GCCTC students kick learning into high gear
Travis Stevulak, a sophomore at Mapletown High, sits in the cockpit of a race car, while its owner, Rob Freyvogel, president of Carbinite Metal Coatings in Renfrew, teaches students about how it was made, during a Friday morning presentation at Greene County Career and Technology Center.
Rob Freyvogel, president of Carbinite Metal Coatings in Renfrew, talks to Greene County Career and Technology Center students about a race car that he built.
Travis Stevulak, a sophomore at Mapletown High, sits in the cockpit of a race car Friday morning at the Greene County Career and Technical Center. The car is owned by Rob Freyvogel, president of Carbinite Metal Coatings in Renfrew, who gave a presentation to the students.
WAYNESBURG – Greene County students at the Career and Technology Center had the opportunity of a lifetime Friday morning to sit in the cockpit of a race car that’s working to beat world records for the fastest wheel-driven car.
Rob Freyvogel, the president of Carbinite Metal Coatings in Renfrew, Butler County, brought his race car to the center near Waynesburg and gave a presentation to the student body about the vehicle. The program was initially intended for students in the precision machines, auto technology, auto collision and welding courses at the CTC, said Jennifer Nix, workforce development coordinator for the CTC.
“We opened it up to everybody because so many students wanted to see the car,” Nix said.
The car, built out of fiberglass, weighs just over two tons, Freyvogel said. The engine reaches between 2,600 and 2,900 horse power, making it capable of reaching 550 mph. He said the world record for the fastest wheel-driven car is 458 mph, and he wants to be the first to break 500.
“We’re a small company, so this is a big deal for us,” Freyvogel said.
So far, the fastest his car has gone is around 370, he said. It’s difficult to test run, because they have to transport it to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, which is the only place they can drive it as such high speeds.
The car’s front wheels are made of aluminum rollers, because rubber tires would not withstand the speed, Freyvogel told the students. The car has two parachutes in it to slow the vehicle down.
“If you hit the brakes at that speed, the brakes would just shred,” he said.
Freyvogel said he was once a vocational student learning machine tools, so he enjoys giving presentations to students about his career, company and car.
“We try to do about half a dozen schools a year,” he said. “It’s my passion to see kids find careers that they’re passionate about, because if you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.”
Rob Barclay, a precision machines instructor, said his 22 students were excited to see the race car.
“This is something people travel for thousands of miles to see,” he said.
Two of his senior students, Richard Sigley, of Mapletown, and Rain Judy, of Jefferson-Morgan, both had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the car.
“I’d like to be a part of something like that and break a record,” Sigley said.