ROLLS-ROYCE SUPPORTS LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL’S ECO RACING CAR

A team of school children, mentored and supported by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, successfully completed the Greenpower IET Formula Goblin race – ‘The Gathering of the Goblins’ – at the Goodwood Motor Circuit recently.

The group of boys and girls from Years 5 and 6 built and piloted a specially developed electric car in a race against teams from schools across the UK. ‘Team March’, from the March CE Primary School adjacent to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, wore specially hand-stitched race overalls (prepared in the Rolls-Royce Leathershop) and finished well up the order in a respectable 13^th place out of 91 entries.

Prior to the event, the team took a short break from their race preparations to visit the Home of Rolls-Royce and meet and take inspiration from the apprentices, engineers, craftspeople and Bespoke designers that helped with the design and build of their car.

The team of 9, 10 and 11 year-olds competed to design the car – proposing ideas on how the car should look and which recycled materials should be used, before the final design was chosen by vote. A team from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars then helped turn the vision into reality, teaching the children fundamental engineering, manufacturing and teamwork skills in the process.

The final car uses innovative recycled corex material, renowned for its lightness, and features hand-applied ‘flames’ from the front in a nod to speed. The eco theme is reflected in the decorative use of recycled DVD’s, with the recycling symbol replacing both the Spirit of Ecstasy on the bonnet and the double R’s on the wheel centres. The leather seat is finished in black Rolls-Royce leather and hand stitched with the initials of the members of ‘Team March’.

Andrew Ball, Global Corporate Communications Manager, said, “We are delighted to support the March CE Primary School with their Greenpower entry again this year. The team at Rolls‑Royce was impressed with the children’s enthusiasm and passion for the project and we have no doubt that they are engineers of the future.”

The race was organised by the Greenpower Education Trust, a charity that aims to promote sustainable engineering and technology to young people across the UK. Since inception in 1999, GreenPower has rapidly grown and now works with 500 schools and over 8,000 students around the UK.