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STOP PRESS

05-02-09

There is an article on the Telegraph newspapers web site about Gravity Racing.

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Press release Formula Schools Gravity Racing Team

Last month Formula Schools which is an educational project to promote engineering in schools were contacted by the UK Gravity Sports Association (UKGSA) to inform us that they were putting on an event sponsored by TES at Cadwell Park on February 4th. Would we like to take part? After thinking about it for at least a second we agreed to take two teams. The first team was the Vauxhall VXR Firefly which is our latest racer nearing completion and still needing speed trials. This team was made up of students and instructors from Suffolk College in Ipswich. Our second team racing the Vauxhall VXR Nimbus was made up from students at Samuel Ward Upper School in Haverhill and St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds. Both teams had raced successfully before at the Brooklands Gravity Event last summer.

The event was to be the first time that Cadwell Park Racing Circuit had put on a gravity event for both gravity racers and luges, (High speed skate board). Publicity took off as the media realised the fun to be had. TV, Radio and Newspapers all carried the story. We were interviewed for BBC North East and Yorkshire TV. This gave us the chance to put over the great benefits that our scheme can have for young people and the chance to start an engineering career. One of our own young driver’s Jonny Ackroyd ‘The Twig’ from St Benedict’s Catholic School was interviewed both in the racer and later after practice. He expressed his desire to become a formula driver in the future. This interview resulted in two and a half minutes on BBC NE and also the same time on Yorkshire TV.

The event itself could not have been better. The track was ideal. Safe, fast, and a drivers race with banked corners and a chicane. The weather warm and sunny. Some dozen teams from across the UK entered. I even recognised some ex Goodwood Festival of Speed and Brooklands entries. Scrutineering over the first of five timed runs each started, the racers running down the hill one by one.

The Nimbus started with a good time of 108 seconds only to be beaten by our own Firefly. The rival was the TES entry. After a fantastic series of runs with the winning times going back and forth like tennis ball at a match, the Vauxhall VXR Nimbus finished with an equal fastest time of 91 seconds with the TES team. The first place was then decided by the second fastest team time. The TES team won the fastest place. We were second, followed in third place by the Vauxhall VXR Firefly team from Suffolk College. We also picked up the prize for the fastest young driver which went to Justin Jones with his time of 91 seconds. Not bad to set a track record against all comers considering that we were the only ‘junior’team. The friendly competitive spirit at the event was fantastic with teams helping other teams. It was also nice to see the defeated teams congratulating the winners. We will certainly be there again next year. I just hope that we can get more young people to see the fun in engineering by joining us next year.

David Ackroyd

5th February 2007