Progress on the car!

The Powerdrive team has been working very hard on their Powerdrive car this week. Last week they finished mounting the back tire onto the car.  They are now fabricating the mounts to the front axel. They are putting the seat in place and working on the motor mount. They are also placing all the supporting bars in the chassis. With progress going the way it’s been going the last couple of weeks this car could be done earlier than expected. The Powerdrive team can’t wait to start racing the car again!

Chassis in the making!

The B-R Powerdrive team has been working hard on getting the car’s chassis built. They are working on getting it to the right dimensions to be able to race for specific drivers. The B-R Powerdrive team has been using many different types of precision tools one of which being a laser and the other a digital protractor to line up the tire for the back perfectly. The back tire has been mounted onto the chassis. The roll bar has been welded on and in the next couple of weeks we will see the car come to life. Making it that much closer to getting it on the track.

Wayne Fall Rally

The Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive Team went to the Wayne America 90 rally Saturday, October 16^th. With two wins in previous years, the B-R team was looking for a three-peat.  The B-R team brought two cars to race, the E-21 car and the S-20 car. The drivers for the E-21 car were Morgan Smith and Taylor Tietz. Morgan drove the team to victory the last two races at Wayne. The drivers of the S20 car were Carsten Tietz and Easton Weborg.  In the first heat, Morgan Smith in the E21 car started dead last, but it only took the E21 car two laps to take the lead. It didn’t take the E21 car long to stretch its lead.  It put the rest of the field down by one lap.

Driver Morgan Smith stated, “The car was handling great, and getting through the tight traffic was the key to getting such a huge lead.” The E21 car’s lead was quickly evaporating when caution came out, and the Raymond Central driver must not have seen the caution and ran over the front of the E-21 car. The steering of the car was bent badly.  Pit crewmember Easton Weborg stated, “Not sure what the Raymond Central driver was thinking.  That was a shifty move.”

The B-R car had to be pushed to the pits, but  with speedy pit work the E-21 car was able to get back into the race only 12 laps down, with Taylor Tietz driving. This was not the last time the car would be in the pits. The Toe, the inward angle of the wheels, was not correct, and that wore the tires out, causing a flat.

After the first 15 laps, Tietz had to come in for a pit stop, get the tire changed and head back out.  Taylor tried to make up laps, but got tangled with the leader, Wayne, and both cars ended up over the curb. The pit crew brought the car into the pits and worked on it. Once they got the car fixed, they put driver Morgan Smith into the car to finish out the race. Driving the fastest car on the track, he had to navigate around slower cars. Smith was running down the leaders but would run out of time. Great pit work was able to get the car back into the race. On the last lap Smith passed the same Wayne car that had been involved in the earlier collision with Tietz and finished third in the first heat.

The second heat rolled off following the conclusion of the first.  Drivers Carsten Tietz and Easton Weborg would drive the S-20 car. Tietz started the second heat from 6^th position. Sponsor, Rob Smith, instructed Tietz to take it easy and to be conservative. Tietz hung around in 5^th position for most of the first quarter of the race.

At the 25-minute mark, Tietz wheeled the car into the pits for the mandatory pit stop. Tietz told the pit crew, “I have a ton on battery left I think I can win”. Following the pit stop, Tietz got in a small altercation with the Winside car.   The two cars were fighting for the same piece of real estate when the S-20 car forced the Winside car to go up and over the curb.  Both cars got a little cosmetic damage, but and continued racing. At the 50-minute mark, Tietz picked up the pace, closing the distance on the leaders.  With 30 minutes to go in the race, Tietz came in for the final pit stop and changed drivers.

Pit crew member Baylie Reil commented, “The pit stop was a little slower than we hoped.” Driver, Easton Weborg, took a little longer squeezing into the car since he couldn’t bend his knee due to a football injury. Rookie driver Weborg was putting down some fast laps, and the S20 car was running in 6^th place when it came out of the pits. The S20 car quickly took care of Columbus Lake View and both Elkhorn cars. Then the S20 car set its sights on the Wayne car.

Leader Raymond Central picked up the pace as the S20 car started to close the distance. Weborg was almost five seconds faster than the rest of the field. Unfortunately the 90-minute mark struck before Weborg could run down the leaders, Raymond Central and Wayne High. Weborg finished about 22 seconds behind the Wayne car and four laps down from the Raymond Central car.

Instructor, Rob Smith, said, “ I was very pleased with the finish of the cars. The drivers did a great job, and both cars were fast.  In the first heat, the E21 car would have had a good shot to win if Morgan hadn’t got run over during a caution. We left a lot on the table with the S20 car. It could have won the race if I hadn’t made the drivers run so conservatively.  I should have let Carsten run a little bit faster in the beginning.  Them not winning was my fault. I’m looking forward to the up coming season. We have a great team and great sponsors this year. I think we have all the pieces to put together for an eighth state championship.”

The Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team had an overall good day, finishing 3^rd this year at the Wayne Fall Rally. The Power Drive team will not have another race until this spring. Thanks for all the support.

Great Results

This past weekend the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive Team raced at the Big Red Invitational. We placed third in the the Standard division and fourth in the Exhibition division. Drivers for the S-20 were Eric Browning and Morgan Smith, and Paige Tietz and Morgan Smith were the drivers for the E-21 car.
Browning started 15th of 22 cars in the S-20 car. He managed to maneuver his way into 2nd. Browning followed in the tracks of the S-55 car of Raymond Central, but he could not wrestle the lead from him. Lap traffic soon became an issue. With real estate being a commodity, Browning's right front wheel was hit by a lap car. This caused significant damage to the right front. Pit crew member, Easton Weborg stated, "Some cracker jack hit us in the right front wheel! The wheel is bent really bad! Do you think we need to pit?" Lucky for the S-20 car, the accident happened minutes before the scheduled pit stop. Browning wheeled the S-20 to the pits for a speedy pit stop. He switched drivers with Morgan Smith. Pit member, Carly Tietz gave the OK on the right front. The S-20 car went back on the track in fourth due to the speedy pit work of the B-R crew. A driver exchange is required in every race. The pit stop crew includes: Carly Tietz, Carsten Tietz, Taylor Tietz, Easton Weborg, and Derek Ahlers. Instructor Rob Smith commented, "The faster driver exchange and pit work was instrumental in holding onto the third position. Driver, Morgan Smith quickly ran down the S-13 car from Friend, Nebraska. The race got more eventful when the spokes of the wheel of the S-20 car continued to break. What seemed like incidental contact to the S-20 car could have led to catastrophic failure to the right front. Lap times continued to slow, as the leaders slipped away from the S-20. Driver Morgan Smith stated, "I had to be really careful, and I couldn't drive hard into the corners. I knew the wheel could break, and the race would be over." The S-20 running in the third spot didn't appear to be able hold off the S-13 car from Friend, who was closing fast. Lap traffic would be a deciding factor for third and fourth positions. Driver Smith stated, "I could see the S-13 car in my mirror. They were all over us. I planned on using the entire track. If they were gonna pass me, it was gonna happen on the outside." Smith navigated lap traffic to keep his position and hold on to third place.
The E-21 started last out of twelve cars on the field with driver Paige Tietz. Within ten laps, Tietz quickly made her way to the second position behind car E-118 from Raymond Central. Tietz was unable to hold on to the position for long. The E-75 car from Raymond Central and E-107 from Wayne High passed her. Tietz could not keep pace and stay with them. Twenty-five minutes into the race Tietz brought the E-21 car to the pits for the mandatory driver change. The B-R pit crew made a speedy stop and sent driver Smith back onto the track. After getting out of the car, Paige stated, "We are geared way too slow. I can't keep up with the leaders." The E-21 car gearing would be fatal. The E-21 car destiny was bad due to poor gearing. It continued to run in fourth position throughout the race. With twenty minutes to go, driver Smith drove a nail to the coffin when passing lap car under the caution, which cost the team another lap. The E-21 car continued to hang around in fourth position the rest of the day. The E-21 car finished in fourth behind the two cars from Raymond Central and Wayne High. The E-21 car's for the quest for the three-peat was shot down. Driver Smith stated, "I just could not keep up." The E-21 car had been perfect up to this race.

Our next race is the championship race on May 5th. This race is held at Werner Park in Omaha, NE. We hope to get another state championship. The following is a schedule:

7:00 a.m. check in
7:00 a.m. inspections
8:00 a.m. braking/maneuverability
10:00 a.m. first heat
11:15 a.m. second heat
12:30 p.m. third heat
2:00 p.m. awards

April Monthly Report

This month for the Power Drive team has been very busy, a lot to get done in a short amount of time. However, we were able to complete the S car before the Big Red Invitational.

     On Saturday, April 7, 2012, we hosted the Cuming County Open. We helped organize the parents asking them to contribute to the concession stand in preparations and working the stand.  Several days were spent contacting people to work the corners, count laps, throw bails, and inspect cars.  The day was a huge success including the win by our E class car.

     Saturday, April 14 we attended the Wayne Spring Rally at the First National Center in Wayne. One again, we were able to pull of a first place in the E Division. 

     Saturday, April 21 was out first meet to enter both the E and the S car. Our team attended the Big Red Invitational. The S car received 3^rd place and the E car received 4^th. Our team made a fatal mistake with choosing which gear to use on the E car. It made it difficult for the driver to keep up with the other participants. The S car also had its own problems. The cars front right wheel was struck by another driver causing the spindles to break, forcing us to drive with caution.

     Our next race is the champion ship race on May 5^th, held at Warner Park in Omaha, NE. We have done a lot to prepare for this big race and hope to come home with another state championship.

     The documentation team completed the book, “One Small Step for Bancroft-Rosalie, One Giant Leap for a Greener Planet.”  In addition to documentation, the team has been busy writing and sending thank you letters to all who have contributed their time to help make the Power Drive team more successful.

Next Race

Saturday, April 21, 2012 is Bancroft-Rosalie's next race. It is the Big Red Invitational. It is held at University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. With the last two races being wins we hope that this race will have a good outcome too. Hope to see you there!!

Here is a schedule of events:
9:30 a.m. check in
9:30 a.m. inspections
11:30 a.m. first heat
12:50 p.m. second heat
2:00 p.m. awards

Easton Weborg

            Easton is a freshman at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is his first year in Power Drive. He is on pit crew. Easton enjoys helping build a car. His favorite memory of Power Drive is winning our home invite in West Point. When Easton isn’t working on the car, he is snowmobiling and hunting. Easton said, “I really hope we have a successful Power Drive season!”

Great Results at the Cuming County Open

Last Saturday April 7, 2012 the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team hosted their "home" meet. This meet is held in West Point at the Cuming County Fair Grounds. We started out first with Morgan Smith driving. The mandatory pit stop change out position to third. At the very last lap, we were able to pass the leader and position ourselves in first. Morgan Smith stated, "What a rush! I was kinda nervous we would place second, but I knew we could get first." Thanks to our lap timers Carly Tietz, Paige Tietz and Makala Muller, Mr. Smith was able to tell Morgan to speed up and catch the leader.

Cuming County Open!!

This Saturday April 7, 2012 is the Cuming County Open. This meet is held in West Point, and is Bancroft-Rosalie's "home" meet. To make this meet go smoothly we ask for the parents and students to work the concession stand. Below is a schedule that we made for this. Your work and is greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of your support! The first heat starts at 11:00 am. The Second Heat is at 12:30am. Awards are after the second heat. Come out and help support the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive Team. =]

Cuming County Open

Concession Stand Parent Work Schedule

7:45-10:00

Eric Browning

Ryan Wellman

Dylan Samuels

Makala Mueller

Brady Petersen

Carly/Carsten Tietz

10:00-12:00

Drake Luedert

Paige/Taylor Tietz

Seth Steinmeyer

Haley Farwell

Miranda Zimmerman

12:00-2:00

Morgan Smith

Dylan Slaughter

Connor Petersen

Jessica Tietz

Easton Weborg

The concession stand will take place in the Dinklage Building at the Cuming County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 7^th, 2012. If any parents are still around after the Power Drive rally, your help would make cleanup go smoother. Thanks!

Roberto Madrid

Roberto Madrid is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is his first year in Power Drive. Outside of school, he mainly works. After graduation, Roberto plans on attending Northeast Community College. Roberto is one of many fabricators. His favorite memory of Power Drive is getting to weld. Roberto enjoys Power Drive because it is fun. He wishes he had been out for Power Drive more years.  Roberto said, “If you get the chance to join Power Drive, you should!”

Monthly Report *March*

     Slowly but surely, the team continues to work diligently on the chassis of the S21 car. In addition to the chassis of the S21 car the team has also worked on the S20 car. Earlier this month the steering of the car was completed and the seat of the car was being fitted.

     Recently the team took poster board and covered the chassis to form the body. After being totally covered they traced the poster board onto 0.023 inch think aluminum. Once the pieces were traced, they used an air sheer to make a fine cut. Occasionally the team will perform test on the batteries.

     Since we are approaching our first race, the team is getting ready for the season to begin. Letters were also sent out to notify parents and Power Drive students of the Cuming County Open coming up on Saturday, April 6th. The letter discussed times for working the concession stands and outlined a schedule of all the team’s upcoming meets.

    In the month of February, John Ross contacted the school and provided information about a grant, which Mr. Rob Smith and Dr. Jon Cerny put together and submitted. B-R was selected as a recipient, and Wednesday, March 28^th representing Fontanelle seed company, Chris Hanson, and Allen Steinmeyer came to Bancroft-Rosalie High School and presented a check to the Power Drive team.

Luis Rascon

           Luis is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is his second year in Power Drive. After graduation, Luis plans on going to college at Northeast Community College. Luis enjoys working on cars outside of Power Drive. Luis works on the brakes of the car for the Power Drive team. His favorite part of Power Drive is working on the car. His favorite memory of Power Drive is when we lost at state because Smith was so mad.

Donald Labenz

            Donald is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is his first year in Power Drive.  After graduation,  Donald plans on getting his CDL. When not in school, he enjoys hanging out with friends. Donald is one of the fabricators. He likes Power Drive because of the great atmosphere.

Progress on the Car

     Slowly but surely, the team continues to work diligently on the chassis of the S21 car. In addition to the chassis of the S21 car the team has also worked on the S20 car. They continue to perfect the steering of the car and just start fitting the seat to the car.

Makala Muller

Makala Muller is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie High School. She is 17 years old and this is her first year as part of the Power Drive team. She is one of the team’s documentation specialists. When asking Makala what she enjoys most about Power Drive she responded by saying, “ Being apart of the team and documentation group allows me to bring out my creativity.” After high school she plans on obtaining a degree in Business Management. Outside of Power Drive some of Makala’s hobbies are watching T.V. and hanging out with her friends.

Cuming County Open!!

The first upcoming event for the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team is the Cuming County open. Our team has been hosting this rally since 2004 with only 2 cancellations. The first race began at 10:00 a.m., and the 2nd race started at 11:30. There will be concessions on site. The team has been working rapidly on building their cars to race.

Paige Tietz

Paige is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is her second year in Power Drive. Paige works on documentation and is one of the drivers. Paige said, “the races are the best part of Power Drive.” Her favorite memory from Power Drive is when Luis test drove the car and went 5 mph.
After graduation, Paige plans on attending Wayne State College. She will be double majoring in special education and elementary education. Outside of school, Paige enjoys shopping and hunting.

Blair Nelson

Blair is a senior. This is her first year in Power Drive. She is always working on documentation. Her hobbies include listening to music and being outside. Blair’s future goals include attending Creighton University majoring in Pre-Medicine. Her favorite thing about Power Drive is the knowledge that a team can make a car out of raw materials.

Jessica Tietz

Jessica is a senior this year. This is her second year in Power Drive. Her specialties include video specialist and documentation. Her plans after high school include attending Morningside College majoring in Biology.

Carly Tietz

Carly is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. She plans on attending Southeast Community College after graduation. This season is her first in Power Drive. She works on documentation. Some of Carly’s hobbies include shopping and hanging out with friends. She has been too busy with documentation to make any memories in Power Drive. Carly looks forward to attending the races this year.

Miranda Zimmerman

Miranda is a junior at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is her first year in Power Drive. In the shop, she is working on last year’s car. She likes Power Drive because you gain experience by working on the car, and then you can go and race it.
When Miranda is not at school, she enjoys horseback riding and hanging out with friends. Even though she is a junior, she is looking into working for construction after graduation.

February Monthly Report

Little by little the Power Drive team has been chipping away at assembling and perfecting the new cars. This month they have been working diligently on the chassis of the S21 car; in addition, the role bar, rear wheel, and the nose crash protector. Plans for a seat in the new car are being drawn up, along with the new seat brackets for the seat belt.
The steering geometry, to the S20 car, is being reconstructed and made to drive better. Just last week we started welding the new axels onto the car.
Besides development on the car the documentation group has also been working diligently. Both books are in the process of being written and edited.
The Power Drive team hosted their last concession stands for the boys and girls conference basketball game. Fundraising was very successful and will aide greatly in building the new car. The Power Drive team was awarded $5000 from the Fontanelle Company FOCUS (Fontanelle Offering Communities Understanding Support) program. The money will be used to purchase an Edwards 40 Ton Jaws 4 Ironworker for metal fabrication. The primary use of the Ironworker is for learning metal working skills in welding and fabrication, which is incorporated in Power Drive.
John Ross contacted the school and provided information about the grant. Mr. Rob Smith (Industrial Technology Instructor) and Dr. Jon Cerny (Superintendent) put the grant together and submitted it to Fontanelle. Fontanelle is a seed company and Allen Steinmeyer is the local dealer supporting the grant.

Spotlight Team Member

Haley Farewell is a junior. This is her first year in Power Drive. Her job is documentation. Haley’s hobbies include listening to music and playing with her nephew and niece. She enjoys being part of the Power Drive team. Her future plans include attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Connor Petersen

Live. Breathe. Drive. Connor is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. He is 18 years old. This is his first year in Power Drive. After graduation, Connor plans on going to college as undecided. He enjoys playing with toy cars when he’s not working on the car.
Connor’s favorite memory from Power Drive is taking the Power Drive picture. When asked what he enjoys most about Power Drive, Connor said, “the friends.” Connor tries to help out with whatever needs to be done.

Morgan Smith

Morgan is a sophomore at Bancroft-Rosalie. This is his second year in Power Drive. He is the fabricator and one of the drivers. The thing he enjoys most from Power Drive is going out and racing the car. Morgan likes to go fast. His favorite memory is playing Playstation 2 against Mr. Smith, T.J. Hilsinger, and Steve Glissman. Morgan would spin T.J. out every chance he got.
Morgan enjoys hunting, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, and anything else that deals with riding something and playing in the mud. He plans to be on Top Shot in the future.

Work, Work, and More Work!

Last week we were shorted one day in working on the car, because of the snow day; however, we were able to get a lot accomplished. Manufacturing to the framing system of the car is still in progress as well as checking the steering angles. The team also started on bending the role cage frame to the car.

This week's feaured sponsor is Peterson Metal Products

This week’s feature sponsor is Peterson Metal Products owned by Clark Peterson. His business is located in Bancroft, right off of Highway 16. Clark enjoys coming to the Power Drive meets. All three of his sons have been on the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team. In fact, Brady Peterson, his youngest son, is on this year’s Power Drive team. Clark has been a sponsor of the Power Drive Team for eleven years and really enjoys being part of the program.
After high school Clark attended Northeast Community College before returning to Bancroft to run Peterson Metal Products, which has been in business for twenty-five years. A few products produced by Peterson Metal Products include trailers, and farming equipment. Clark’s business also performs any welding task that you may need. For more information about Peterson Metal Products, check out the number provided below.

(402-648-7415)

Brady Petersen

Brady Petersen is a junior at Bancroft-Rosalie. He is 17 years old. When not in school, Brady spends time hunting and fishing.
This is Brady’s third year in Power Drive. His Power Drive job is fabrication. Brady enjoys being apart of a team where you get to see the progress of the car daily. When asked what he hopes from the season, Brady said, “I hope we finish the car and win a championship.” Brady’s favorite memory from Power Drive is all of the State Championships.

Hard at Work

The team is hard at work and well on there way. They finished the steering to the S20 car and continue working on chassis for S21 car. Plans for a seat in the new car are being made. In addition to the new seat brackets are being built for the seat belts.

Thank You For Your Help

The Power Drive team hosted concession stands Monday and Tuesday, for the boys and girls conference basketball game. The team would like to thank all who were involved in making the concessions such a success.
The nose of the car is still in progress. In addition to this week the front tire of old S20 car is being reconstructed, making it more parallel.

This week's feaured sponsor is Rief Design & Manufacturing

This week’s featured sponsor is Rief Design & Manufacturing. Rief Design and Manufacturing is owned by Adam Rief, a former member of the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team. Crew chief was Adam’s main role while on the team. Adam Rief and Zack Soll teamed up to bring home the very first win for the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team. The race was held at Fremont Lakes, this was a very exciting moment for the Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team. Students like Adam Rief are a complement and helped pave the way to Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive success. Adam’s fondest memory from Power Drive is winning the Fastest Pit Crew Award. After high school Adam earned a degree in mechanized systems at UNL. He believes that participating in Power Drive helped to construct his future on the engineering side of things. Adam specializes in the design of agriculture equipment, such as custom product design, Squeege-It Scraper, fencing, livestock handling equipment, and welding repair. Rief Design & Manufacturing has been a Power Drive sponsor from the day they opened. That makes a grand total of six years. Adam enjoys being a sponsor for a couple reasons including: the opportunities it provides for the students, and giving back to a program that was part of his future. For more information about Reif Design & Manufacturing check out the link provided below.

http://www.riefdesign.com/index.html

Money, Money, Money

A power drive car costs approximately $2000-$2500. This is not include the costs of transportation, tools, parts, and spare parts that is needed. The Bancroft-Rosalie Power Drive team receives their funds from local business, our sponsors. We also receive money from the concession stands we. We try to have extra food at the concession stands. Another place we get money from is donations.

January Monthly Report

A new year has just begun, and the Power Drive team is well on its way to creating a new car. Four different groups created conduit models for the team to evaluate for weaknesses and strengths. Finally, the team chose which model would best fit the new car. Modifications and improvements were made to the prototype. Later, a new roll bar was constructed and a new bottom cross brace was put in place. This time the bottom cross brace was built with more of a curve, allowing the driver to sit lower in the car and making the car more aerodynamic. The students also practiced using the T.I.G. welder on chrome moly, the same type of metal used for the chassis of the car. The team cover the chassis of the car with paper to check the final fit of the body to the chassis.
Preparations are being made to the new jig for building the chassis on it. This helps in keeping everything in alignment and square while building the car. Because there are so many angles and curves, finding a square angle on the chassis is challenging making the jig a necessity. In addition, the team is looking at new and more sophisticated improved brake configurations. Finally, modifications to the nose of the car were completed.
The documentation team finalized their decision on the theme for the documentation video, but they are still narrowing down their themes for the two books.
This month has been full of fundraising opportunities. The team has held four concession stands at home basketball games, and they have been very successful and profitable. Furthermore, they have held half-time shooting contest with the opportunity of winning a 2 liter pop.

Drake Luedert

Drake Luedert is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. He is 17 years old. This is Drake’s second year in Power Drive. After graduation, Drake plans on going to college and working.
Drake doesn’t have a specific job in Power Drive, but he does whatever needs to be done. Drake said, “Power Drive is a good class and a fun way to learn new things.” When Drake isn’t working on the car, he enjoys listening to music. Drake’s favorite part of Power Drive is seeing how work pays off when it comes to the race.

Eric Browning

Eric Browning is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. He is 17 years old and enjoys hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. After graduation, he plans on pursuing a career in Mechanized System Management. He then desires to farm.
Eric said, “Power Drive is a great way to learn about fabrication, electrical, and engineering in general.” In Power Drive, Eric is the fabricator and welder. He is also a crew chief.

Update on the Power Drive Team

The concession stand put on by the Power Drive team was very successful. We would like to thank the Bancroft Meat Locker for donating a portion of the meat for pork sandwiches. Paper was placed on the body of the car and preparations for the new jig are in place for the car. In addition, the team is looking at new and more improved brake configurations.
The documentation team decided their theme for the documentation video. They are still looking for ideas for their book. They have also been working hard and diligently on there monthly report.

Themes for documentation books!

The documentation team has been deciding on themes for this years books. We have narrowed it down to five different choices. Please take the time and vote for your favorite theme at http://www.polleverywhere.com/nolting. The choices are "Reel in the Big Win," "Top Gear," "The making of Power Drive 101," "Welding the team together one bead at a time," "Saving the world one hour at a time." Please vote as soon as possible!!!


Thanks,
Power Drive Team

Dylan Samuels

            Dylan Samuels is a senior at Bancroft-Rosalie. He is 17 years old. This is his first year in Power   Drive. After graduation, Dylan plans to attend Wayne State College. Dylan is a battery specialist and photographer for the Power Drive team. He enjoys music and coon hunting. When asked what he likes most about Power Drive he said, “I enjoy the challenge of building an aerodynamic car.” Dylan also said, “Teamwork is most important thing for a successful Power Drive season.”

             

Power Drive Team Full Speed Ahead

     The beginning of the week started off by modifying and improving the prototype. Later, a new roll bar was constructed and a new bottom cross brace was put in place. This time the bottom cross brace was built with more of a curve, allowing the driver to sit lower in the car and make the car more aerodynamic. The students also practiced using the T.I.G. welder on chrome moly, the same type of metal used for the body of the car.

     The documentation group has been discussing new themes and ideas for the books and videos. Also they have been preparing for upcoming concession stands.

Race coming up!

There is 87 days until the first Power Drive race on April 7th,2012 in West Point. The team members are all busy working on building the car. The first concession stand of the power drive is on January 17th. Come Support our team.
See you There

The Head Honcho

            The Power Drive team recently added 4 more members to documentation. This means the Power Drive blog is becoming the best blog from the Bancroft-Rosalie website.

            Mr. Smith has been teaching at Bancroft-Rosalie for 18 years. He started in 1993. In his free time, Mr. Smith enjoys fishing, hunting, and spending time with his family. Dylan S. says, “Mr. Smith guides us, but he doesn’t actually do the work. He makes sure that the students get things accomplished on time.”

             Power Drive will be going on 14 years. They have successfully won 7 state championships and 5 runner-ups. Eric B. says, “Smith is very knowledgeable and has years of experience. He is a good teacher to learn from and explains things thoroughly. Plus, he loves what he does.” This year should be a great year for power drive!

......And They Are Off!

A new semester has just begun and the Power Drive team is well on their way in creating a new car. Last weeks primary goal was to evaluate the conduit models constructed by 4 different groups. Electrical conduit is used to build the prototype of the car. These models were compared to each other through its weaknesses and its strengths. Finally, they were able to choose which model would best fit the new car.

     Four new members have also been added this semester to aide in the documentation part of Power Drive.