Students to race tiny car against world's best

Odette Knight and Ruby Flynn with their cars. Photo: Geoff Sloan

Two Villa Maria College students are set to race their miniature gas-powered car in Australia this month.

Christchurch students Odette Knight and Ruby Flynn, both 17, will take their 20cm long car to Melbourne for the STEM Racing Australian national final, formerly known as F1 in Schools, from March 20-22.

The year 13 students made the car using a computer-aided design, with help from their Endeavor Racing teammates, brothers Lachie and Fletcher Gillies, from Saint Kentigern College in Auckland.

The car was built out of balsa wood and is powered by compressed gas.

Odette, who is Endeavor Racing’s principal and design engineer, put the team together last month.

The students managed every aspect of the project, including marketing, engineering, finance and sponsorship plans.

“We have zoom meetings every Friday to make sure the team is doing everything that they've been assigned to do. And then we just chip away at our tasks throughout the week,” she said.

The team will compete at the Australian national finals against 40 other entries, including current world champions, Team Lunar, from Melbourne.

Odette said their goal is to qualify for the STEM world racing finals in Singapore in October.

“It will be tough, but I think we're going to go great. We've got a good team, we've been working well towards it.”

Ruby Flynn, Odette Knight, Lachie Gillies, and Fletcher Gillies from Endeavor Racing will put their car on the track in Melbourne next month. Photo: Supplied

The Endeavor Racing team had help from the Canterbury University motorsport group, which designs and manufactures formula one-style race cars.

Said Odette: “We're testing our model car in the university's wind tunnel next week to figure how much drag we want to induce or reduce.”

She has previously attended a code club, where she learnt about robotics through hands-on projects.

To enter the STEM racing national championships in Auckland last year, Odette had to learn computer-aided design and collaborate on an engineering portfolio, which was required for each entry.

Odette finished third at the national champs.

“My aim was to take this knowledge, bring it back to Christchurch and get a development team going in the city,” she said.

Ruby, Endeavor Racing's business and marketing manager, said they now need sponsorship to achieve their goal in Australia.

“We need about $7000 for the project. We have approached a number of companies in Christchurch, just waiting to hear back.”

Ruby said they take the race seriously, but still hope to have fun.

“It just gives you a sense of being able to be creative. But have a purpose for that creativity, which can also help make industry connections for job opportunities later in life.”