Belridge racers cooking with gas

A team of students from Belridge Secondary College did Western Australia proud on the global stage, placing fourth in the Girls in STEM Stock category in the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) Pro World Finals, in Chemnitz, Germany.

The all-girls team, Speedy Gonzales, qualified for the finals by topping the Girls in STEM category at the WA State Finals, where 20 teams from 15 schools competed in a four-hour endurance race at Murdoch University.

The teams had to design, build and race hydrogen-powered remote-controlled cars, combining engineering skills with teamwork and problem-solving. 

For the Belridge students, success came down to the way they supported each other, even when the car suffered technical problems.  

“We had good communication and were able to work together well in the high-pressure environment. We encouraged each other and didn’t let small mistakes bring us down,” one team member said. 

“Our car stopped working properly, and we had to work together with effective communication in order to fix it.” 

The news that they had qualified for the world finals took time to sink in.  

“It didn’t sink in that we were actually going to Germany until the next morning. We were all in shock,” one student said.  

She added the team had been promised giant pretzels if they qualified, so “our team captain was very focused on that.” 

Teacher Lucius Chen, who mentored the students alongside Rebecca Endersbee, said the experience has been transformative for the girls.

“Technical knowledge is important, but students learn that communication and teamwork is the key to success,” he said.  

“Their achievement is a testament to their teamwork, curiosity, and passion for innovation—qualities that will serve them well on the international stage.  

“The experience and knowledge gained through this is priceless.” 

Preparing for the competition has meant long hours at school, during holidays and on weekends.  

“I have been involved in STEM development and competitions for many years,” Mr Chen said.  

“Whilst I have been involved with students who have achieved significant results, this is certainly the biggest achievement I have been a part of.” 

For more information about the program, visit the H2 Grand Prix website.