Palmerston Christian College students travel to Hydrogen Grand Prix

A crew of six Palmerston students are set to take on a national Grand Prix, but the team’s car has a special twist. Find out more.

Johann De Guzman, Michael Jessup, Kayden Bourchier, Ezekiel Kernick and Tannum Jones-Materne prepare to travel to the Gold Coast for the national Hydrogen Grand Prix. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Six Palmerston students are set to take their passion for puzzles, physics, and cars to a national hot lap in sunny Queensland.

The Palmerston Christian College team – the only from the NT – will fly to the Gold Coast for the 2024 Hydrogen Grand Prix.

The crew will compete on June 12.

Ezekiel Kernick, Team Leader. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Team captain Ezekial Kernick said it was his job to keep his crew’s head in the game during the high-stakes race – if they win, they could see themselves travelling to the US in September for the world championships.

Mr Kernick said he would also be keeping track of any penalties the team is handed.

The team will compete in a four-hour race against other crews from around Australia.

They will have two hydrogen-powered batteries to use in their cars.

The team will compete with their remote-controlled cars for a four-hour endurance race. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The team has yet to decide on a name for their car. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Head mechanic Kayden Bouchier said the team made the hydrogen that powered their vehicles themselves, putting the theory they learned in class to good use.

“We never thought it’d get this big, it’s starting to get a lot more surreal, closer to the day,” he said.

PCC principal Luke Willsmore said the team of six were selected to represent the school because of their passion for physics and love of puzzles.

The crew was selected from a class of 15 students who participate in the elective.

Mr Willsmore said the students took a unique approach to “identifying how to find improvements in the car, how they fix things, how they problem solve”.

He said the crew also brought together a range of skills to the team.