First timers take the spoils at EV Challenge
The team's win was met with a mixture of emotions because the car didn't have a good start and it was their first time on the race track.
MBOMBELA – Penreach has once again shown its faith in science and maths’ ability to empower and inspire the youth when two of its teams came first and second in the 2015 EV Challenge at Mbombela Stadium on May 24.
Both were from Mhlume Secondary School in Zwelisha and had received their invitations from Nelspruit Rotary Club. Through Manganese Metal Company’s (MMC) sponsorship Penreach entered the competition, having little prior knowledge of battery-powered vehicles.
Caiphus Chauke, a junior maths teacher at Penreach, coached and mentored the teams and he believes that teamwork and self-belief took them to victory at the end of the day.
“I asked them to do research on the
EV Challenge and I took them through the process on how to design a winning car. They were scared in the beginning because it was their first time cutting, bending and welding,” Chauke said.
The boys soon started putting their own ideas together and with the help of a qualified engineer they got to grips with the technical side of things.
“We were lucky because one of the boys has a talent for art which makes their work easier with the designing of the vehicle,” said Chauke.
The team’s win was met with a mixture of emotions because the car didn’t have a good start and it was their first time on the race track.
“I though a lot of vehicles looked much better than ours,” he mentioned.
According to Chauke, planning, consistency and good attitude were the main ingredients for the success of the Penreach teams.
“I must thank MMC and Penreach for their support, which played a vital role on the day. Some of the guys are now considering a career in the motor industry and are inspired to further unlock their potential.”
