The 1eres MEI/ ELEEC of St Jo have interviewed their teachers in Mechanics and Automatism - Mr. Maison and Mr. D.Kern - about one of the highlights which took place recently at St Jo : a24-hour model car race. Initiated at the Lycée, the race has taken place annually for the past seven years. A number of contestants competed in the 24-hour, non-stop race for mini-racing cars in the Lycée’s sports hall. The competing teams, 20 of them this year, came from local schools, but also from schools further afield such as St Omer, Ardres, Guines, and Marquise.
The theme put forward this year is ‘eco-conception’. This means one car was launched as an environmentally-friendly concept-car. Mr. Maison made this car from A to Z.

What was the aim of this race?

The main objective was to make the seconds, premières and terminales in Mechanics, Electricity and Maintenance, Automatism, and Computing, work towards a common objective. The project required a whole year to conceive, to shape the different bodies for the 20 cars, and to construct them to a scale of 1/10th. They look just like their bigger original sisters: Porsche, Mercedes, Alpha, etc. Other Colleges and Grammar schools from the area were invited to participate in a selection (College trophy) and compete on the 13th and 14th May 2011.

What did you succeed in doing?

This is a very nice event which gathers together around250 pupils 2,500 visitors, and which gives St Jo great exposure via live internet links as well. It enhances our competences here and shows what we are able to do in our different sections and in our different grammar schools. It also motivates the students, and it makes them work together, find their forte, appreciate each other’s work and gives them exposure.

How many people turn up every year?

About 2,500 people turned up, ranging from 8-year old schoolchildren to adults. The Mayor, Mr Cuvillier, and the media were also there : La Voix du Nord, La Semaine dans le Boulonnais, Radio 6 etc.
You call it an eco-conception concept car, why is it?
It is a new way to conceive cars and an environmentally-friendly one. One is made to race with hydrogen so it is non- polluting. Two other cars were driving only on a solar system for 24 hours onwards, even at night time when the sun had disappeared.
How do the cars work? We were told you made them from A to Z. What is the most difficult part of it?
That’s right. The chassis was the most difficult part to make.
How long can they race?
They race for about 24 hours - some of them are completely dead after the 24 hour race.

What about their tyres, engines?
 

Some teams can keep their car going for a long time. Others, who tend to push their cars too hard, need to change the tyres as well as the engines several times. We have to allow time to charge up the batteries for the cars to be able to continue racing. But this all counts against them in racing times. In order to win the race you need to have a super technical team in the background repairing anything that goes wrong.

Why do you need sponsors?
 

We have about 60 sponsors who participate in financing the project and give us a better exposure. Each sponsor has got its own team and car. This is the case with the media. We used their logos on the cars so it is just like a real race. Actually the cars have gone to the 24 hours race at Le Mans which is a very famous race worldwide for a demonstration tour in a dedicated hall.

How do you explain the fact that St Jo often wins?
 

Calais won this year with the Nissan in 4,133 rounds (300 kilometres), 2nd was the Alpha with 3,994 rounds. We have lots of experience and St Jo came second. We had 5 teams. The real secret is to remain concentrated during the night; that’s when everything is at stake, just like in real races!

Have you already got an idea for a new theme next year?
We are thinking of developing the green aspect of the race and using more solar panels for cars. We would like them to be beautiful as well as very competitive. This would be the new challenge! Every year we imagine a theme which will gather and sensitize our public. Last year we got messages about not drinking too much alcohol. This year it was about having environmentally friendly attitudes, recycling, being aware and adopting green attitudes.

Are you happy to have initiated and organized this event?
 

It is a nice way to put into practice what we learn and what we are aiming at in our courses. It is also great publicity for St Jo and the pupils who are working and studying here. Each year we concentrate on gathering for this eventinnovation, new technologies and sustainable technologies so technologies become integrated in development on the Cote d’Opale.

Jerôme Bernard, Alexis Bigand, Julien Bourgois, Samuel Dumont, Anthony Hurtrelle,
Matthieu Baheu, Olivier Bonvoisin, Guillaume Havart.
And their English teacher Frances Gulvin