Did you know Patriot Racing has won more National Championships than any other organization in the whole school? In total, Patriot Racing has won 7 national championships. Another thing that surprises people is just how student-led Patriot Racing is. As the team lead of White team, Tucker Magoniga stated, “We act almost autonomously, with our coaches only there to provide occasional corrections and feedback.”
On the topic of competitions, Inspire Academy was the first race of the year. The Blue team won the F24 Advanced Modified Division, and White team won the F24 Advanced Custom division. Unfortunately, there were electrical issues with the Red team’s car; some of the components wore out. One thing to note is that the Blue and Red team are in the F24 Advanced Modified division, meaning they use a kit provided by Greenpower USA. White team is a part of the F24 Custom division, which means they build the car from scratch.
Anyone can drive the cars, but drivers are chosen based on skill and practice and also their ability to learn new techniques. When the drivers are chosen to prepare, they go through extensive training programs and preseason scrimmages. Designing the car is a whole different process, as the Blue and Red team are a part of the F24 Advanced Modified Division which has set rules and regulations. The White team is a part of the F24 Custom division meaning it has fewer rules and regulations. They build the cars from what they see as design flaws in previous versions and try to improve parts that underperformed last year.
John Allison, a driver for White team, stated, “We are trying to get the lightest, most efficient car and test many different things to find what works and what doesn’t.”
All of this preparation is for the biggest competition yet–the National Championship at Talmadge. In order to prepare the teams study the maps of the track, and the data they collect from the tracks is used to tune the cars. The media and marketing team also has to make presentations. The media and marketing lead, Isa Hayes stated, “I am in charge of the half of the race that is a presentation we have to turn in. Each race has a different rubric where I lead a team to create the best presentation we can.”
If any students want to get involved in Patriot Racing, they can contact Mrs. Gaines.
