August 23, 2019

evGrand Prix kicks off high school fall season with track time at Purdue

White prix Teams practice in April at Whiteland Raceway Park. (Purdue University file photo) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s evGrand Prix racing series, a competition built around education, is revving up for the fall season.

The season will start with the first of three track sessions on Wednesday (Aug. 28) at the Purdue Grand Prix Track, adjacent to Alexander Field at McCormick Road and Cherry Lane in West Lafayette.

The evGrand Prix is part of Purdue’s M-STEM3 – or Motorsports STEM for Manufacturing and Medicine – initiative. Educators work with high school and collegiate racing teams and industry representatives to expand racing, and improve safety and speed. More importantly, the hope is to develop interests in students to come up with automotive technologies of the future.

Purdue also has worked with the Indiana Department of Education to make this STEM curriculum count toward class and graduation credits in Indiana school systems. Several schools participating have made that addition to their course options. This is the fifth year for the high school series.

 “We are excited to support the evGrand Prix series for high school students,” said Danny White, manager of Purdue Motorsports and managing director of the evGrand Prix. “Our main purpose it to encourage STEM careers, including those in motorsports and the automotive industries. Those industries are rapidly changing and needing people with experience in artificial intelligence, computer science, autonomous vehicles, hybrid and flexible fuel power systems and more. The evGrand Prix provides high school students with the opportunity to learn about those fields.”

This track session is called the TIPPY 600, representing the 600 seconds in a 10-minute kart race. The following is the schedule for the TIPPY 600 event, all at the Purdue Grand Prix Track:

  • 9 a.m.: Kart tech and drivers’ meeting.
  • 10 to noon: Educational activities.
  • 1 p.m.: Practice/qualifications followed by mandatory charging session.
  • During charging session: Guest speaker and pre-race meeting.
  • 3 p.m.: Heat events.
  • 5 p.m.: Main event – Tippy 600.
  • Following event: Awards.

Students, teachers and sponsors from the following schools are tentatively scheduled to participate in Wednesday’s event at Purdue: Lafayette Jefferson High School, Jennings County High School of North Vernon, Ben Davis High School of Indianapolis, Hobart High School, and Clinton Prairie High School of Frankfort. Participating schools will bring multiple karts to the event.

Other fall events are set for Sept. 21 at Ceraland Park in Columbus and Oct. 12 at New Castle Motorsports Park. The spring 2020 schedule will be announced later this fall.

For more information on the evGrand Prix, visit evgrandprix.org

Writer: Matthew Oates, 765-496-2571, oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Sources: Danny White, white66@purdue.edu, @evGrandPrix

Stuart White, white152@purdue.edu, @evGrandPrix

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