Author: The Greenpower Team
Electric racing is set to return to Hull city centre in May 2020 as Greenpower Education Trust hosts the second edition of its hugely successful closed-road electric race.
The event, which is supported by Hull City Council, will feature young people aged 9 to 25-years-old racing single seater cars they have designed and built themselves.
Announced ahead of the Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse conference, taking place at the Bonus Arena in Hull over the coming two days, the 2020 Hull Street Race will build on the success of this year’s inaugural event. In addition to the support from headline sponsor Hull City Council, the event will see the welcome return of Drax, Phillips 66 and Hull College Group.
Greenpower provides young people with the opportunity to design, build and race electric cars at a host of events throughout the year, culminating in an International Final. The maiden Hull Street Race, held in April, proved incredibly popular, with over 57 teams competing for glory in the three categories: Formula Goblin (ages 9-11), IET Formula 24 (ages 11-16) and IET Formula 24+ (ages 16-25).
An estimated 5,000 people attended the 2019 event, as teams and supporters descended on the Queen’s Garden area of Hull city centre. The Hull Street Race was one of Greenpower’s biggest and most ambitious events, particularly fitting in the organisation’s 20th anniversary year.
Businesses, schools, motorsport clubs, prospective employers, and the local community all came together in the heart of the city to execute a highly engaging and well-supported race which championed the importance of STEM.
The charity has been shortlisted for a prestigious STEM Inspiration Award for its work on the 2019 Hull Street Race, with the ceremony set to take place on 5 November at the House of Lords. The STEM Inspiration Awards recognise individuals, organisations and groups who have developed and sustained a long-term engagement with young people and raise aspirations within STEM. It showcases innovation and projects which have a clear impact on young people.
There are seven awards available including Innovation in STEM Inspiration, and Inspirational STEM Employer, which recognises outstanding commitment to STEM by an employer of any size, particularly when embedded within the culture of the organisation. Sponsors of the awards, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are sending the winners of each category to the world-renowned CERN (The European Organisation for Nuclear Research) facility in Switzerland.
Greenpower Education Trust’s mission is to inspire young people to excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through the excitement of motorsport. Greenpower currently works with over 600 schools and more than 10,000 young people, offering a hands-on engineering experience at an important juncture in their lives.
Paul van Veggel, CEO of Greenpower Education Trust
“We are honoured to have the opportunity to return to the streets of Hull for the second Street Race, following the huge success of this year’s inaugural event. Thanks to the support of Green Port Hull over the last three years, we have been able to immerse young people into the benefits of Greenpower and showcase all that STEM has to offer in the Humber region. On the back of our 20th anniversary year, we will be putting more effort into our Goblin category in 2020, to encourage primary aged children into STEM through Greenpower. The second Hull Street Race will form an important backbone to another exciting calendar for our organisation.”
Councillor Stephen Brady, Leader of Hull City Council
“We are delighted to support this fantastic project which gives young people the opportunity to learn practical engineering skills as well as how to work as a team through support from local mentor companies. As we saw earlier in the year, it is a wonderful sight to see these teams racing through the city centre and we look forward to the return of the event.
"This event encourages young people in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths by offering pupils a creative way to learn about these key subjects and hopefully one day have the option of an exciting and rewarding career in these sectors. It also showcases our ambitions to be a low-carbon, connected and competitive city.”
Bev Fletcher, Headteacher, Camblesforth Primary Academy
“Last year’s Hull Street Race was a brilliant event. The children got so much out of designing and then racing the car; it was a wonderful experience for them. I will definitely look into getting involved again.”
Vicky Bullivant, Group Head of Sustainable Business, Drax
“We’re thrilled to be supporting this event again. We can see that it’s already helping to inspire the next generation to study science, technology, engineering and maths. One of the apprentices we took on this year participated in the race last year. A skilled workforce will enable Drax and other businesses in the North to grow and build a strong regional economy with thriving communities.”
Last year, Drax invested £35,000 to support six schools and one college near its North Yorkshire power station, including providing them with the electric car kits as well as the tools and equipment needed to build them. Engineers from Drax also worked with each of the seven teams to help assemble the cars ahead of the 2019 race in Hull.
Phillips 66 Humber Refinery
“We are excited once again to be part of the fantastic Greenpower street race in Hull. This year was such an amazing event that helped spread the word of STEM careers across the Humber region. Our volunteers enjoyed supporting the schools with the building and designing of their cars and watching the students' skills flourish, and the atmosphere was literally electric on the day! The countdown to 2020 has begun and we are proud to return!”
Phil Clark, Director of Curriculum for Engineering, Construction and the Built Environment, Hull College
"We are thrilled to have this event on our doorstep again and to be able host the Formula Goblin races. The event created a buzz around campus last year, with the entire college getting behind our three teams who were supported and mentored by staff from our dedicated Motor Vehicle and Engineering departments.”
Hull College Group supported the 2019 race with a photographic exhibition showcasing the teams from the Humber region. Alongside this, the students ran a food village for visitors and hosted the Yorkshire EV club, adding to the atmosphere of the day.
