Sandbach tops School class charts in Shell Eco-marathon UK

"Look Mum, 2,000mpg in a car!" 

Rockingham Motor Speedway, UK, Thursday 5th July. Today’s 31st annual running of the Shell Eco-marathon UK ended following tremendous efforts from hundreds of British school children. With an eye on fuel efficiency, children as young as 11 were pushing the boundaries of vehicle design and engineering to achieve fuel consumption figures of over 1,000mpg.

For the second year, schools gathered from all over the UK to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon UK ‘Schools Initiative’. There was hot competition between the youngsters to beat their nearest rivals – be it the school from the next town or the one in the pit garage next to them.

Sandbach School triumphed in both the Schools Initiative and also the overall Schools Class with an impressive 2,250.5mpg, sufficient to secure a well-deserved 12th overall in their first year. Leon-ardo followed second in the Schools Initiative on 1,321.6mpg, while Hitchingbrooke School rounded out the top three with 1,060.3mpg.

"It’s so cool to be here and driving" enthuses 11 year old Elliot Lane, team driver for Sandbach School. "We don’t get to do this anywhere else, and it was so much fun building the car". Upon a wet and cold end to the day, he comments excitably: "I wish we could stay!"

While the action was hot between the schools, there was plenty to see all the way through the field. The best British entry was Team Green, supported by Bath University. Team Green has consistently been the top of the pile in the UK, and this year is no exception as they recorded a figure of 5,958.8mpg.

Meanwhile there was also focus on other forms of vehicle propulsion. The GTL (Gas to Liquids) class was won by Economus at 1,618.1mpg, and the LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) class won by Team Callo with 6,504.7mpg.

Taking economy further than simply fuel, the team from Ockenden School in car number 54 displayed fantastic resourcefulness in manufacturing their machine. Recycling materials such as old school desks, the team of school children successfully completed the build for a total of £9.98, making it the lowest-cost competitor in the paddock.

"We just wanted to produce a vehicle using recycled materials" explained Paul Miles, team manager. "Using old desks allowed us to build a strong chassis, and we even used one of the wheels from our dinner ladies’ trolley! Unfortunately we had a few problems today, but the experience, especially for the children, has been fantastic".

This year’s Shell Eco-marathon UK has been a resounding success, with a record number of entrants working towards developing the skills to tackle the energy solutions of tomorrow. And the future is looking even better, with over 2,300 school children and their teachers from around the country visiting the Shell Eco-marathon UK with an eye to competing in the future.

Summing up the 2007 event, Paul Snaith, Vice President Downstream Marketing, Shell Global Solutions, was clearly impressed by what he saw: "What an incredible event; it never fails to amaze me the team work and energy that these school children apply to competing here. Some of the solutions are fantastically innovative – the domestic ladder being used as a chassis stands out for me.

Looking at what these children have achieved, I can see that many of them would be a great asset to Shell and indeed the energy industry as a whole, and for the engineering and science challenges that lie ahead for all of us."

Results

1. Microjoule, 10,516.9mpg
2. Tim04, 7,199.3mpg
3. Team Green, 5,958.9mpg

1. Sandbach School , 2,250.5mpg
2. Intercop, 1,374.6mpg
3. TSR 3, 1,349.9mpg

1. Sandbach School, 2,250.5mpg
2. Leon-ardo, 1,321.6mpg
3. Hitchingbrooke School, 1,060.3mpg
Best Diesel: Team Callo, 3,793.7mpg
Best Alternative : ESSTIN (solar), 10,197.0mpg
Best LPG: Team Callo, 6,504.7mpg

The Shell Eco-marathon UK is an educational project which invites teams of school pupils, university students and enthusiasts alike from the United Kingdom and guest teams from abroad to design and build the most energy-efficient vehicle. The winner is determined by the vehicle that travels the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel, measured in terms of miles per gallon.

Each team is free to use any conventionally available energy source - including both conventional and alternative fuels or energy sources - such as liquid petroleum gas, biofuels, compressed natural gas, hydrogen or solar.

Competitors manage the project in totality, from vehicle design to financing. The challenge provides a context in which the theories and principles of subjects such as technology, science, business studies, and mathematics are applied to a "real" situation.

The Shell Eco-marathon is an annual event series in France, America and the United Kingdom, with many teams working throughout the year to ready their vehicles. With the completion of this year’s UK event, teams will no doubt be drawing upon their experiences and lessons to develop better, more fuel-efficient vehicles for the events in 2008.

The Schools Initiative is intended to engage school children around the UK and promote engineering as a career route. Supported by Shell, the Learning Grid, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Honda, all UK schools are invited to apply for a Schools Initiative starter pack which includes a Honda engine.

The Learning Grid is an initiative of Motorsport Development UK, a collaboration between industry and Government, with funding from the Department of Trade and Industry and the four regions of ‘Motorsport Valley’. Its mission is to preserve and develop Britain’s world-leading motorsport cluster and to re-connect motorsport with the wider engineering sector.

The Learning Grid aims to attract students to a career in engineering as a core contributor to the nation’s wealth by offering fun, safe and effective learning activities for young people. Learning Grid competitions, events and materials are available for students of all ages from primary school up to university. All the programmes have been assessed for their educational value, effectiveness and quality.

For more information about the Learning Grid and the other activities offered : www.learninggrid.co.uk

The Royal Academy of Engineering Best Programme is a continuum of high quality curriculum enrichment schemes in science, engineering and technology (SET) involving 85,000 students a year. The Best Programme works in primary schools to build an enthusiasm for SET subjects, in secondary schools to promote engineering and related SET careers, in universities to support gifted engineering students and beyond university to develop the engineers of tomorrow.

- Tom Tremayne Olga Gorodilina -  also photos