Hummingbird soars to new heights at Goodwood

On Sunday the Plymouth High School for Girls F24 electric racing car team travelled to Goodwood for the International Finals. We are delighted to announce that the team achieved a new record, with Hummingbird covering a distance over 40 mile and achieved a top 10 position, nationally. A huge congratulations to the Team and big thanks to the staff who supported the trip and our sponsor, Becton Dickinson.
Each car is equipped with two batteries that cannot be recharged or replaced during the race, so teams are challenged to maximise the distance travelled over the 90minutes. In race one, Hummingbird driven by Molly C, Molly B and Isla N achieved a superb 10th position, rising through the field during the last 15 minutes of the race. They managed to complete 15 laps of the 2.4mile circuit, limited only by a 10 minute red flag caused by an accident involving the leading car.
For race two the performance team, led by Clara M decided to take the risk of changing the gearing on Hummingbird to improve its top speed, the only question was, could they make the batteries last for the full race? For the second race the car was driven by Ruby S, Gwen M and Isla N, with Ruby S making a rapid start off the start line achieving a PHSG Goodwood record lap of 4 minutes 45 seconds, which equates to an average speed of 29.9 miles per hour. The car was managed superbly throughout the race, with racing lap times never falling below 5 minutes 30 seconds, far more consistent than many rivals, with Isla N bringing the car home to an outstanding 9th position across the weekend out of the 85 cars in the field.
At the end of the race the team were delighted to discover that their distance of nearly 18 laps equated to in excess of 40miles, which is an all-time Hummingbird record in the F24 class. The team of drivers were admirably supported by Clara M, Priya B, Hope H, Grace J, Megan S, Daisy M and Jess W, who all worked superbly on performance, maintenance and in the pits throughout the day.
Finally, we would all like to thank Jon Brightman and BD (Becton Dickinson) as our sponsor, who provided both expertise and financial support to help the team to function so successfully this season.