Vitoria, Ana, Lucas and Carlos are four teenagers from Sao Paulo in Brazil who have been working hard for the past few months to design their own Greenpower racing car, with the help of Truro High School’s team via video link.
Instead of transporting a car from Brazil to the UK, the team has been working remotely to upgrade and design one of the older cars that we already had here at school, and after flying to the UK, they worked flat out in our Engineering room to get their car, “UKBRA”, ready for the finals.
This innovative collaboration was organised by our very own Head of STEM Mr Jon Dean and their Brazilian mentor, Mr Manoel Belem, and the teams from Truro High and from Sao Paulo have already become firm friends. Vitoria, one of the students who has travelled with the Brazilian team, said: “It feels like a dream being here and taking part in the International Finals. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming, and one day I would love to come and study in the UK”.
The teenagers from Sao Paulo join our very own team of Greenpower racers, including Charlotte and Ellie in Year 13 for whom this race is their last before they leave Truro High. The girls have been dedicated to the club for 7 years, and although this final race will be bittersweet, they are excited to carry on their love for Greenpower racing, with Charlotte looking to study Mechanical Engineering at university and Ellie looking to pursue the business side of motorsports.
The International Finals were the first in a few years to have no restrictions, and the event was positively bustling with activity, hosting over 80 teams from around the world at the world-famous Goodwood racing circuit.
They raced the cars “UKBRA” (adapted and driven by our partner team from Brazil), “Green Goddess”, “Green Gladiator” and “Phoenix” in the F24 race, and raced the “Green Gladiator” and “Phoenix” in the F24+ race.
The weekend at the International Finals was a roaring success with all our team members having an incredible weekend to remember, helping each other to make their cars the best they could be, and making friends for life.
