Emma sent a message to Bernie Ecclestone – President and CEO, Formula One Management – Email Address that said:
Man-powered Grand Prix (Cape Town, South Africa)
As a learner at Fish Hoek High School and a member of a Grand Prix devoted family, I'm reaching out on behalf of the Fish Hoek community to ask if any Formula 1 drivers would be prepared to get involved in Fish Hoek High School's annual Inter-house Go Karting Race.
Fish Hoek High Schools annual Inter-House Go Karting Race has been roaring to life for the past 15 years. Students from different houses work together towards designing and building their racing machines. These racing machines have to have four wheels on the ground, and are powered by the fittest 3-person engines - which are swapped out throughout the 20-lap Grand Prix (+-400m per lap). It is a day of teamwork, laughter, epic fails and well-earned victories.
As a public school, Fish Hoek High orchestrates various fundraising projects to continually improve its facilities. Our current project is the construction of seating overlooking our school fields, so that learners and members of the community can come support Inter-House and Inter-School activities.
On behalf of the Fish Hoek community, and myself, I would like to reach out to Formula 1 drivers to get involved in this good-spirited community school project.
Drivers would be accommodated by families in the school if they so wish to, giving them the opportunity to learn more about and feel a part of the Fish Hoek community and school life. Pupils and families of pupils would buy raffle tickets, where the lucky winners of the draw get to use a professional Formula 1 driver to steer their go kart in the Inter-House Grand Prix.
Drivers such as Lewis and Nico can drive engine-powered cars, but can they negotiate corners and compete with school pupils with man-powered go karts?
As well as helping towards the community project, the exposure of students to professional drivers will inspire them. Seeing sports heroes making their life all about what they love, living it out and succeeding at it is the kind of thing that pushes the youth to not settle for the unexceptional.
I hope that drivers will want to be a part of this project, help shape our school, and help shape and inspire the futures of hundreds of Fish Hoek High School pupils.
Yours faithfully
Emma
