Students from Faith Baptist Christian College in Gladstone have emerged victorious at the inaugural Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) on 21 April 2023.
‘Faith and Furious’ completed 542 laps in just under four hours to win the competition by taking home the Endurance Award.
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This award saw them complete the most laps using a limited quantity of hydrogen fuel, and also sees them qualify for the World Finals held in Las Vegas, in the United States, later in the year.
The St. Alysious College’s Enginmatics team took out the Innovation Award and Pimlico State High School’s Ark Angels received the Design Award.
Mason, aged 15, from the winning team said he was thrilled to be crowned champions of the H2GP in Australia.
“We encountered several problems with our car during the race,” Mason said.
“The hydrogen sticks we were using were not working at first, and there were several issues with the cars’ functionality in general, but with teamwork and perseverance we found creative solutions to these problems. We’re going to Las Vegas, we’re absolutely pumped.
“It feels amazing to be a school with less than 200 kids, competing and winning at a worldwide level.”
All competing teams in this year’s competition have been working on designing and building their cars since last year, with group members dedicating significant amounts of time to perfecting their vehicle design and practicing their driving skills as part of the Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) program delivered by Horizon Educational.
The H2GP initiative is a global school-based science and engineering program run by Horizon Educational, providing hands-on experience designing, engineering and racing 1:10-scale fuel cell electric vehicles powered by hydrogen. Students taking part gain employable skills in science and technology while also developing competence in critical thinking, creativity and teamwork.
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Plans are now in place to recruit new teams of students from across Australia to participate in Regional Horizon H2GP events, including in Central Queensland. The location and venue for the 2024 national event will be confirmed later this year.
Schools interested in entering a team and participating in the H2GP program from Horizon Educational can find more information here.
