St. Paul’s small car club builds camaraderie, skills

 

When the club began, its first race was at the Shell Eco -Marathon in 2010, winning first in Biodiesel that year.  The club placed second its second year with Shell, winning $1,000 checks both years, club moderator John Carambat said. The club raced a total of four years with Shell, joining Electrathon America when Shell moved the race from Houston, Carambat said.
 

“We have improved in speed the last four years in Electrathon, facing serious challenges from high schools and colleges alike,” Carambat said. “We won in the new battery technology category at Electrathon America at the Emerald Coast Electrathon.”
 

Year-round work
 

Club members begin construction on their cars in early August, usually during the first week of school, and continue to work on their cars until the competition. They meet, after school, in the shop every Monday and Wednesday to work on more than one project – multiple teams work on their own cars throughout the year. 
 

Each team has a team leader who organizes members and reports to Carambat and co-moderator Richard Pichon, who both teach at St. Paul’s. They reach out to the moderators for guidance on their task for the day or to solve a problem with the build or for general instruction. The team leader delegates tasks so the rest of his team can work on their own projects, which eventually come together in the finished product. 
 

“Not only has Wolves on Wheels taught me a myriad of design and workshop skills, it has also provided a great platform to become proficient with cooperation and leadership,” said senior Clayton Dunavant. “I especially love the unique friendships I’ve grown with underclassmen. I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity as a sort of older brother to get to know them and watch them grow up. I’m quite grateful to both Mr. Carambat and the club as a whole for giving me this invaluable opportunity.”
 

Many factors in a car
   

The cars that the club members produce aren’t easy to design. Members must account for aerodynamics and weight, using minimal structural components while maximizing speed and appearance of the vehicle – all important factors for competition, because cars are graded on their driving ability and their looks. 
 

Teams shoot for a maximum of 200 pounds a car to fit a 4x4x10-foot format and are required to get creative to meet this benchmark. 
 

“The students design and build the ultra-light, high-efficiency, electric vehicle according to a long list of safety and engineering guidelines provided by Electrathon America,” moderator Carambat said. “Before being allowed to race, each driver and car must pass an extensive barrage of specifications to be allowed on the track. We have passed every year.”
 

Carambat said while there is no specific budget for the cars, St. Paul’s does not buy $3,600 kits like other schools.  
 

“We build our races from scratch for about $2,000 each,” he said. “We also keep our STEAM students busy by designing and building four or five other specialty, non-racing cars.”
 

Members recycle previous years’ cars and use anything from old bikes to pipes and roadside garbage to build the perfect vehicle. They can be seen welding parts in the workshop after school or drawing up designs of a lightweight vehicle to maximize speed, without instructions or guidelines.
 

“We have been able to build so many cars per year due to our judicious recycling and the generosity of our donors,” Carambat said. “We have to buy new about six new lithium batteries per year (about $400 to $600 each). We appeal for grants from organizations or individuals that want to encourage our new crop of engineers and innovators. Our largest contributor has been the Renaissance Group at St. Paul’s.”
 

There are no boundaries or limits to what can be created. Planning and construction give high school students a vehicle to use their imagination in application of real-life skills that can be used throughout their lives. 
 

The club’s next race is set at the Emerald Coast Electrathon at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, April 17 to 19, 2020.
 

Sean Hightower is a senior at St. Paul’s School in Covington.