On Saturday 6th June, 35 students across two teams represented Garden International School at the Affin Group Bufori-EViE Race Day.
The event marked the culmination of a year-long journey in which students planned, assembled, tested, troubleshot and refined their electric race cars, while also producing a portfolio covering aspects of marketing, enterprise and engineering principles. With portfolio scores determining the starting grid positions, it was fascinating to see our KS3 Dragons CCA team ‘Team Bolts’ line up two places ahead of ‘Team Viper’, our KS4&5 Elective team.
However, when the lights went green, Team Viper was quickest off the line, surging into the lead by the end of the opening lap- and remained at the front of the field for the opening 1/3rd of the race. Team Bolts adopted a slightly more measured and strategic approach, carefully conserving energy before building momentum as the race progressed.
At around the halfway point, Team Viper encountered technical difficulties. Despite the tireless efforts of the pit crew and remarkable perseverance from the team, a suspected motor controller fault brought their race to an early end. While Team Viper’s challenge may have short-circuited their hopes of victory, their performance throughout the day demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and teamwork. Special mention should be given as they narrowly missed out on claiming the ‘Fastest Lap’ award, falling short by just 0.5 seconds.
Meanwhile, Team Bolts continued to power forward. Holding their position for much of the race, they increased the pressure in the closing laps and after producing some breathtaking overtaking manoeuvres, they came within a whisker of taking the chequered flag.
Although Team Bolts were not ‘first across the finish line’, they were however, crowned ‘Overall Race Day Champions‘, with judging taking into account race performance, pit-stop efficiency and several additional criteria.
Lead teacher, Mr Wade, would like to extend his sincere thanks to-
Every student who participated throughout the year. Special recognition must go to our Year 12 student leaders, who generously gave up their time to support the event despite being in the midst of an incredibly busy examination period.
Our valued sponsors – APCO Sign Associates, CastrolON, DMIA, Menz & Gasser, Oligo/PowerRoot, Reinhausen and WD-40. Their support has been instrumental in providing students with authentic industry experiences, expert mentorship, safe transportation, team uniforms, vehicle maintenance and the striking race liveries that ensured our teams looked every bit as professional as they performed. Quite simply, without their support, this project would never have got off the ground.
The ‘team behind the teams’- our supervising D&T teachers, the GIS facilities team, the finance department, student services, onsite security and parents for ensuring that everything ran smoothly in the background.
As we look ahead to next year, applications for the KS3 (Years 7,8,9) Bufori-EViE CCA are now open! Participation requires commitment for the full academic year and places are limited. Students interested in being considered for the 2026–2027 team should email Mr Wade (wade.i@gardenschool.edu.my) outlining why they would like to join the programme.
A huge congratulations to all involved for generating such an electrifying year of learning, teamwork and innovation.
Written by:
Mr Ian Wade – Secondary Design and Technology Teacher
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