Ten pupils from two Wisbech area schools were treated to a class with a difference – the chance to drive a go-kart around a track. The teenagers, from Cromwell Community College, Chatteris, and Thomas Clarkson Academy, Wisbech, have been on a one-day-a-week course at the Isle campus of the College of West Anglia. Over a period of many weeks they were involved in a major project to give a new lease of life to two old go-karts. And as well as the educational experience, their reward was to be able to drive the good-as-new vehicles they had saved around the track at the WildTracks centre near Newmarket. Lecturer JP Latham, who had designed the Isle project, and Andrew Tsang at first gave the go-karts a “shakedown” to establish their safety and reliability in a 30-minute session. And then it was the turn of the 16-year-olds, who acted as drivers, mechanics and circuit safety personnel. Their role was to test the reliability, safety and economy of the go- karts, the two teams were in friendly competition. Pupils then drove the go-karts on circuit in the second session and followed staff members in a go-kart to learn the circuit for ten laps each. In the third session the pupils drove the go-karts for a further ten laps each and were allowed to learn overtaking manoeuvres. The final session saw the pupils carry out the “economy competition” where they had to take turns driving the go-karts in their team for 25 minutes on a full tank of fuel to see which engine had been refurbished the best. It was a close competition which saw go-kart team 4 win the competition with a remaining fuel amount of 1.935kg over 1.906kg for go-kart team number 2. The trip was a great success with no faults on the go-karts all day and only the occasional bump! JP Latham said: “Once again I am extremely proud of the pupils from both schools who have completed the go-kart restoration project’, presentation day and test event with a high level of determination and success! I am really looking forward to next year’s project.”  PICTURE Teamwork: Staff from the Isle campus of the College of West Anglia and pupils from Cromwell and Thomas Clarkson schools.