For a few weeks of winter, big ideas and blistering speeds become the norm in Camden High School technology classes. Students in Design for Drawing and Production (DDP) classes have been building and racing CO2 powered wooden dragsters as part of their annual unit.
The concept is simple. Build a car from a wood block to go as fast as possible, but also be strong enough to avoid breakage. Each car has to include a mount for a pressurized carbon dioxide cartridge in the rear of the vehicle, which needs to be durable enough to remain intact at the start of each run. A spring-loaded needle opens the cartridge, releasing the pressure and propelling cars down an elevated straight track at high speeds.
That might happen in the blink of an eye, but the process of getting four wheels on the starting line takes a lot longer, much like an actual National Hot Rod Association racing team. 70 students across four class periods took on the challenge of designing, cutting, sanding, painting, and weighing their cars according to a strict set of rules provided by the teachers.
Paying attention to aerodynamic principles and finding sustainable weight savings where possible were encouraged, but competitors had to take care not to cut too much for fear of breaking the rules or compromising their car entirely. Safe equipment usage was also a point of emphasis.
(Fun Fact: Did you know that NHRA teams tear down and rebuild their engines after just about every run? A team can typically do it in about 30 minutes.)
Cars were broken down into three classes based on their weight in grams.
Lightweight Division - Up to 79.9 g
Middleweight Division - 80g to 109.9 g
Heavyweight Division - 110g and higher
With the cars classified, it was time to hit the track for qualifying runs. Each student had three opportunities to run and set the fastest time possible. After each run, students were responsible for recording their results, and converting their times into miles per hour, as has been done for decades by engineers and officials in real world motorsport.
To be fast, all the ingredients had to come together. A clean start and as little friction and drag as possible were beneficial, and many students experienced time loss over the long run as wear and tear compounded on their vehicles.
The two fastest students in each classification from each of the four classes earned a spot in the finals, which were contested in an eight competitor, single elimination bracket. Because of scheduling, it was tough to get pairings in the same place at the same time, so they were contested in an asynchronous timed format where each competitor set their time against their rival at the start of their class period. That still meant plenty of daily drama.
When the finals were completed, the following competitors took top honors, and were awarded a student-designed 3D printed trophy. Next to their names are their fastest times of the tournament.
Lightweight Division: Landon Brockway (1.181 sec)
Middleweight Division: McKenzie Furmanski (1.391 sec)
Heavyweight Division: Talon Kimball (1.812 sec)
Despite the best efforts of all, Alex Lallier’s track record of 1.058 seconds, set last year, will endure for another school year.
