We are always excited to discover inspiring stories involving young individuals!

This blog post is from Grace, an Achievement Award winner who has a passion for engineering!

About Me

I’m Grace Bird, and I won a Jack Petchey Achievement Award in June 2024 for dedicating time to my school’s Greenpower Race Team.

What Inspired my Passion for Engineering?

I’ve always had a fascination with racing, having grown up with Formula One and other racing series, which is what inspired my passion for engineering. Engineering is a career I’m determined to make happen through hard work and determination, hence I’ve been heavily involved with Valkyrie, my school’s race team, since its founding in 2020.

Building and Racing Electric Cars

At 13 years old I was suddenly presented with the opportunity to build and race an electric car at various tracks up and down the country, an overwhelmingly exciting chance to see and practise real engineering at a young age. I had no idea what experiences I was in store for at the time!

We faced all sorts of challenges over COVID – notably the fact that our team was separated into year groups, so it took a lot of organisation from our team principal in order for everyone to get a chance at putting the car together and learning how it works. We stuck with it though, and once we emerged from the pandemic I ended up making some of the best friends and teammates I could ask for.

Each on-track and off-track experience was a valuable one, from slowly building the car to figuring out the best way to navigate the pit stops and organise the drivers. I grew up with the team, and becoming one of the older members allowed me to take on bigger responsibilities, managing races independently and with other senior team members, mentoring younger members so that they gain the same benefits from the adventures embarked upon by the team. Sometimes managing the team could be difficult, particularly as I suffer from a condition called POTS, which causes joint pain and dizziness, so learning how to manage this along with new responsibilities was a valuable skill I will carry with me into the future.

East Fortune Heat

In May of 2024, I was lucky enough to be given the chance to go to Scotland for the East Fortune heat, our first overnight race. This took an incredible amount of preparation from the chosen members and dedicated staff, especially our team principal, without whom we could never have raced. This race was a huge high point for the team, achieving two podiums – a second place in F24, and another second place in F24+. I was fortunate enough to be able to drive the race in which we achieved the F24+ podium, and, like my teammates, was overwhelmed with emotion as we departed the track with two trophies for our cabinet.

This is an experience that will stick with me for the rest of my life, a positive memory of my times in sixth form. This is why being nominated for the Jack Petchey Achievement Award means so much to me, as I have enjoyed every hour I have dedicated to the team, and the money from the award is now being dedicated to purchasing a new F24+ car, so that new sixth formers have the best opportunities possible when racing.

I have always felt like a valued member of the team, and being involved with Valkyrie has allowed me to learn so much, setting me up for success in engineering at university. I’m forever grateful to my team, who nominated me for this award, and to the Jack Petchey Foundation; I hope that the money from the achievement can help the next generation of members to experience the same things I did.

If you are interested in sharing your Achievement Award story, send an email to pr@jackpetchey.org.uk.

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