August 20, 2024
Kingaroy State High School students who will represent Australia at the world’s largest hydrogen race event are getting powered up with practice laps at the Tarong Power Station before the big event.
The Stanwell Endurance Racing Team from Kingaroy High won the Gold Coast H2GP PRO race final in June.
This win qualified them for the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) World Final in Anaheim, California on September 9-12.
The event will see students Lexy Nixon, Chloe Elliot, Jack Newby, Cooper Mollenhauer and Oliver Vogelaar compete against 40 teams from around the world in a thrilling race to see who can make the most laps over six hours with their self-built hydrogen-powered car.
Stanwell has stepped in as major sponsor to get the team to the United States, with other backers including RES, Ken Mills Toyota and South Burnett Regional Council.
Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke said Stanwell was proud to sponsor not only the Central H2GP event in Gladstone but also the Kingaroy State High School team to attend the H2GP event on the Gold Coast and to also get to the world final next month.
“From Kingaroy to California, what an incredible achievement from the team!” Mr O’Rourke said.
“Stanwell is proud of the students for everything they’ve already achieved, and we can’t wait to see them compete on the world’s stage.
“They’ve done the hard yards designing, engineering, and constructing their own hydrogen-powered cars to race, made it to the finals and next month they’ll really put their renewable energy engineering skills to the test.
“Stanwell is proud to promote the development of Queensland’s hydrogen industry to create a cleaner and more sustainable energy future, and that includes the development of Queensland’s next generation of renewable energy leaders.
“What better way to see that in action right here at the Tarong Power Station which will become a Clean Energy Hub.
“That transformation is already underway with the construction of Stanwell’s first dispatchable energy project, the Tarong Battery Energy Storage System.”
Kingaroy State High School Principal David Thomson said the remarkable achievement of the Hydrogen Grand Prix team at the Gold Coast was a testament to the dedication, innovation, and relentless hard work of the school’s students and teachers.
The school’s Head of Department for Science and Agriculture Steven Langton said the school was particularly impressed with the team given that this year is the first year they’ve participated.
“The school is fortunate to have such outstanding students and it is thrilling to see what they can accomplish,” Mr Langton said.
- Related article: Hydrogen Team To Compete In US
