Springwood’s budding engineers put pedal to the metal with Rolls-Royce

​Few would associate Rolls-Royce with soapbox racing, yet aspiring engineers from a Lynn school were lucky enough to have the support of the Rolls-Royce Jet Engine Team from RAF Marham when they designed, built, and even raced, their very own soapbox kart.

The Springwood High School students spent six months working on their creation with the help of Rolls-Royce, before going on to compete in this year’s Hunstanton Soapbox Derby.

“The kart was made using materials sourced from local clubs, businesses, and donations, and gave the student the chance to see a project through from conception to final product,” said Victoria Mann, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Lead at the school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Students started with a complete blank slate when approaching the project. They broke into teams to focus on various aspects, like bodywork, braking, and steering, before coming back together to work on the kart’s shell, learning how to use carbon-fibre materials and painting the end product.

“Test runs were done using the school’s natural hills, and weaving around stools and other objects to test our drivers before the race. Other members of the team participated as launchers, pushing the students at the start to speed their downhill race.

“The kart itself raced in the Hunstanton Soapbox Derby both in the under-16 category and adults’ category, driven by students who had been involved in building it. It was one of the only entries created by a school-based team this year.”

The students, now in Years 11 and 13 at Springwood, included the Under-16 Racer, Jack Higgins, who finished fourth, with Runners Hui Yu and Antoni Ostasz; and Over-16 Racer James Bell, who came 13th, with Runners Callum Bristow and Luke Utteridge.

Other team members were Maisie Royal; Cherry Yu; Isaac Roberts; Nyasha Tarungamiswa; Oscar Woods; Kevin Monk; Oliver Oliviera; Nastia Kliuchnyk; and Eshaal Ahmed.

The group was led by science teachers Richard Moore and Matilda Waite, with Rolls-Royce’s Tony Steel, Alexander Hannah, David Langley, and Adam Dix; while Technology Technician Lee Sedgley also supported the project.

“The Soapbox Challenge was a great opportunity for the Rolls-Royce team at RAF Marham to work alongside some of Norfolk’s aspiring engineers,” said Mr Steel.

“The enthusiasm and novel thinking was truly admirable and resulted in a well-designed, reliable, and fast soapbox, which performed four runs with no mechanical issues.

“The students immersed themselves in the project, and, whilst the Rolls-Royce team provided assistance, the design and problem-solving ideas were all born from the Springwood students.

“Considering this was Springwood’s first-ever soapbox build, and despite being among a field of seasoned soapbox veterans on the day, the results were truly inspiring. 

“Rolls-Royce at RAF Marham look forward to supporting Springwood High School again in the future.”

“The opportunity to explore the field of engineering in this way, gives students invaluable insight into what a career in STEM could look like for them if they chose to pursue it,” added Mrs Mann. 

“Building confidence, experience, and insight can be applied in their studies and application to further education, apprenticeships, and the world of work.”