Albyn School pupils can call themselves world champions after winning the International Finals at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex on Sunday 8 October.

Our S3 pupil Jonathan, who is the marketing manager of the School’s Formula 24 club, wrote the below blog about the achievement.

On 8 October, a group of 14 pupils from across multiple year groups took part in the international final of the Goodwood F24 competition, taking two cars. During a trip to the south coast of England spanning four days they came away with an incredible result – victory in the kit car category, against teams from not just the UK, but all across the globe, including competitors from the US, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal.

The event itself is held annually at major motorsports tracks, usually in the Sussex area, with this year’s event being held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit itself. A distance race in format, teams had to switch drivers quickly and efficiently during the race while utilising their batteries to the absolute maximum to obtain the longest distance. However, much of our team, though experienced drivers and pit crew in regional qualifiers, had never been on the team for a Goodwood trip before.

This follows on from a period of massive change at the club, where pupils have been taking on a much more active role. Since the beginning of last year, we have had club roles introduced and looked to develop all aspects of the club, from racing, mechanics, equipment and useful knowledge for when on the track to writing letters to sponsors, and by the end of this season at the latest, we hope to have a third car on the track. A grassroots-type transformation has taken place for the team. Last year, almost all the work was put in by the adults on the trip. This year, the exact opposite was true.

Our thoughts were simple: we knew we were better than fourth, and with a better all-round knowledge of the teams facing us, the cars, and the race itself, we were aiming for the podium. We had analysed and knew beforehand our strengths and weaknesses, and with one of the best enduring cars in the kit division – aptly named GA1 after the club name, Green Arrows – we knew pit stops would be our main stumbling block.

So from meetings in school to practices before the trip, we were drilled and race-ready, culminating in some of our best and fastest ever driver changes. With what I think all our club members would say we showcased the absolute best of our incredible drivers and amazing pit crew, as well as some quick thinking, good communication and great teamwork on the part of the team as a whole. We were able to pull off a fully deserved win (and with a not insignificant lead at the finish), meanwhile setting the longest ever distance in Goodwood’s competition – as they themselves published just a couple days ago.

Thank you from all of us to the incredible teachers, other staff and volunteers who brought us this far, and hopefully we will have a similar story to tell next year!