And the spray paint. and the texiprint. and the... ok, this may take some time!