The Girton Racing Team is busy preparing to compete in the 2019 Shell Eco-Marathon in Malaysiaand this year will be the only team to represent Australia at the prestigious event for the world’s most energy efficient vehicles.
This will be the fourth time the school has been selected to compete internationally. Having achieved a top ten placing on the track in 2017 as well as winning the Technical Innovation Award, the team has high hopes for Malaysia.
Headmaster at Girton Grammar School, Mr Matthew Maruff, said that team had been working hard to modify their vehicle and to perfect their driving technique.
“The vehicle that this year’s team will ship to Malaysia is incredibly futuristic.
“The weight of the vehicle is crucial and it has been lightened by about 10% since last competing.
“The drive system has been modified and the vehicle has new aerodynamic features, which the team is keeping under wraps for now.
“For the first time at this event the driver and the reserve driver for the Eco-Marathon team are female,” Mr Maruff said.
Several members of the Eco-Marathon team of 4 girls and 5 boys from years 10 to 12, were involved in defending the School’s seven-time winning title in the 24 hour Energy Breakthrough event in Maryborough last year. At the same time, they smashed the event record by covering over 1,000km during the 24-hour race period.
“There are many lessons from Maryborough that will stand the team in good stead for racing against Universities in Malaysia,” Mr Maruff said.
“Energy Efficient and Human Powered vehicle racing has become a hugely popular co-curricular activity at the school, flowing seamlessly from the classroom onto the track.
“We offer nine Technology subjects at Girton, ranging from Systems Engineering and Computing to Engineering Design, which allows the students to experiment with their learning in a very practical sense.
“An incredible amount of work from students, staff and parents goes into getting a vehicle like this on the track, including attracting sponsorship to support the team and for shipping the vehicle overseas.
“This year, Shell Australia has provided generous support that will allow the team to compete in Malaysia,” Mr Maruff said.
The 2019 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia will take place in Malaysia from 29th of April. Nine Girton Grammar students in Years 11 and 12 will travel to Malaysia to compete, supported by past students, teachers, parents, Shell Australia and local Bendigo businesses who have generously provided in-kind support to the team.
Pictured: representatives from Shell Australia, which is supporting the Girton Eco-Marathon team, visited the school to meet students and inspect the vehicle that will be shipped to Malaysia.
