Race pits Mackay students against Bundaberg teams
Pedalling in a tricycle looking like a pod crossed with a billy kart, riders could reach speeds up to 60km/h
Mackay
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PEDALLING while laying down in a tricycle looking like a pod crossed with a billy kart, riders can reach speeds of up to 60km/h.
Today, 14 school teams from across Mackay and Bundaberg will put the human-powered vehicles to the grind when they compete in the 2020 BHP Whitsunday STEM Challenge.
Mercy College teacher and event organiser Michael Duggan said riders would take turns in 30 minute hot laps that included a tricky dogleg turn down Palmyra Dragway.
"You can drop 20 seconds off your lap if you do it right," the former military cartographer and IT consultant said.
He added the Mackay race was the only one in Australia that hadn't been canned because of COVID-19.
"If we get this right, that means that eight other races can actually happen next year."
Competitors consisted of two all-girl teams, including the "viciously fast" Bundaberg team, as well as the Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson and Mercy College Principal Jim Ford, who tested the track on Friday.
"The mayor beat Jim," Mr Duggan said with a laugh.
"Jim may have taken a shortcut and still didn't win."
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Mr Duggan, who led the Whitsunday STEM Challenge committee, said the Mackay students would be looking to beat the current state-leading Bundaberg team.
He added they had been learning about the vehicles in technology and design classes including building speedometers and testing the aerodynamics using models in wind tunnels.
But the race was only possible thanks to sponsors and businesses supporting STEM in the region, he said.
"The committee is a not-for-profit charity and we really get money from different businesses and we fund it into different challenges like human powered vehicles, drones (and) robotics.
"We're just lucky that we all found each other."
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The public is welcome to watch the COVID-compliant races at Palmyra Dragway from 9.30am to 4pm.
To find out more, head to the race website or Facebook page.
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