Regional Results: Waikato

Words by Sam Knox

2021 certainly proved a challenging year for the Waikato teams. They gave it their all right until the last minute, but were unfortunately pipped at the post – not by fellow teams, but by COVID restrictions.

Despite the disappointing reality of a cancelled regional finals, some did manage to finish their builds. Which is a great achievement of its own – many karts don’t get finished even in a normal year!

A total of 10 teams from 6 schools, all EVolocity veterans, competed throughout the year:

• Te Aroha College • Melville High School • Fraser High School • Hillcrest High School • St. John’s College • Cambridge High School

Some teams were still able to enjoy the fruits of their labour at the Cambridge Road cycling track, showing off their expertly crafted and innovative designs to passersby. Both a cart and a bike completed many laps of the ring, and the speed record for the day was 30km/h, surprisingly from the cart, a standard-class 3-wheeler.

The teams were well supported throughout the year with several workshops covering topics from the engineering design process to microcontrollers and electronics. Time became of the essence to implement any features over and above forward motion, but those teams that decide to push through the holidays will be able to showcase their achievements in 2022’s race event at the RNZAF base in Auckland. Farewell to all of the year 13s who won’t be around next year and good luck for the future!

A big thank you and shoutout to all the sponsors for their support, and to The University of Waikato for their continued efforts in the program. Another big thanks to the schools and teachers who assisted throughout the year, who made the workshops possible and gave up their own time in support of their students.

Looking forward to a fresh start in 2022!