NEWS
SPONSORSHIP
We are currently looking for sponsors for our team! We would like to improve our car by making it lighter, more aerodynamic and faster to help us achieve more in the future! If you, or anybody you know, would be able to help us out it would be quite appreciated!
To discuss a sponsorship please email our marketing manager, Alexis Griffin, via email: [email protected]
Any help will be quite appreciated! Thank you!
2016 INTERNATIONAL KIT CAR FINAL - ROCKINGHAM MOTOR SPEEDWAY
This year, the International Kit Car Final was once again held at Rockingham Motor Speedway. Rockingham is by far and away our favourite circuit; the facilities are great, the track is wide and forgiving and, above all, it looks like a professional motor racing circuit. We were determined to do well.
Our experiences of the past year have taught us the two factors that are critical to winning races – aerodynamics and battery management. To address the former we had made a new cone and fabricated spoke covers for the wheels. We are really please with the nose, it follows the lines of the car nicely and should be really aerodynamic. Battery management basically comes down to motor gearing – too high and the car will go really fast but run out of power before the end; too low and the reverse happens.
Over the last few races we had been gradually increasing the gearing and had not yet reached the point where we ran out of battery. At Rockingham, a full 2 hours of practice was allocated before the race and we managed to get there early enough to take full advantage of it. We decided to increase the gearing (to 17 teeth) and run the practice as if it was an actual race to see how we got on. After 90 minutes, which is the race duration, there was no sign of the battery running down so we decided to be bold and increase the gearing to 18 teeth for the race.
Matthew, Toby and Aaron were chosen to be the race drivers as they are the lightest, with Aaron, our secret weapon, driving last as he can’t weigh much more than 2 stone! We got off to a tremendous start and were averaging second or third place when it came time for the first pit stop and driver change. We like to do this early as there is less chance of a hold up, and this strategy paid off as everything went really smoothly. Back on the track, it was difficult to determine our position as most other cars had yet to come in for their first pit stop, but we still appeared to be running well.
Pit stop and driver change two also went well as did the third, but it was not until towards the end of the race, when all other cars had completed their pit stops, that we were able to determine our position. We were still hovering between second and third, and there was much jubilation in the pit lane! However, in the penultimate lap, things started to go wrong as the car was definitely slowing. By the last lap it was obvious we were slowing and we passed the finish line at walking speed but in a very creditable fifth position.
We were a bit disappointed not to finish in the top three but out a field of 39 teams, to have finished fifth is OK, particularly as we now understand the car much better. Just a slight tweek to the gearing.....
Our experiences of the past year have taught us the two factors that are critical to winning races – aerodynamics and battery management. To address the former we had made a new cone and fabricated spoke covers for the wheels. We are really please with the nose, it follows the lines of the car nicely and should be really aerodynamic. Battery management basically comes down to motor gearing – too high and the car will go really fast but run out of power before the end; too low and the reverse happens.
Over the last few races we had been gradually increasing the gearing and had not yet reached the point where we ran out of battery. At Rockingham, a full 2 hours of practice was allocated before the race and we managed to get there early enough to take full advantage of it. We decided to increase the gearing (to 17 teeth) and run the practice as if it was an actual race to see how we got on. After 90 minutes, which is the race duration, there was no sign of the battery running down so we decided to be bold and increase the gearing to 18 teeth for the race.
Matthew, Toby and Aaron were chosen to be the race drivers as they are the lightest, with Aaron, our secret weapon, driving last as he can’t weigh much more than 2 stone! We got off to a tremendous start and were averaging second or third place when it came time for the first pit stop and driver change. We like to do this early as there is less chance of a hold up, and this strategy paid off as everything went really smoothly. Back on the track, it was difficult to determine our position as most other cars had yet to come in for their first pit stop, but we still appeared to be running well.
Pit stop and driver change two also went well as did the third, but it was not until towards the end of the race, when all other cars had completed their pit stops, that we were able to determine our position. We were still hovering between second and third, and there was much jubilation in the pit lane! However, in the penultimate lap, things started to go wrong as the car was definitely slowing. By the last lap it was obvious we were slowing and we passed the finish line at walking speed but in a very creditable fifth position.
We were a bit disappointed not to finish in the top three but out a field of 39 teams, to have finished fifth is OK, particularly as we now understand the car much better. Just a slight tweek to the gearing.....
2016 BEDFORD AUTODROME HEAT
The team took a combination of new team members and also our most experienced for our second event of the season. The team started the day with practice in which we set some very respectable times and allowed us to see where we could improve for the first F24 race of the day. The team started well and began to enter battles with other teams for positions. The team made some great tactical decisions for when we would complete our pit stops, which helped us to jump ahead of our rivals. The result of our hard work was we began to make up positions lap by lap, until the checked flag was finally waved. The team manged to finish 9th overall and 2nd in the kit car class to record are best result to date.
The next race was a step into the unknown for the whole team, for numerous reasons this was our first opportunity to enter the F24+ category. The category is known for being extremely competitive with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Perkins Engines and Lockheed Martin all entering. The race started well, where we were able to make a great start overtaking cars into the first corner. As the race began to take shape there where many incidents with cars ending up in a gravel trap and numerous punctures. The car continued to perform consistently for the hour long race. The result of this was we finished 8th overall and 2nd in the kit car class once more. Improving the team’s best result once more.
We were determined to improve on our previous F24 result, in the second race of the day. The car was geared higher to try and increase the speed of the car. The race was all going to plan with the team lying 3rd in the kit car class with 45 minutes to go, unfortunately the car developed a power connection issue which lost all power for the car. Once the car was recovered the team did all they could to get the car back out on track, we successfully managed to recover a respectable result. To end a great days racing we were awarded a trophy for the 3rd furthest distance covered by a kit car. We are looking forward to trying to replicate this result at the Greenpower international finals at Rockingham Motor Speedway in just over a months’ time.
The next race was a step into the unknown for the whole team, for numerous reasons this was our first opportunity to enter the F24+ category. The category is known for being extremely competitive with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Perkins Engines and Lockheed Martin all entering. The race started well, where we were able to make a great start overtaking cars into the first corner. As the race began to take shape there where many incidents with cars ending up in a gravel trap and numerous punctures. The car continued to perform consistently for the hour long race. The result of this was we finished 8th overall and 2nd in the kit car class once more. Improving the team’s best result once more.
We were determined to improve on our previous F24 result, in the second race of the day. The car was geared higher to try and increase the speed of the car. The race was all going to plan with the team lying 3rd in the kit car class with 45 minutes to go, unfortunately the car developed a power connection issue which lost all power for the car. Once the car was recovered the team did all they could to get the car back out on track, we successfully managed to recover a respectable result. To end a great days racing we were awarded a trophy for the 3rd furthest distance covered by a kit car. We are looking forward to trying to replicate this result at the Greenpower international finals at Rockingham Motor Speedway in just over a months’ time.
2016 ROCKINGHAM MOTOR SPEEDWAY HEAT
The team arrived at Rockingham in significantly cooler conditions than the previous year! Unfortunately due to a number of delays including a tyre blow out the team only managed to completed 3 laps in practice, however we still managed to beat are personal best time and also are average speed. The first race was a real learning curve for the new members of the team, getting to grips with how the car handles and how to manage to the battery usage efficiently. They were able to record an extremely respectable result and also completed a sub 4 minute lap of the circuit. We were intending to make are debut in formula 24+, however unfortunately we were unable to, so will aim to begin are campaign at the Bedford Autodrome heat. In the final race the team managed to secure a fantastic 6th place in the kit car category, beating there previous result earlier in the day. A great result as none of the team had previously driven the car on a circuit.
2016 PROJECT CONFIRMED - WMGA X 2016
We have purchased an Ex - Bedford Schools Grand Prix Car, which we are currently in the process of converting to 2016 Greenpower Regulations. It is a year 13 project, in which we aim to create a competitive IET Formula 24+ car. We feel it will give the year 13 students the opportunity to develop there engineering skills and knowledge, but also give the opportunity for younger members of the team to take a more significant role with WMGA 1
OUR SECOND 2016 SEASON SPONSOR IS ANNOUNCED - APPQUAL
AppQual is an educational resource offering learners the opportunity to ‘test-drive’ various industries by exploring them at an entry level enabling career progression and development. AppQual provides all of the learning content and resource material, which includes training videos and online workbooks to support the duration of the learner’s journey. There online platform, the ePortal serves as an interactive tool for the learner, provider, employer and awarding body to use as a communication and learning platform. We cannot wait to start working with this fantastic company in our second season!
OUR FIRST 2016 SEASON SPONSOR IS ANNOUNCED - ASTON MARTIN
Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin as 'Bamford & Martin Ltd', the company has developed into an iconic brand synonymous with luxury and elegance. 1914 saw the birth of the name ‘Aston Martin’ following one of Lionel Martin's successful runs at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, England. Within a year the first Aston Martin had been built and registered with the name, and an icon of the automotive world was born. They have been responsible for some of the best cars ever built such as the DBR1 right through to the DB10 used in the current Bond film, Spectre. We look forward to working with this legendery company over the coming season.
2015 INTERNATIONAL KIT CAR FINAL - ROCKINGHAM MOTOR SPEEDWAY
The International Greenpower Final Weekend was held at a circuit in which for the first time we had experience of, Rockingham Motor Speedway. We went into the International kit car with a hugely upgraded WMGA 1 from are first race at Rockingham, with a major push on aerodynamics the upgrades such as redesigned nose, completely new rear and new headrest aero to name a few improvements made. We used practices to its full potential. We started with are only new driver to give him experience of driving the circuit and most importantly the car. We tried different sized sprockets during practice, finally settling on a slightly larger sprocket which would give us slight increase of speed.
We lined up 27th on the grid out of 37 kit cars from around the world which included entrants form, United Kingdom, United States of America, Poland and Portugal. We began well moving up 5 places in 15 minutes moving us up to 22nd overall. We gradually moved up an additional place before the driver changes 25 minutes in. The team kept up are great pit stop record getting the car in and out of the pit lane in less than 1 minute and 30 seconds! Are second driver was more experienced of Rockingham’s banking corners and keep a very consistent speed. Another 25 minutes had past, another 2 places gained and another pit stop. Same slick change over got the car in and out even faster than are previous stop, crucially gaining crucial seconds on are rivals. Are most experienced driver was now in and was able to settle in for the finish. The cars times around us started to increase drastically as ours stayed consistent, then with 13 minutes to go we gained 2 places then a lap later another 3 places then another 4 places, we were sitting 10th overall with a lap to go until we passed 9th and 8th place, to cross the finish line 8th. It was a great result proving that we are one of the top international kit car teams in the world, especially as we have had the car for less than a year!
Too top are day of we went out in practice once more with the fastest setup on the car and beat are best lap of by over 7 seconds! We would like to thank everyone who has followed us over are debut season, parents, teachers and technicians who have put up with us and given up there time to help and without there guidance we would not have ended up with such a great debut season!
We lined up 27th on the grid out of 37 kit cars from around the world which included entrants form, United Kingdom, United States of America, Poland and Portugal. We began well moving up 5 places in 15 minutes moving us up to 22nd overall. We gradually moved up an additional place before the driver changes 25 minutes in. The team kept up are great pit stop record getting the car in and out of the pit lane in less than 1 minute and 30 seconds! Are second driver was more experienced of Rockingham’s banking corners and keep a very consistent speed. Another 25 minutes had past, another 2 places gained and another pit stop. Same slick change over got the car in and out even faster than are previous stop, crucially gaining crucial seconds on are rivals. Are most experienced driver was now in and was able to settle in for the finish. The cars times around us started to increase drastically as ours stayed consistent, then with 13 minutes to go we gained 2 places then a lap later another 3 places then another 4 places, we were sitting 10th overall with a lap to go until we passed 9th and 8th place, to cross the finish line 8th. It was a great result proving that we are one of the top international kit car teams in the world, especially as we have had the car for less than a year!
Too top are day of we went out in practice once more with the fastest setup on the car and beat are best lap of by over 7 seconds! We would like to thank everyone who has followed us over are debut season, parents, teachers and technicians who have put up with us and given up there time to help and without there guidance we would not have ended up with such a great debut season!
WMGA 1 2015
WMGA 1 2015 is the first major update to WMGA 1. The main upgrade to the car was the aero as seen from the picture below. Reworked front nose, new rear aero, new driver headrest aero and many more!
2015 BEDFORD AUTODROME HEAT
With a fantastic debut at Rockingham Motor Speedway, winning the best newcomer award, Bedford would always be about developing the car for the international kit car final. We had made numerous improvements since Rockingham such as full slick tyres and a speed controller. The car was out early in practice which gave the driver’s time to really learn the circuit. WMGA 1 completed a very respectable 29 laps in practice, especially as it was the second furthest the car has been. For Race 1 the target was to get the car round in one piece. Carefully managed speeds where the key, giving us a respectable amount of power to finish the race with. We record another team record, recording another 46 Laps. We analysed the data and decided to put two different slick wheels on the rear which we felt would help for Race 2. In Race 2 we improved on are previous result once more completing 47 Laps and set are fastest lap of the weekend. We recorded a 6th place in the kit car class which shows we are progressing well for the international kit car final.
POWER MAXED SPONSORSHIP
We are pleased to announce are first external sponsor, Power Maxed. Power Maxed is a revolutionary new range of automotive products. Their only aim is to be the best, nothing comes before that. They have developed products which are not just better than others but to be the best they can be. As far as they are concerned only quality counts and once you have tried Power Maxed you won’t want to use anything else.
2015 ROCKINGHAM MOTOR SPEEDWAY HEAT
With track temperatures reaching nearly 40°c and the largest ever regional Greenpower round it was always going to be an interesting day for the debut for not only WMGA 1 but also WMG Academy Greenpower Racing Team. The first ever laps taken by WMGA 1 in practice where steady as the drivers soon picked up speed, until the practice ending contact with the rear wheel. The team soon got the wheel replaced and checked over ready to go out for Race 1. Consistent and carefully managed speeds form the three driver stints helped us to secure a very respectable position in are first race, but crucially 2nd in the best newcomers category. From the timings and battery data are three remaining drivers where really able to push on in the final race, with are team becoming more efficient we started to claw back time in the best newcomer’s category and move up the standings. We improved on are previous result but most importantly claimed enough time back to go away with the best newcomer award.