Passionate student Braden McKay and the crew at Oberon High School have gone back to the very foundations of their Energy Breakthrough program to prepare for this year's event. Oberon High is in Belmont, on the southern outskirts of Geelong. In a very honest email and a new YouTube clip, Braden tells us about their 2009 campaign.

Nigel Preston, RACV EB: When did you start preparing for the Breakthrough?
Braden: Our 2009 campaign actually started during scrutineering in 2007 and 2008, when both of our vehicles required extensive modifications in order to be deemed safe enough to race. The specifications and requirements we did meet were few in number and barely so. The specifications we didn't meet were numerous, and we were all really stressed out as a result.

RACV EB: Sounds full-on. What did you change this year?
Braden: Senior students discovered that the problem was poor organisation and management - going back several years - in which rule books had not been read or check once for updates.
Our vehicles hadn’t been improved in terms of safety and efficiency to combat the increased competition and more stringent specifications.
If we didn't do something quick we wouldn't race in 2009. With this in mind, Oberon Racing senior members identified all of the specifications our vehicles didn’t meet and began to make improvements to each vehicle.

RACV EB: Have you done any testing this year to help the process?
Braden: A select few team members took the junior vehicle ‘Obe 2’ to the DECA-Motorvation to test the vehicle’s efficiency and safety levels. The results from that test have guided our decision making thus far, and have resulted in a few key changes.

RACV EB: Great – what sort of changes have you had to make?
Braden: On the junior vehicle, the front rollbar and side intrusion bars have been removed and replaced with chro-moly tubing of the minimum diameter specified in the rule book. We’ve also triangulated the side intrusion bars to achieve a strong barrier between the rider and another vehicle in the worst possible scenario. The aging fairing was removed and replaced and the revitalised vehicle is now N.O.S. (aka New Old Stock)

RACV EB: … and the senior vehicle?
Braden: The senior vehicle (titled ‘Midnight’ shown right), with a Reflex 750 fairing, was much more difficult to remedy. Simply put, our fibre-glassed in side intrusion bars were in fact more hazardous then the previous iteration without them. It also had no front roll bar. In the event of damage, fiberglass splinters could have been a problem too.
We couldn’t effectively secure the canopy from the inside without it being unable to be opened from the outside. The firewall was far from adequate too.
Furthermore, to meet clearance regulations, the shell would have to be separated from the chassis, which was going to be an arduous task. The senior team voted to remove the fairing and the mounting points so it could never again compromise the safety of our riders. Left with the bare chassis, we began designing the new protection structure, a process which took several weeks. August was approaching at this point and we had a semi-complete vehicle and something resembling a Greenspeed 16/19.

RACV EB: Who has been involved in other parts of your campaign?
Braden: All members of Oberon Racing, particularly senior members, have been heavily involved in fundraising and collecting sponsors.

RACV EB: And what sort of time commitment has this required?
Braden: We have been coming into school every weekend for several weeks now to work on our vehicles, as well as public holidays and every single recess and lunchtime available. The level of focus and commitment is astonishing.

RACV EB: It sounds like a really ‘student-driven’ project, which is great to hear. How has this played out?
Braden: Teachers have been relegated to the back seat and they are no longer leading the program. Students have been responsible for their teams, training and vehicles every step of the way. Extensive training was initiated by Senior members in late February, student led classes on global warming and the greenhouse effect are and have been conducted during lunchtimes.

Oberon Racing will have 2 vehicles: one for the junior "Fun" team, and a new, sleek, competitive vehicle for the "Fast" team on the start line in Maryborough
Braden: We are now on track, meeting all of our deadlines and putting the finishing aesthetic touches on our vehicles. We follow this mission statement:

OBERON RACING MISSION STATEMENT:

• To better ourselves as individuals, and as a team.
  
• To work toward this goal by assisting one another.
  
• To present ourselves as an approachable, helpful and outgoing team.
  
• To work towards improving on our previous years result through ongoing training, and vehicle development.
  
• To promote safety in Hybrid vehicles.
  
• To grow Oberon Racing's name recognition and reputation, in a likable manner. 
  
• To show dedication and commitment to all of the above goals.

For more info :

• Contact Braden, Vehicle Development Coordinator at Oberon Racing via the teams email address: oberonracing[at]gmail.com
• Check out their YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/OberonRacing