COBDEN Technical School drove to solar success when it took out first place in a division of the RACV Energy Challenge.
Sixteen students from the school took part in the 24-hour race at Maryborough last week, competing against 150 schools from across Australia. Teacher Chris Brooks said the dedicated group had spent many hours after school and on weekends tuning the vehicles to perfection.
"The guys have worked very hard on the solar cars so to be part of a competition with other schools is a great experience for them," Mr Brooks said. "We went last year and came second in one of the hybrid divisions but to come both first and second in the hybrid two division is an achievement." The two petrol hybrid vehicles are powered by 35cc four-stroke Honda engines and 36-volt hub motors and cost more than $6000 each.
Year 10 student Paul Nijskens said he and his eight teammates rotated driving duties every 30 minutes to share the strain of piloting the vehicles. "Everyone was totally worn out by the end of the 24 hours," he said yesterday. "It's a pretty exciting experience. "Trying to keep the car on the track while remaining in front can be pretty full-on."
