November 2010 Newsletter

Hi followers of the great Sir Isaac Newton
There have been some great race events this year with schools, colleges and privateers
All having a great time. There have been reports in of amazing speeds in Scotland and the introduction of gravity sidecars around the UK. We have yet to build a gravity sidecar, but I suspect we will be racing one next year. It was nice to hear of so many of our racers at the Mansel Lacy event.

Shows

We have been to the ‘Gadget Show Live’ this year which was great fun. Next year’s dates are 12-17 April at the NEC Birmingham. See you there. We just might have something else there!
Big Bang at Duxford was a great event. Just one day but the venue and the exhibitions were worth going for.
MACH10 at the NEC was really amazing. We made so many new friends and contacts.
Rougham Wings & Wheels, a great family event near Bury St Edmunds. We had a lot of local interest from other groups such as the Scouts. Lots of badges to be had with our project!
Yes, we will be at the Design & Technology Show at the NEC Birmingham 18-20th November. We will be sharing a stand with the Design & Technology Education Partnership. Many thanks to their Director Nick Baldwin for putting up with us. Come and visit. Speak to Nick and his team about their projects as well.

Schools & Colleges

Lots more schools, academies and colleges have joined our project. An interesting development is that three London academies are building and hope to have their own event. It would be nice if this grew. Anyone know a sponsor?

Builds

Our lastest design idea has now been launched. Yes we have really reinvented the wheel. Strong and easy to fit. All the details are on our web site. We have made 100, OK we got carried away, but we have sold about half in just a few weeks!
The Racer Kit Cars have been very popular with schools / colleges as they tick all the educational boxes. Order now to get one for next month. The order forms and lists of what is available from us is on our updated website. (or just phone us)

Record breaking

Although we got the World Land Speed Record for a water jet propelled vehicle with the Gadget Show we did not get into the 2011 Guiness Book of Records as there was not enough room! If you have one of these books please write us in on the front cover

Cadwell Park Event 13th November. See you there - www.ukgsa.org

April 2010 Newsletter

After a long cold winter schools, colleges and privateers are now dusting off their racers, modifying them or starting a rebuild. The racing season is now very close.
We have a lot of events now on our newly designed website. Do check when and where and book EARLY to avoid disappointment. Gravity racing is becoming very popular and it is hard to get an entry if you leave it to the last minute. It is also a good idea to talk to the organisers to check that you meet entry requirements as well. If you are entering a school or college team make sure that the event is suitable. Again talk to the event organisers.
Good luck this season. Keep safe.
Over the winter we checked our sources of equipment and have found some great new parts. Do check with us by email if you are having trouble finding things.
Hopefully our own wheels with stub axils will be available. Watch the web site.

Unexpected great result

A few months ago I visited Loughborough College Engineering Department to meet the new intake of engineering students. Keith Large from Loughborough College and I introduced the students to Chloe Hampson from the Barn Door Theatre. The idea was to get the students to write a play about gravity racing and engineering and act it out in Primary Schools to interest younger pupils in engineering. All went to plan, but then one of our students, Brian Fury was ‘spotted’ and has now entered a new acting career. We wish Brian all the best. Engineering’s loss is drama’s gain! More information on this link. http://www.loucoll.ac.uk/news/news-detail.aspx?id=268

Gadget Show Links

The Gadget Show phoned us up a couple of months ago wanting a water jet propelled dragster. I took the idea to Graham Parish Engineering Ltd where a design was born. Once again we used our gravity racer spaceframe and running gear. After some modifications we had our first ever AQUADRAG. Many wet trials later we had a great dragster. The venue to run was a cold, windy and wet RAF Wattisham air field.
The program went out on the Gadget Shows 150th show. Our top speed was some 25 mph. We achieved a World Land Speed Record of 16.65 mph. (we had to run both ways within an hour and take an average) So Guinness Book of records here we come. You can see the program on the Gadget Show web site.

Gadget Show Live Gravity Racing trials

The Gadget Show kindly provided us with a stand at the Gadget Show Live at the NEC Birmingham. We took our latest kit car with us and invited some teams from schools, colleges and race teams to build a running car against the clock. The times were amazing. Well done everyone.
1st UK Gravity Sports Ass. - 24 mins 39 sec
2nd Birmingham University - 28 mins 14 sec
3ed Welbeck College - 33 mins 40 sec
4th Loughborough College - 38 mins 00 sec
5th Gosfield School - 62 mins 20 sec.
A handsome prize was given by Black and Decker
Graham Parish Engineering as our Demonstration Team - 12 mins 46 sec
This build can be seen on the Gadget Show Web site.

The future

As mentioned in our last letter we are now also working with NESTA and have developed a ‘kit car’ for schools with all the parts engineered and included. A sure success for any school or college. To build a racer with all parts provided can start at £1500, engineering parts yourself. For the kit car fully engineered for quick assembly that we used at the Gadget Show Live £2000 all in. You are then racing. You just need to design and build your bodywork. We can help with lots of ideas. Contact us for details.
Remember our Running spaceframes already have two different World Land Speed Records.

Show events

We will be at the Duxford Big Bang Show. More about that nearer the time.
We will also be at the MTA MACH 10 show at the NEC 7-11 June Stand 4476

NESTA’s idiscover program has been great with Schools from Manchester and London building our kit cars.

Links
You might like to look at some other links.
www.ignitefuture.org.uk
and the Hethel Centre at Norwich H-Stem engineering.

July 2009 Newsletter

Hi followers of the great Sir Isaac.

We have crammed so much into the last couple of months that I feel that a brief newsletter does not do justice to the individuals, organisations and events that we have been involved in. So I start by thanking all those who have helped and been with us. I know that together we have made a difference.

Mansel Lacy

The annual pilgrimage to Hereford was marred by the weather. We spent an interesting night in tents. In the morning the organisers decided to cancel the festival to the public, but the gravity racing would continue as a club. By mid day the weather had improved and we all got in a good day’s racing with five runs each.
Rob Austin from Formula Schools headed a team of ten gravity racers from oxford and Cherwell Valley College. A magnificent sight of all the racers in one place. The young students did so well and drove like professionals taking most of the junior prizes. Congratulations to all of them.
Our own team racing the Gadget Show ‘Lotus Eater’ built at Loughborough College won the overall fastest racer. We were well pleased with the day.

Loughborough College

Loughborough College incorporated their gravity racing TV success as the cornerstone of a special Engineering Day to celebrate 100 years of the subject being taught at the world famous College. Schools from all over the UK attended the event that also included a ‘drifting’ demonstration by Westfield Cars, driven by Jamie Morrow, ( CV pdf below) a presentation on the 1000 MPH car Bloodhound by Dawn Fitt and a sell out talk by the day’s special guest, Britain’s first female fast jet pilot Jo Salter.
The finale of the day was a gravity racing time trial competition. Winner 12 year old Nam Vu of De Lisle Catholic Science College won a £900 Tool Kit for his school that was kindly donated as a Centenary Day prize by Draper Tools.

Loughborough College Curriculum Support Technician, Keith Large said,

‘It was great to see so many pupils travelling from all over the country to our event. We’d like to thank David Ackroyd for making gravity racing so popular and so inspiring for tomorrow’s engineers.’
Thanks to Aggregate Industries, Flotec and Draper Tools for their continued support.

Our joint success with Loughborough College was more than I could have hoped for. There were so many spin offs. It was rather like throwing the proverbial stone in a lake.
Poetry completions, Writing Completions. Talking to an assembly at Castle Rock School. Charity involvement. And a very honoured moment for me as I presented Tom with his well deserved engineering student of the year prize at Loughborough Town Hall

http://www.loros.com/fundraising/Default.aspx?id=419156

Learning Grid’s Rockingham Festival

We joined the Festival for two days setting up a Knex challenge for students to build and race model gravity racers down a track. This was great fun even in 91 degrees in the tent. Many strange designs were built and raced.
Overall over 3000 people attended the Festival which featured many of the Learning Grid projects. It was nice to see my own school Samuel Ward Upper School and Technology College there. They had brought along some of their feeder primary schools with whom they are working in a cluster on technology who are using Primary Engineer..

Gossip

I have now had some millions of hits on the web site since the Gadget Show program.
If anyone out there would like to advertise then please get in touch.
We have a ready stock of Spaceframes and suspension parts now, so if you want a set now is a good time. Overall cost of a racer is about £1500. Time to build about 100 hours.
We are still around with the Gadget Show. Our next project will be finished about September. Again engineering students are providing leading edge help. Sorry no more information at the moment, but this is ambitious and not with gravity racers.
Keep tuned in.

Formula Gravity will be at the ASE Norfolk meeting 10th October as we are booked for an hours presentation. This should be great fun.

Try the ETB’s Competition www.nationalsciencecompetition.org/partners.asp.

Cairngorm Extreme

25-26th July two days of racing on the Aviemore Cairngorm road. Too good to miss. We will be taking the Lotus Eater. Unfortunately we do not have more school/college entries but the summer holidays are upon us. We will be trying a set of Schwalbe Kojak tyres kindly donated by Schwalbe. BBC Scotland have already done a nice write up on us.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8142928.stm

March 2009 Newsletter

Hi followers of the great Sir Isaac.
 
We have again had lots of fun with building and racing.

EVENTS

We have updated the website and added the known events for this year so far.

GADGET SHOW

We were asked by the Gadget Show to build them a racer in four days to take on the Lotus at Cadwell Park in a head to head race. So with the help of Loughborough College Engineering students we built one in four and a half days.

We called it the ‘Lotus Eater’.

More information on:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/environment/4524999/Racing-without-engines.html
The program goes out on March 30th Ch5 at 8.00. I have already seen a preview of the program, it is great.

BLOODHOUND

Bloodhound is the new British attempt to achieve a record 1000mph. You can find out all about it at www.bloodhoundssc.com The project has a strong educational element for primary schools with www.primaryengineer.co.uk The links to middle and upper schools with the Primary Engineer scheme are great. Especially for Technology Colleges. Schools get Software for whiteboards and work schemes for pupils. Find out more from their website if you are interested.

GRAVITY EVENT - LOUGHBOROUGH COLLEGE

This year we are having our event at Loughborough college 24th June.
This promises to be a mega event with a workshop for teachers on the build of a racer as well as famous speakers, events for schools, colleges, pupils and teachers. Engineering and curriculum talks. Companies with products and networking.
This is now building up to be a really great event. More information nearer the time. Please let me know if you would like to be involved or visit.

ENGINEERING UPDATES

We have improved the specification of the rear upright. More information from me on 01284 830428 if you would like more information or the higher spec ones.

DATALOGGER

The search is back on for a good data logger. We have found one in the USA but it is about $350

CHATROOM 

I have opened a chat room about soapboxes on the new ‘groups’ on Friends reunited.
This might be an interesting experiment.

September 2008 Newsletter

SPACEFRAMES

We are now taking orders for spaceframes at £450 plus delivery and full suspension parts (10 parts) at £180 for those who do not want to build their own. Please contact us ASAP for plans and advice. Get a set for the start of the academic year. Gravity.racing@virgin.net
This project is ideal for Key stage 3 and above as well as the new Engineering Diplomas. Engineering Clubs can also have a racer within the year.

PARTS

Canopies are now available. To get a good deal we need to get an order of at least six into the factory for a really good discount. We expect these to be under the £100 mark. The more orders the cheaper they will be. Keep in touch if you need one.
We are continually updating out parts list and suppliers; so contact us if you need anything.

NEWS

We now have some 25 schools and colleges enrolled in Formula Gravity with more enrolling this September. We are always happy to hear from any school or college if they are interested. If any schools or colleges feel that they would like us to visit during any part of their project to help please contact us to make a date.
You might like to download a great article about us from the TEP magazine from:-
www.tep.org.uk/Frames/_f_news.html Click on Gravity racing and download.

DATA LOGGER

We are now the proud possessor of a Novus data logger. This connects directly onto a bicycle speedo sensor and will give you a graph on a laptop of speed v time. If you are interested in borrowing it please contact us. The information is downloaded by an infra red sensor from the racer to the laptop. Graphs before your eyes.

BELCHFORD DOWNHILLEVENT 14TH SEPTEMBER

Already some 34 entries!!! The start will allow a push!!! Two chicanes!!! This should be an event not to miss. If you want to know about gravity events this will be your chance. See you there. www.belchford-downhill.tripod.com The sport is certainly growing.

CADWELL PARK GRAVITY EVENT

This now well established event is set for February 8th 2009. We are already signed up. This event is one of the classics in the gravity calendar. Racers will set off four at a time next year, with a finish of the four best racing each other. What a sight that is going to be! Will TES win again with their rebuilt racer? This is a great venue for schools and colleges to race at. www.appleheadgravitysport.co.uk

EASTBOURNE ISGA WORLD CUP 11-12-13 SEPTEMBER

This year there will not be a gravity soapbox event at this event. There will be one next year though! So start thinking about that. Even so Formula Gravity are going to attend the event at Beachy Head, spending Friday with test runs trying out different set ups on our racer with no race pressure. (Using our new data logger). The surface of the road has just been redone by the Council for the event at some £32,000 and is as smooth as glass. On the Saturday we are going to try to beat the 62mph that was set by Lotus at the Goodwood Festival of speed in 2004. As we are not racing we will have lots of time to talk to any schools or colleges who would like to come and see us on Friday or Saturday. This would be an ideal time and place for tutors to see a race environment as well as our racers. We will be on 07947562342 at the event. Bring students as well if you wish. www.gofastspeeddays.com

H-STEM STUDENT CONVENTION

we have managed to get a stand at the H-STEM Student Convention in Norwich at the Hethel Engineering Centre, Chapman Way, Hethel, Norwich. NR148FB
18 - 19th September. www.hstem.co.uk
This also goes with three ten minute presentation slots by us. 10.00 11.15 14.15
www.hethelcentre.com has all details. Rather a nice venue. Please come and say hello if you are attending. We will have a racer with us.

FORMULA GRAVITY AUSTRALIA

Congratulations to Team Whispering Assassin who competed in the ISGA gravity event at Mount Panorama or ‘Newton’s playground’. I received a photo of their racer and it looked great. Time we challenged Ross and his team. Suggestions for a venue? I know that they have applied for funding from their government for schools and colleges. Their MP is helping. The word is spreading.

FUNDING

We are at the time of the year that we need to start searching for funding to run the project. If you have any good ideas where we can apply or know of any companies out there who might help, please let us know at:- gravity.racing@virgin.net
Also if you spread the word about us to other schools and colleges they could also join.

Have you tried putting ‘Gravity racing’ onto U-Tube?

David Ackroyd

Telephone:- 01284 830428

email:-gravity.racing@virgin.net

www.gravityracing.co.uk

July 2008 Newsletter

First of all we are sending out lots of spaceframes to new schools and colleges that are joining, so if you are interested in obtaining one even in September please let me know so that we can let the factory know. We are trying to avoid a last minute panic in the welding bay.

EVENTS

The Mansel Lacy Soap box Derby went extremely well this year with 28 teams entering. Rob Austin from Engineering Your Future was really the star, together with Evers Pearce the Motorsport Development Manager from Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. Under their care there were nine of our spaceframe vehicles racing with teams of excited students. Congratulations to them all, they really came up with such fantastic racers. Our demonstration racer managed a third place just 0.5 seconds behind the winner’s time.
The Catterline Cartie Challenge attracted some 25 entrants from the UK. Although I did not go, I have had glowing reports of the fun and excitement. We must get some of our Scottish Formula Gravity teams to enter, as well as some English teams up to Scotland next year to sample the hill and the hospitality. (Deep fried Mars bars were also on offer)
The Eastbourne Gravity Event is going ahead 12-14th September for the gravity bikes and luges. They are fortunate as the Eastbourne Council has resurfaced the road. Due to this event clashing with the Belchford Event there will not be a gravity racer at Eastbourne this year. Next year there will be an event for us. I plan to be there with a racer so that I can meet staff and students from that part of the country.
We will be at the Richards Castle event13 July www.richardscastlesoapbox.co.uk

Loughborough College have offered to host a celebration of gravity sports events next year 2009. If anyone has ideas for this could they please contact me so that we can start to put this together. All ideas very welcome.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

There has been talk by some event organisers to make it part of the tech.spec. to have braking on four wheels so if you are designing or building it might be an idea to incorporate this. This is not yet needed but it is something to consider. We are putting them on our demonstration racer soon.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF TEAMS

In order to help events run and to get information to the workshop front I have offered to start a National Register of Gravity Race teams. If you would like to be included please let me have a team name and a contact name and e-mail address at gravity.racing@virgin.net I shall share this only with the UKGSA and event organisers, so that you can get an invite to enter events. No one else will get this information.

CITATIONS

Citations for students working on the Formula Gravity project are available by down loading them from our web site, or you could create your own. I have been giving them out to our own students who are delighted with them; so is the school. Some of our students have used them in their CVs with great effect. They are taken seriously by colleges and future employers as it is nice to see what a student can actually do.

FORMULA GRAVITY AUSTRALIA

Yes you read it right, The Formula Gravity Australia team is now a reality lead by Ross Osborn of team ‘Whispering Assassin’. Ross has got a team together who are based near Sydney NSW. Ross is an avid gravity racer and like us thinks that young Australians may enjoy and benefit from gravity racing. He has swung into action by contacting his government and MP for help and funding to spread across Australia. They are responding! So we wish him well. We have sent out lots of information to him that might save him lots of time and trouble. If anyone wants to contact Ross and his team let me know and I shall put you in touch. Perhaps we could challenge them! I wonder where? I will get Ross to put a bit in the next News Letter.

PARTS

I have had to get a new canopy made for our demonstration racer. For reasons that seem to evade me the factory can only make two or more. Therefore there are some for sale. They are £100 each. Please contact me quickly if you want one.

FUNDING

We are at the time of the year that we need to start searching for funding to run the project. (yes I know who isn’t). If you have any good ideas where we can apply or know of any companies out there who might help, please let us know at:- gravity.racing@virgin.net

Have you tried putting ‘Gravity racing’ onto U-Tube?

David Ackroyd

Telephone:- 01284 830428

email:-gravity.racing@virgin.net

www.gravityracing.co.uk

January 2008 Newsletter

First of all we now have an ‘Engineering Suggestions For a Build’ document on how to build a racer using our spaceframes. These are no more than suggestions for an easy build. You do not of course have to follow any of the ideas, but they may help. If you want to have clarification on any of the ideas or if you have anything to add or change we would be delighted to hear from you so that we can update our suggestions document. Please contact me if you would like a copy.

Our spaceframes are now in schools and colleges from Scotland to the South coast. Why not order one now from us. Immediate delivery so you could be racing in no time at all.

If you want to go into suspension design further then here are some good web sites:-

http://www.rctek.com/handling/ackerman_steering_principle.html

lhttp://www.rctek.com/handling/caster_angle_camber_change.html

lhttp://www.rctek.com/handling/caster_angle_camber_change.html

http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm

Also, there is a very good book on designing & building solar-powered racers.  It has many ideas applicable to gravity racers, it is technically correct but written in a way that's easy to understand.   "The Winning Solar Car", by Doug Carroll, published by SAE.

Link to Amazon or search for Winning Solar Car Design

This website is very well known for explaining they physics behind how race cars (or any car) go around corners:
http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm

Cadwell Park Race Course 3rd February 2008

www.appleheadgravitysport.co.uk for full details

We are now starting to work on our racers for this event, which looks like being a real spectacular at one of the premier race tracks in the UK. We are hoping to have a minimum of four racers there and with luck six. Entries are restricted so we may not be able to have as many racers there as we would like. Our entries will be from both schools and colleges so it will be nice to have these teams working together. If you would like to come, even if you are not entering a racer, please make yourselves known to the teams on the day who will take you ‘behind the scenes’. Some colleges are organising coaches for their students. If you would like to do this contact me so that I can get you very special rates for entry. (£10 a coach)

Formula Gravity is giving a ‘Best Junior’ cup to be presented by the organisers.

BROOKLANDS WORKSHOP 2008 This event looks like being the best ever with some great speakers already booked Please make a note in your diary for 26th April. Full details nearer the time.

David Ackroyd

gravity.racing@virgin.net

www.formulagravity.co.uk 01284 830428

November 2007 News Letter

Hi, followers of the great Sir Isaac.

Spaceframes
We now are producing spaceframes and the main suspension parts for schools. These conform to the National Technical Specification and have been well tried and tested. We have even been able to help fund this for a few lucky schools!

Other schools and colleges are now getting them at really affordable prices. We can deliver them personally in about 10 days, and talk to teachers and students about the project and build. This means that the really tough part has been done for schools and you can now concentrate on design and learning in reasonable bite sized projects so that the students can now achieve real progress.
These racers will be up and racing next year. We look forward to seeing them.

Events
This year has seen Gravity Racing flourish in the UK helped by great events put on by or in conjunction with the UK Gravity Sports Association, www.ukgsa.org . Safety is always paramount it this sport and we have been so lucky with the professional way that the events have been organised has resulted in events around the UK where pupils can safely race. We have had teams enter events at Cadwell Park Racecourse, Mansel Lacey, Richards Castle, Eastbourne and Belchford. All great events for pupils to enter next year. We came away with prizes from each and won the Eastbourne event.
The racing season starts off next year with Cadwell Park Race Circuit Gravity Event on Sunday 3ed February. If you would like to enter or just watch contact either DJMOGY@aol.com or us for details. Or you can watch this on TV.
We are hoping that there will be another gravity festival at Eastbourne again in September.
Eastbourne was great this year with free camping and a great atmosphere.

The International Gravity Sports Association organised this World Cup Event.
Irvine GQ made us a drag shute to slow us down at Eastbourne. To see some of our photos go to www.sven-photo.de/download/SOAPBOX.zip
This event was sponsored by Go Fast drink and Eastbourne Council who are both hoping to be involved again next year. BE THERE.
www.GoFastSpeeddays.com

NEC Birmingham
Formula Gravity linked with Formula Schools www.formulaschools.com at the NEC Birmingham Design & Technology with ICT Show 15-17th November on our own stand. It was nice to see you all. We had lots to look at. You were all able to see a Gravity Racer spaceframe and radio controlled cars and discuss a build.

Acreditation
As well as building a racer we are making inroads with our project CITATION. This is a certificate for students to say what they have achieved on the project. Projects like ours fit nicely into the schools and colleges curriculum, but it is so varied that pupils might like to mix subjects and activities. So we came up with the idea of giving them that bit extra as well for any work that teachers think is credit worthy. Our logoed citations look great in a CV. Teachers or lecturers can apply to us for some of the blank citations. The same goes for our log books. (Download off our web site)
All of this information together with ideas for building and where to find the parts you need are on a CD that we can provide, or on our web site.
Both Formula Gravity and Formula Schools can help teachers with fitting the project into the National Curriculum at all levels.

Courses
Again in 2008 we intend to have a day for students, staff and any interested people to come to another workshop/seminar at the famous and atmospheric Brooklands Museum. This will be on the 26th April. Bring your racer along to the birth place of motor racing in what ever state of build.
We will again be looking at activities from both Formula Gravity and Formula Schools. Building Gravity Racers will be high on the agenda. We hope to have lots more engineering activities as well. More information nearer the event.
On spin off from this year’s Brooklands event was put on by Portsmouth High School this October. They had a Junior Technologists Tournament, inviting 13 Primary schools in their area to attend. The task was to design, build and race a model gravity racer. This left me with the impossible task of judging and finding a winning team. Congratulations to all who took part. I think that there were no loosers.
Portsmouth High School is our first all girls school to take up the challenge. Welcome aboard.

Contacts
We have now got many companies who are helping us to design, build and race. Please let us know if you are struggling finding affordable parts. We do have lots of friends, sponsors and supporters out there. We can help with information on a CD, visits from us and suggestions about how to involve the local community.
Finally if you or any one you know would like to become involved in our project please contact us.
The Learning Grid also has other engineering projects that you might like to see www.learninggrid.co.uk

June 2007 Newsletter

	Formula Gravity Newsletter
		Racing for Education

Hi, all you followers of the great Sir Isaac Newton.

Since the last Newsletter lots has happened. The most exciting is that we now have full approval as a schools project from the Motor Sport Learning Grid. We are now working in tandem with Formula Schools, the aims and objectives of our two organisations are the same.

Recent events

Brooklands Museum training day.

This was the first time that we have had a training day on the famous site. The venue was atmospheric to say the least. Over forty people from schools andcolleges attended the training workshop. We were also joined by students and parents also who ‘just dropped in’ to help.
The power point presentation by Anebal Villatorro, a final year MSc student from the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Design at Loughborough University seems to have been one of the many highlights. Anebal lead the team that designed our latest flagship racer the Firefly. All of us realised just how much could be put into a design, helping us to now pass on this expertise to schools. Much of the design can now be seen on our new web site. We will certainly repeat this event next year

Mansell Lacey

One of the ‘musts’ in the gravity racing calendar.
Mansell Lacey is a small village in Hereford which once a year becomes a focal point for gravity racers.
In the middle of June Formula Gravity joined forces with Formula Schools and arrived with a total of six racers and teams. A great week end was had by all. The teams gained a real experience of engineering at ground level. The course was ideal for junior and adult teams, testing our engineering and skills to the limit. Speeds just in excess of 30 mph were reached.
Overall we dominated the Junior class and gained forth place in the Senior class. A great result. We also gained points in the new UK Championship.

Formula Schools Race day

This is the annual event for Formula Schools at the famous Silverstone race track.
This is the first year that I have been to the event to help. It was a fantastic day for so many schools and young people. This had all the excitement of the race pits, the race track events and the cross country events. For a full report lock on their web site.
www.formulaschools.com

Newport Isle of Wight Gravity Race EventWe were invited to show our racer the VXR Nimbus to the annual gravity racer event on the Island. Robin Brigstock and XXXXXXX had attended our Brooklands training day and wanted us to show off our racer and to become involved.
The event sported some 22 racers built by various youth groups and co-ordinated by the King James Youth Club. Other entries included the local Police and Fire brigade.

A great day was had by all, with engineering talk being the order of the day.
Press launch of the new VXR Corsa

A party of students attended the Press Launch of the new Vauxhall VXR Corsa at the Goodwood Circuit. A great day to see what industry does. Thank you Vauxhall.

Other News

The LEARNING GRID is running a Rockingham Festival on the 4th July for schools.
This is free for schools. More can be found out about this event on www.learninggrid.com/rockingham you will need to book.

Our new web site www.formulagravity.co.uk is now fully operational with news and events. We also have a new flier that you can now down load. If you have any additions to the site that you would like to add please send them to me.

As a result of the web site we are now getting enquiries from schools across the UK.
It seems that the word is spreading. If you do require help or advice please contact us. Schools visits are part of the package, and are now on going, but need to be booked a bit in advance.

We are producing some space frames for schools conforming to the new National Tech. Spec. As funds are limited it is on a first come first served basis. We can also supply schools with a CD of our design if they wanted to start from scratch. Please contact me ASAP for help about a build.
The National Technical Specification for racers is again on the web site if you wish to build to this level.
A list of suggested suppliers to your building needs is also available from us. From experience we have found it better if schools can obtain parts locally first.

It is also nice to report that our professional driver Dillon Battistini who has driven our VXR Nimbus at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is now leading the Asian F3 series. Well done Dillon!

Finally we are updating careers links on our web site that should make student career paths simple.

April 2007 Newsletter

Welcome to our new look and rebranded web site . Please note that our web address has changed as well.

BROOKLANDS WORKSHOP

This event is taking place at the famous Brooklands Museum on April 28 th. We still have a few places, so if you would like to become involved in our Gravity Racing project either as a college or a school, or just build a racer, this is the event for you.

Click here for details

Both Rob Austin from Formula Schools and I will be there to take you through all aspects of running the project, to include :- planning, design, build to include orders for our space frames, and of course racing our vehicles. Lots and lots more as well. The Technology Enhancement Program (TEP) are also sending us samples of new materials that you can take away which can be used to make our racers. Lots about curriculum and where to get the bits to build with too. All for just £50.

If you want a place on the course or further information please contact me on gravity.racing@virgin.net

VXR LAUNCH THE NEW CORSA

The Vauxhall VXR team kindly invited the Racing Teams from Suffolk College and Samuel Ward Upper School to attend the Press Launch of their new VXR Corsa at the Goodwood Circuit. Needless to say we took the new VXR Firefly racer which we are building at Suffolk College along with some of our students. (Yes this is our shute out behind the racer.)

While the Vauxhall VXR team looked at our vehicle we looked at their new VXR Corsa.

Our youngsters liked:- The outside styling and colours of the VXR Corsa. The inside trim was also appealing equally to the girls and boys. We also liked watching its great performance around the Goodwood track.

Our youngsters disliked:- Not being allowed to drive the brand new cars around the circuit at Goodwood.

Some students wanting a drive in the new VXR Corsa at the Goodwood Circuit.

RACING TECHNOLOGY NORFOLK

A couple of weeks ago I visited the above company as a day course put on by Suffolk Business partnership. This was where the Bentley racers and the Bugatti Veyron bodywork was designed and built. To put the day in a nutshell it was one of the best visits ever. The technology was amazing. As well as the technology side of the visit I was also interested in the career prospects for young people in racing vehicle design and build. Yes, it seems that design and build innovation in the UK is alive and very well. The UK does still rule in this. Not only are there jobs out there, but the numbers of jobs seems to be increasing and the pay is good. Our projects are worthwhile.

While we are on the subject there was a great article in the Daily Telegraph motoring section 24 th March, by Peter Dron. He also said how the UK still produces world-class designers. I was especially pleased to see that our efforts at Brooklands also got a brief mention.

MEMBERSHIP OF OUR PROJECT

We now have almost fifty schools and colleges that would like to be involved in some way with our project, together with about the same number of companies that are offering some form of help. This is a fantastic result especially as we have not really advertised nationally. We will of course help as much as we can.

Information is free and we have a lot on our web site. www.formulagravity.co.uk and also Formula Schools on :- www.engineeringyourfuture.com .

QUICK INFORMATION

I was pleased to see that Dillon Battistini who drove the Vauxhall Phoenix and the Vauxhall Nimbus for us at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2003 and 2004 came first in the Asian F3 races at Melbourne with 28 points clear. Well done Dillon.

I have just got some good tyres from www.conti-tyres.co.uk 01970 626777 They are Continental 20 inch with a good grip, and very little tread. Cost about £10 each. I also got a free inner tube.

Motorsport Vision who own Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton race circuits were impressed with our Nimbus racer and therefore put a photo of it on their web site after our race at Cadwell.

Check out our new updated web site.

Please contact me now if you still want to go on our Brooklands course.

David Ackroyd gravity.racing@virgin.net

March 2007 Newsletter

Hi all of you out there who are followers of the great Sir Isaac Newton.

Last year

We had a really good 2006 with the event which we put on at the Famous Brook land’s Museum. This was attended by some of the best gravity racing teams in the UK. It was great to see teams like Lotus on the famous Brooklands curve competing against school teams full of aspiring engineers and drivers. We were privileged to have Richard Noble OBE the driver of Thrust 11 and project leader of Thrust SSC to present the prizes to the teams.

I was really proud of the teams that we took as they went up to get there prizes at such an event. Thanks to all those who supported. Our thoughts on the day were also with one team Revelation Racing who could not be with us as they were in Iraq.

In November we were at the Design and Technology Show at the NEC Birmingham with Rob Austin and Formula Schools. Lots of schools and colleges showed interest in our joint project.

We also entered a team in the Belchford Challenge in Lincolnshire. Again this was a great day. Our interest there was to test our new flagship racer the Firefly. We left with lots of new information and ideas.

This year so far

On the 4 th February we entered two teams in the Cadwell Park Gravity event.

The VXR Nimbus and the VXR Firefly.

This was a fantastic event and venue. Our teams equalled the fastest time of the day and we also gained second and third fastest teams. Not bad for school and college entries against all comers. We were also interviewed by both BBC and ITV for the local news. Our own driver ‘The Twig’ was listening to exerts from ‘Principa Mathmatica’ but stopped to give his thoughts to the camera.

 Events, Tech Spec. and Championships

Schools around Britain have been busy planning, designing and building racers. The thought, planning and building has raised the standard of engineering in these schools and colleges to a point where we need to find events worthy of our efforts. To try to sort this problem we have worked with others to make this possible.

We now have a National Technical Specification for Gravity Racers. This means that if you build to this tech. spec then you will be able to enter the main events around the country. Scrutineering should hold no fears for you. This spec is on our web site and also on the UK Gravity Sports Association web site. www.ukgsa.org Under whose umbrella will also be a National Championship. You will be able to clock up points at different venues around the country. This will give every one a chance to become the UK champion. A challenge worth accepting. The credit for all this hard work must go to Peter Thompson of the UKGSA. Any queries please contact Peter on the UKGSA web site contacts.

Events for schools and colleges to go to are listed on our web site www.gravity-racing.co.uk these events can change the track for under 16s to keep within our safety guidelines. If you have any concerns or hear of other events please contact us and we can check it out for you. More next month.

The DTI Motorsport Unit Learning Grid

 We have now got the support of the Learning Grid who are helping to develop the project. This is great news as their expertise, contacts and events should help our own project to grow. We now have a new friend and partner in Rob Austin of Formula Schools. Rob has worked with schools and colleges to promote engineering. His projects have been both on land and water with the model racing cars and boats. Rob also is involved with building and racing Gravity Racers with colleges, so it seemed only common sense to join forces anyway. Our educational aims and objectives were the same. We both come from a hands on education background, both of us working directly with young people. Now that the project is spreading geographically and with larger numbers of schools wanting to become involved, two heads will be better than one. Please welcome in FORMULA GRAVITY

You will be able to find out more about our new colleagues on www.learninggrid.com also on www.engineeringyourfuture.com

Funding

Funding systems have changed over the last few years. A few years ago we could go to various LEA departments and ask for funding for specific projects. This system no longer exists. These funds have been given directly to the schools. So schools do have this money and ability to fund projects themselves.

What you as teachers need to do is to convince your own school that this is a project worth funding. Our work is directly in the National Curriculum and also follows the new educational initiatives of the LSC. We can help by highlighting the education and careers that we are achieving, as well as putting on events and workshops around the country. We can also come into your school and give talks, assemblies and bring a racer along. We do have a small amount of funding that we can award to schools on application. Each application would be looked at on its merits. The more pupils involved the better.

Local industry and sponsors funded our first racer. This not only builds up relations with the local community but opens up the outside world to the pupils. find that most companies will help build. It is getting cash that is the hardest.

We think that you can build for a few hundred pounds.

Contacts

To succeed you need to build up your local contacts. Perhaps you already have them.

There are many events out there so by contacting the one that you would like to go to I am sure that they would give you contacts that could help you to succeed.

We have a long list of company names for products that you might like i.e. tyres. So to help you we are happy to let you know where to get any bits that you want.

Try our web site www.gravity-racing.co.uk For a list of sponsors.

Health and Safety speed limits

The latest thinking is that 35mph is the max for the under 16s. We find in practice that that is plenty for fun and competition.

David Ackroyd Project Director gravity.racing@virgin.net

Telephone:- 01284 830428

April 2006 Newsletter

The Gravity Race Project has at present contacts with five universities, Loughborough University is fully involved and has designed our latest racer. Suffolk College will build it. Twenty five schools are now involved. Eleven schools are in Suffolk the rest are in the surrounding area. Many of these establishments are already engaged in design and build with students and undergraduates.

We have thirty eight core companies both local and national involved who provide cash, kind and expertise. Amongst them are Vauxhall Motors, Daily Telegraph, MSC Software, Irvine GQ, Michelin, Hogg Robinson and many more.

We have established pathways for students, both girls and boys, in many disciplines from school to work and apprenticeships, or on to further study in colleges and universities. We already have students in work, colleges and university who have, and are working on this project or have used the pathways.

Staff also are not forgotten, we will be having workshops so that staff in schools can benefit from each other and can learn more about the project. Over the years we have found the contacts, equipment and technical information for building as well as health and safety information which we can give to schools. We link into the National Curriculum where ever possible.

We are working on the accreditation of pupils work for their individual learning plans, and we are piloting a scheme for our pupils.

We encourage schools to link with other organisations such as the CREST Awards, Young Engineer, Engineering Ambassadors, Engineering Education Scheme for England , Connexions and SETPoints who are also helping. We are also working with the DTI Motorsport Unit Learning Grid, looking at how we can enhance the project.

We can give help and can find experts in all fields to aid the project in schools.

If wanted we can supply our own designed space frame for schools to put together and design bodywork yourself.

As well as the schools project we have had Loughborough University design a hi-tec Racer for us. This is being built at Suffolk College by the students and we will be using this to race and attend Brooklands Museum in July. We are expecting this to be a high profile event. This will replace the Goodwood Festival of Speed event where we have raced with merit as Vauxhall for the last three years beating some famous racing names.

David Ackroyd

March 2006 Newsletter

Last Year we had many highlights. Starting with the best, we won the Mansel Lacey Soapbox Derby with our Vauxhall VX Nimbus. This was only by one second in front of Hereford Audi. A great event. We will of course be there again this year to defend our title. It would be nice to have some of you along with us racing as well.

We also put on our own event with Brooklands Museum at Weybridge. This was again a great day at a prestigious venue. Many of the old Goodwood Festival of Speed teams turned up to make this the success that it was. The fastest time was won by AT Kearney (Lola Cars).

Our new racer the Vauxhall VX Firefly was designed by students at Loughborough University's Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering. This is now being built at Suffolk College with sponsorship from Vauxhall Motors. We are hoping that this will be considerably faster than anything we have built before.

We have now produced a CD that will have all the main information about the project for schools and colleges. This is being sent out to those participation or those wanting to join. This includes project rules - Technical specification - curriculum ideas - log books for pupils - Photos and video. Ideal material to get people interested. If anyone has any extra information that could go on we would be delighted to hear from them. We are very lucky to have many sponsors; most are attached to particular schools offering the contacts and expertise that are needed. We also have our main core companies. Vauxhall VX Racing who have always been part of the project. Prolong, who make the best lubricants in the world, and who have overcome our enemy friction. Please contact me if you need a supply. And the Daily Telegraph who provide our driver Jasmina.

Cash funding is as always an issue with any project, so we have now got Peter Andrews who will be our funding officer for the project. Peter has a lot of experience and contacts with the usual funding organisations. He has been working hard finding out about the various options and can be contacted through our usual contact numbers. We will obviously contact schools and colleges with the latest information about funding offers. The Best way still is for schools to find their own sponsors. We have run teams very successfully, and raced with sponsorship from school's local contacts with companies.

Work Experience contacts have helped to sponsor the project in the past both financially and practically. A pupils fund raising group can be very effective as well. Depending on what you want to build. Racers start at about £500 and after that the skies the limit.

Lastly I have lists of where you can obtain materials for a build, so if you want any information please get in touch.

Go to www.gravityseries.com for USA race meetings. Vauxhall has a good web site about VX Racing on www.tripleeight.co.uk and to find out about lubricants www.prolong-uk.com