It was a wet and thunderous 6am on Saturday 13 September when a group of bleary-eyed Year 11 and 13 girls loaded the F24 car onto a trailer and set off in a minibus for Dunsfold aerodrome (the Top Gear test track), in order to take part in a race against other schools and university teams.

The excitement mounted as we arrived in time to set up the car for the intense scrutineering, before being allowed to take part in the morning practice sessions and afternoon race. There was a nervous moment when Clara got behind the controls. Was she too tall? A quick removal of her coat and a bit of the seat padding and we could all breathe easily again – we passed!
 
Still raining, our team of drivers, Clara, Fen, Derin, and Evelyn entered the practice session, each driving around the race track three times. More nerves, for the rest of us. Would the motor hold? Would the car handle the wet conditions? We needn’t have worried, both the girls, and the car, performed flawlessly.

We realised that we needed to work out a better method for changing drivers, so, after the practice session, it was back to the pits for a battery change and practising the transitions. Open the lap buckle, loosen shoulder straps, climb out, next driver in, tighten straps, and away. Simple to say, not so easy under race conditions. Satisfied that we had everything under control, all that remained was the race.

Under improving conditions, but still with a damp track, the race got under way at about 2pm. Onto the race grid and more nerves. Clara got us off to a great start for the 1st lap of her 15-minute session. Seven laps later, she was back for Fen’s turn. The smooth transition was a great push off from our team of Sohana and Lucy. Another great ride, then it was Derin’s turn. The car was still going strong, which is more than could be said for some of the competition. About half a dozen cars failed to finish the one-hour race.

Another seven laps, and then it was Evelyn’s turn. It was another brilliant performance and all too soon the hour was up and the cars were flagged down for the race’s end.

It was quite a race. We didn’t win, but we finished, the car performed without any problems, and the drivers managed the difficult conditions like they’d being doing it for years. The competition from teams with far more experience was fierce. We achieved our pre-race day aims, and everyone had a great day out, even those who didn’t get a chance to race.

In Fen’s words, ‘I had an awesome time going to the F24 race, it was great seeing all the other teams’ cars and it definitely gave us some good ideas for next time. Driving the car was definitely a highlight for me!’

Derin said, ‘F24 was such an amazing experience, I learned so much and driving the car was so fun. I especially loved racing in our bright pink car and representing women in STEM as an all-girls school among so many male-led teams.’

Alayna and Sarah commented, ‘F24 was such a fun and exciting experience, we can’t wait for the next race’.

And, in the words of Lucy, Evelyn and Sohana, ’The F24 was the best day out, ever!’.

It was a brilliant day for all concerned: well done to Clara, Fen, Derin, Evelyn, Sohana, Lucy, Alayna, Marija, Jola, Ellie, and Sarah.

Now for the next challenge: to improve the car ready for the next race.