🏁 T3 TAKES ON STOCKPORT KRAZY RACES 2026! 🏁
What a day we had at Stockport Krazy Races on Sunday 9th August! 🚗💨
For the past year, our apprentices at Elevated Knowledge have been working on designs for the Go-Kart for the 2026 Soap-box Krazy Races. Our latest creation, the ‘T3’, got off to an absolutely flying start and was looking seriously speedy… until we hit one of the ramps and discovered a rather important engineering lesson! 😬
The 10mm axle for the front bicycle wheels decided that hurtling a go-kart over a ramp was not included in its original design specification… and promptly snapped! 😂
That left T3 limping over the finish line on three wheels – but, in true Elevated Knowledge fashion, our team wasn’t giving up that easily.
🔧 T3 was rushed back to the EKL Pit Stop, where the determined team managed to repair it ready for another attempt later in the day. Unfortunately, during testing the same wheel developed another problem and we had to make the sensible decision to retire T3 from the race.
Not quite the result we were hoping for – but that’s engineering!
Design. Build. Test. Break something. Learn. Improve. Repeat. 🛠️
And that’s actually one of the reasons we love taking part in Krazy Races each year. It gives our learners and team the opportunity to put engineering skills into practice, work together, solve problems, think on their feet and, occasionally, discover very quickly which parts of the original design might need a rethink! 😂
A HUGE thank you to our brilliant team members Tutor: Chris Duffy, Apprentice: Myles Machent, Apprentice: Jayden Wood, Apprentice: John Beattie and EKL Team support: Liam Booth, along with tutors Mike Barratt and Stuart Priestley, for all the time, teamwork, engineering skill and enthusiasm that went into designing, building, repairing and racing T3. 👏
We’d also like to say a massive thank you to the fantastic companies who supported us along the way – Olympic Press, HC Water Engineering and Multi Metals for their assistance with materials and décor; Mettler Toledo and Kratos for allowing their apprentices to work on the kart and attend the races; and Swizzels Matlow for supplying the all-important sweets that kept the team fuelled throughout the day! 🍬
Projects like this are a brilliant example of what can happen when employers, apprentices, tutors and the wider engineering community work together, and we really appreciate everyone who played a part.
💫 BUT THERE’S AN EVEN MORE IMPORTANT REASON WE TAKE PART…
Each year, Elevated Knowledge uses our involvement in Krazy Races to support our chosen charity, When You Wish Upon a Star.
The charity has been granting the wishes of children living with life-threatening and terminal illnesses for many years, creating moments of happiness, excitement and magic for children and their families during incredibly difficult times.
Whether it’s meeting someone they idolise, experiencing somewhere they’ve always dreamed of visiting or simply having an unforgettable adventure with their family, these wishes create precious memories that can mean so much.
That’s why we’re incredibly proud to support When You Wish Upon a Star through events like Krazy Races. Yes, we want to build a great kart. Yes, we’d really like all four wheels to stay attached. And, naturally, we’d love to fly over that finish line with a winning time! 🏆
But ultimately, being able to have a fantastic day as a team while helping to raise awareness and support for a charity that brings joy to seriously ill children makes the whole experience worthwhile. 💫❤️
So, T3 might not have had quite the ending we’d planned, but we’re incredibly proud of everyone involved and, as engineers, we’ve certainly come away having learned something!
And the engineering lesson from Krazy Races 2026?
📋 DON’T USE A STANDARD 10mm BICYCLE AXLE ON A GO-KART! 😂
We live and learn…
…and we already have a feeling T4 might be getting a slightly more substantial axle! 👀🏎️
Roll on Krazy Races 2027! 🏁👀🏎️
Want to be an apprentice with Elevated Knowledge? Do you want to be part of the team that gets the top spot?
Sign up on the Apprenticeships Expression of interest form on the Apprenticeships page of the website.
