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The Wellington College Greenpower Racing Team headed to the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit in October for the Greenpower International Final, competing against 85 of the country’s best electric racing cars, this field being chosen from approximately 300 teams nationally..
Following a fantastic season, including a first-place finish at Dunsfold, our flagship car, The Beef, qualified an impressive third on the starting grid.
Both 90-minute races provided spectacular entertainment, with The Beef consistently running between third and fifth place. Excellent battery management meant the car was gradually gaining ground on the leaders, demonstrating its potential to challenge for a podium finish.
Unfortunately, motorsport rarely goes entirely to plan! In Race One, a collision with another vehicle caused a puncture, costing valuable time while repairs were completed. Race Two brought further frustration when an unexpected battery failure forced the car to retire early.
Despite missing approximately 20 minutes of each race, The Beef still finished 14th overall out of 85 cars. This outstanding result demonstrates just how competitive the car has become, and we remain confident that a podium finish in 2027 is achievable.
New Cars, New Ambitions
Meanwhile, our Wednesday afternoon Global Citizenship Design and Build team, comprising Fifth Form and Lower Sixth students, has been making excellent progress on Project Wagyu, our second racing car. Now rolling on all four wheels, the vehicle requires its steering, seating, roll bar and electrical systems to be completed before its anticipated racing debut in May 2027.
Looking further ahead, work has already begun on Project X, our next-generation racing car. Through an exciting partnership with engineering simulation company SimScale, students have gained free access to powerful cloud-based computing resources, allowing them to conduct sophisticated virtual wind tunnel testing and optimise their designs for aerodynamic efficiency.
Alongside improved aerodynamics, Project X will focus heavily on weight reduction, potentially involving younger, lighter drivers and a collaboration with students from years 7 and 8 at Wellington College Prep.
Although Goodwood did not deliver quite the result we had hoped for, the team should be immensely proud of an outstanding season. Greenpower is about far more than racing; it is the culmination of countless hours of designing, building, testing, repairing and teamwork.
Huge congratulations to everyone involved, including the drivers, pit crews, designers, builders and organisers, as well as previous generations of students whose contributions continue to drive the project forward.
The 2026 season may be over, but the engineering never stops. Bring on 2027!
Mr Winter and Mr Carrington
