It was a bumper-to-bumper battle to the finish, but when the dust settled, St John’s College had gravity on its side and the national title in hand!
Johannesburg, South Africa (28 July 2026) – Who needs horsepower when you’ve got brain power? This month, school teams hailing from around South Africa duked it out to crown the champs of Alma Mater’s National Gravity Racing 2026. At the finish line, St John’s pulled off with the top title!
The national inter-school STEM engineering competition challenges high school teams to design, build, test and race a full-scale gravity-powered car – that is, essentially, a car with no engine that relies on gravity to move.
This year, twelve student-engineered gravity racers hurtled down a 775-metre downhill course and reached incredible speeds, all in a bid to snatch the national title.
South Africa’s brightest young engineers put months of hard work and effort into design, construction, testing, and teamwork. This culminated in a two-day event in Krugersdorp, where school teams went head-to-head in a high-stakes battle of speed and precision.
This year, St John’s College raced into first place as victors, becoming National Gravity Racing Champions! On their tail in second place came Alma Mater, with Parktown Boys in third.
St John’s’ Benjamin Lee drove the winning build, while Alexandre Lyle, Jason Shi, and Benjamin Anderson shared the engineering, logistics and pit crew work that ultimately won them the grand title.
“Congratulations to our young men on a superb result, and another strong showing for our students in STEM.” the school shared, celebrating its champs.
“Thanks also go to the moms and dads who turned up with welding machines, transport, spare parts, shop drawings and catering, and to Mr Sean Morrow, who mentored the team and accompanied them to the competition. They couldn’t have done it without you all!”
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