Year 9 DEV passion project takes off

In 2020, Macquarie College is providing Year 9 students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in “passion projects” either individually or in groups.  Mr Ross is currently coordinating a whole class passion project called the Drag and Electric Vehicle (DEV).

Students will work in teams to complete a variety of projects including building a drift trike, an electric go kart, and two electric bikes which will be used to compete in Australia’s largest electric bike gran prix at the Cameron Park Raceway later this year.  The group’s most high profile project will be the race car, and today students took possession of their vehicle from Mr David Mitchell. We intend to compete in local motorkhana and gymkhana events where we anticipate students with a CAMS licence have some opportunities to drive. The group is also planning to participate in at least one drag race event in Sydney.

While the car looks the part of a race car, there are still a number of things that will need to be done to get it ready for student use. Our group project will focus heavily on developing strong interpersonal skills and communication, imperative in any motorsport racing team environment.  Racing will present many challenges and setbacks, and students will have be challenged to be good at problem solving and building personal resiliency.

Mr Ross is a qualified motor mechanic by trade and could not wait when given the opportunity to share some of his own passions with students, jumping at the chance to work with students within this space.   A final goal for the group is to connect students with industry experts.

Macquarie College is interested in partnerships and mentoring from a variety of sources including fabrication, painting, tuning and electrical work.  If you have industry experience which could help our students learn, or would like to discuss a financial partnership for the project, please contact Mr Ross to discuss further ([email protected]).