Armstrong Students Fueled To Compete in Global Supermileage Competition
A group of Armstrong High School students are heading overseas to show off their talents in the garage and on the racetrack.
The Armstrong Supermileage team will travel to Bangalore, India this October to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon World Drivers Championship.
During the contest, students from high schools and colleges across the globe compete to build the most fuel efficient car.
This comes after the team took first place at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event this April. They beat out 70 other teams for the title.
“I can’t even describe how I was feeling,” said Lucas Priem, Armstrong student. Priem drove the car for the team’s recent win. “It was crazy. I was just, like, I was shocked. Still am.”
Building the Car
The Supermileage team spent months building their vehicle from the ground up.
“There’s lots of hours into this car,” Priem said.
With the help of teacher Luke Becker and other partnering organizations, the team installed an ethanol-powered dirtbike motor in the car.
“This team is very special in the fact that we all work together so well,” said student Jett Hui.
Students also had to submit designs and a significant amount of paperwork just to be accepted into the competition.
“The list for the rules is about an inch-and-a-half thick,” said Becker. “And about a quarter of that is what you have in your paperwork and documentation.”
Winning at Indianapolis
All the hard work the students put into the car paid off when they took the top spot in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event this spring.
“It was incredible, the race was just something else,” Priem said. “I was not expecting anything like that.”
Hui concurred, saying “I was jumping up and down. It was the best experience of my life.”
Becker, who is in his first year advising the team, said winning the competition wasn’t on his radar earlier in the year.
“I was really hoping to set a baseline and just build a foundation this year,” he said. “Who gets to watch their kids build a car and that they race around Indianapolis Speedway? I mean to cross the yard of bricks was such a huge thing.”
Trip to India
With a win under their belts, the team heads off to India this fall. The car will make the trip ahead of them, shipping out in July.
“There are a lot of challenges to that competition, but I know with my amazing team, we’ll be able to overcome those challenges just like we did at Indianapolis,” Hui said.
Shell covers the costs for the ten-member team to travel.
“My role when they’re driving around in India is to stand around and cheer, and take pictures and video, and try not to cry,” Becker said.
See also: Standout Student: Armstrong High School’s Rachel Olson Plays at Carnegie Hall
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