Maryborough Energy Breakthrough

After years of cancelled events and postponed training, the annual Maryborough Energy Breakthrough was able to go ahead. Although it did not seem likely that we would have been able to have two teams due to a shortage of numbers, we still managed to get through. 

The event consists of a trial, 24-hour event, scrutineering and a display and presentation. The scrutineering was an inspection of the trike followed up with a test of our knowledge of the event and the trikes. The display and presentation was a prepared scene that conveyed to the judges our knowledge of the trikes and our journey to get to where we were then. 

There are two categories, HPV and EEV.  The Girton Racing team had two EEVs, a fully electric (single power source) and a Hybrid. The Hybrid style means that it has both a pedal and an adjustable electric motor.

Our Hybrid Team, In-Sync, was made up of mainly junior kids with the exception of a Year 10. This team included Eiliyah Daneen (7 Riley), Henry Hall (7 Riley), Sebastien Loraine (7 Aherne), Chloe Phillips (7 Aherne), Rex Lourie (8 Frew), Hayden Foster (8 Aherne) and Charlie Baker (10 Frew).

Our EEV team, Xception, was entirely senior. This team included Harrison Phillips (10 Aherne), Christian Iuliano (11 Millward), Lincon Hocking (11 Millward), Mathew Saxon (11 Frew), Liam Jones (11 Frew) and Ben Greenall (12 Riley). They won the Display and Presentation as well as being the overall runners-up for their category.

The event kicked off on the Friday of exam week. We were required to arrive at the camp by 8:30 am to set up our tents. The camp spot had changed from previous years as there was a forecast of heavy rain. Our new spot was not suitable as it was a “postage stamp sized campground” (Mr Vernon). We proceeded to set up our tents and rehearse our lines for the upcoming display and presentation.

Soon after our teams did their presentations, our campsite had to be moved back to the original spot, as fast winds were forecast through our heavily treed campsite. This provided the danger of… you can imagine.

After setting up camp in our much larger originally allocated spot, we ordered 30 pizzas for dinner, which would also be to fuel us for a large part of the remainder of the trip. This led us into the trial session, which was to practice riding the trikes in the dark and to become familiar with the track. Our lap times, from the trial, indicated where we would be placed on the grid for the real race.

We woke up in the morning refreshed and excited for what would come at 1pm that day. The event started off with a blast although it was delayed by half an hour because of rain. The track was winding and 1.58 km long. Everything was going smoothly until the red lights came on. We had to evacuate. There was a forecast of damaging winds, hail and an unimaginable amount of rain. The tents were secured or packed away and we trudged along the roads of Maryborough towards the local high school where we were to take shelter. 

After a few hours of sitting around doing nothing we were told to return to camp and resume the event an hour later. This is where things started to go wrong. Crashes after crashes after crashes. Those who were supposed to be woken up around 5 am for their shift were woken up at 3 am. Once you have crashed you must swap over with the next rider. These tumbles weren’t serious for the rider but were for the trike.

But all said and done, the event was a success. Never had the GRT raced in such trying conditions or rain, wind, evacuation, tacks thrown on the track, ducks and swans walking across the track, a fire in the shipping container for recharge of vehicle batteries and swamped campsite and tents. The goal of our Hybrid finishing the race was achieved. The goal of our Single Power Source taking category victory was narrowly missed, for second place but the boys did make history by being the first Girton EEV team to take out first place in the Display and Presentation.

We would like to thank Mr Vernon, Mrs Blanks, Ms Loraine and Mr Knowles for contributing to the event as well as supervising us. We would also like to thank the other teachers and the parents involved.  Overall, the event was a successful one and all of us have enjoyed it greatly.

Eiliyah Daneen and Henry Hall (7 Riley)