From a design on a piece of paper 12 months ago, Year 10 Industrial Technology Automotive students from The Armidale School finished their school year behind the wheels of home-made vehicles at the Armidale Driver Training Centre on 19 November.
As part of their course work learning about brakes, suspension, chassis types and more, students design and build a go-kart, culminating in a spin on the skid pad.
Once safety procedures and briefing were complete, the groups settled into a day of camaraderie and competition. Eventually the kart of Bailey Haines and friends was deemed best all round, while Ethan Monk was named the soundest test driver.
Bailey, from Wee Waa, said tools ranging from MIG welders and power tools to simple chisels and spanners were used to build the karts, with design aspects including the braking system and chassis construction.
“It was really exciting and fun to drive our kart. Being able to spend an entire school day speeding around a track on the Armidale skid pan and getting to eat pizza for lunch was the best way to end the school year!,” he said.
“The experience of designing, building and then finally driving the kart was extremely rewarding and well worth the time and effort, and really helped to build skills and knowledge in the automotive field.”
