Choffin students put dragsters to the test

The competition was keen as 90 students lined up to see whose car was fastest.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Lamont Thomas knew his car was fast.

But he wasn’t sure its 1.7-second run would be fast enough to win the third annual CO2 Dragster competition at Choffin Career & Technical Center.

Thomas, who is a junior at East High School, was one of about 90 students who built their own or partnered with other students to build carbon dioxide-powered drag racers for the event.

A total of 46 cars were entered, and students were clearly excited as they gathered along the elevated 80-foot drag-race track to await their turn to race their cars Wednesday.

Thomas, who is enrolled in the construction technology class at Choffin, said he built his car from a kit in just two days.

The race was a double-elimination event, so students whose car lost its first race had another chance to compete, and the competition was keen.

“If we lose to girls, I will cry,” one young man was heard saying to his male partner.

A young woman who overheard the comment turned to him and said matter-of-factly, “You will lose to girls.”

Robert Burkey, a Chaney junior, was waiting at the finish line as his car raced.

“Boo,” he said, as a car hurtled down the track before realizing that it was the car that he and partners Jordan Klein from Chaney and George Canete from East, both juniors, had built.

“Hey, that was ours,” Burkey said.

The second car in that heat failed to leave the starting gate, prompting Burkey to suggest that it was “scared” to compete against his machine with the Army logo.

Teachers Carrie Pateras, who teaches pre-engineering, and Kevin Sinkele, who teaches construction technology, coordinated the race, with help from a number of others.

The construction class built the 80-foot track for the first event three years ago and this year the organizers bought a starting gate, complete with a miniature version of the official “Christmas tree” lights seen at real drag races. It came with individual starter buttons for each race car, and the students got to launch their own cars down the track.

Only pre-engineering and construction technology students got to compete the first year but the race was opened to other classes this year, with a total of six participating, Pateras said.

It’s really a cross-curriculum project, she said, explaining that the students get to learn about design, testing and how to use certain construction equipment.

Some of the teachers got involved as well, she said, noting five built cars for this year’s race, although they would be competing only among themselves.

Pateras said she built a car last year but acknowledged it wasn’t very good, running its race in about four seconds.

She expected to do much better this year, coming in with a lighter car.

Student entries were judged on both speed and design and there were cash awards of $20, $10 and $5 for the top three finishers.

Awards were to be given to the winners today.

gwin@vindy.com