G'day all,

 

Just letting everyone know that the RACV Energy Breakthrough is coming up again at the end of November. The Breakthrough is a school competition where the teams are meant to design/build/compete in a 24 hour race. don't think it is a few old billy carts cruising around, Cr Mo vehicles such as mine are considered outdated, with carbon/kevlar monocoques starting to appear. Hell one school even manufactures its own carbon fibre wheels!!!!

 

There will be around 300 odd vehicles in the various classes competing over the weekend, from primary right through to open class teams - like mine - with no gender or age restrictions. Distances of over 800km by the purely human powered teams have been achieved in the past so these things are not hanging around. Mine was pulling over 50kh/h up a sizable hill this morning with the assistance of a 50cc motor :dance: In fact in training we need to be careful not to break the speed limit :fuzz:

 

So if your interested in all sorts of mechanical creations, like hard close racing of any kind or are just bored, come for a drive to Maryborough (2 hours from Melbourne) and say g'day.

I know a few people who are running in this event :happy: One works at bendigo seniour college and they have some sicks as rides :blinks:

 

I would come up and watch but un able due to a rally I'm entered in :glare:

 

 

 

Good luck mate :dance:

 

 

 

See ya

 

Jimi

Cheers mate. Yeah, Bendigo have some nice stuff, but we beat them in the hybrids last year :dance: but shit did it fly when it was going.

Cheers mate. Yeah, Bendigo have some nice stuff, but we beat them in the hybrids last year :dance: but shit did it fly when it was going.

 

Thats ok :happy: yeah i remember when he made drum brakes for the early ones out of solid block and machined it in his backyard shed lol :lolcry:

 

 

See ya

 

Jimi

Yeah they had special narrow hubs to improve their aero. Now they are making full carbon wheels. Bastards.....

Yeah they had special narrow hubs to improve their aero. Now they are making full carbon wheels. Bastards.....

 

Hahahha yeah thats sounds like them way ahead of everyone else :happy: i think i heard a romour of front wheel drive next :blinks:

 

 

See ya

 

Jimi

Think they tried not long ago but had a few issues so went back to RWD. Where I am now has done FWD for years but has gone back to RWD. Even tried rear wheel steer in the past.....

front wheel drive has more drag and yes it has lots of issues, trust me I know. This is the last part I machined up to power the front wheels of my trike:

 

 

As for this challenge I need to stop making excuses and make an effert to go. I might just drive down one of the two days and go home again at the end.

Nice machining job :) but why drive both front wheels. Without a diff cornering will be umm...........interesting

 

One of our older trikes just drove the LH wheel without any issues.

Actually I am driving all 3 wheels, with 19 x 2.5" trials tyres all round. I am attempting to make an off-road monster. I won't have a diff but I don't for-see any problems either because I am going to be using free-wheeling axles combined with an over-drive for the front wheels compared to the rear so they without slip will not provide torque at all.

A week to go so a quick update is in order. This is the trike at the moment

 

Going prettty smoothly except for the students stuffing things up :bash: and not telling me....... >|

looking good, I guess people have already well and truly worn out the joke of a KFC sponsor being ironic?

 

can you post a picture of it without the skin?

Edited November 18, 201114 yr by Sam_Q

Not of this years frame. Its undergone a serious height reduction this year, over 100mm taken out of the roof. Do have some pics but they are a couple of years old and don't really show much.

 

Personally I don't care where the money comes from. These things cost a heap when you are only funding it through sponsorship.

100mm is heaps

 

also don't get me wrong I would do the same, I am just saying that people might have joked, nothing serious about it

The question has come up with some of the other teams. KFC supports all of the schools 8 trikes. Actually had Maccas come to us but as we already had KFC we had to say no :(