24 hour racing challenge in Belgium for Ardingly pupils

Travelling to Belguim, 35 students from Ardingly who were representing GB and Northern Ireland, were involved finishing tenth of 20 in the big race.

Speeding through a 24-hour circuit in particularly testing conditions they raced past the finish line.

During the race, the Sussex competitors managed to complete 140 laps and a total of 590km.

Ardingly is the only school to have ever entered this event and was competing against prestigious university and industry based teams.

The event was the culmination of years of hard work, with pupils designing and building their competing car with the very latest of eco-technology so that it can harness power directly from the sun.

Dr Andrew Spiers MBE, director of science and technology, said: “The Ardingly Solar project is really about engaging young people with environmental engineering.

“It is our hope that by building this car and refining its performance, our students will feel a sense of responsibility about the environment, learn about cutting-edge technology, and take away a determination to make a positive difference.”

Over the past eight years, more than 300 students have been involved in the Ardingly Solar project with local businesses Cirrus Laser, Cordek, Tracmaster, Time24, Lincoln Binns and XBex, industry professionals, and universities from the South of England.

With success under their belts, the solar project team will now turn their attention to preparing the car for the Australian Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October 2019.

The team has previously taken part in the Australian event back in 2015, where they took sixth place.

For more information on the event, visit: www.europeansolarchallenge.eu/