Tilbury race car driver challenges St. Clair College students to design his car

Driver Nathaniel Greenaway (R) and graphic designer Joline Driedger (L), teamed up with St. Clair College to have students design a wrap for their race car. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

A Tilbury race car driver and his team are partnering with St. Clair College to give students a chance to see their design circle a racetrack.

Driver Nathaniel Greenaway said the competition challenged third-year graphic design students to draft a wrap for his car ahead of next season.

“We've been to the college, we've worked with them to design their wrap, and we've received 26 different submissions, which was awesome,” Greenaway said.

The winner will have their design placed on Greenaway’s car and unveiled at the St. Clair College third-year grad show in the spring.

According to Greenaway, the idea originated from his girlfriend, Joline Driedger, who recently graduated from the college, but didn’t receive a lot of experience doing vehicle wraps.

Driedger, a Social Media Coordinator for the Ontario Sportsman Series and a graphic designer, said on average she designs a new vehicle wrap once a week.

“Give the students an opportunity to design something that they probably won't ever get a chance to. It's only certain people who get the opportunity to take a chance,” Driedger said.

In the coming months, Nathaniel Greenaway’s team will transform this frame into a track ready vehicle with a St. Clair College student’s design wrapped on. Nov. 2024. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)Upon presenting the idea to teachers and students, Driedger said they received a positive response.

“It's just something that's interesting, something that's new,” she said. “Everything that goes into designing the wrap and going from start to finish for the wrapping process is something that shows the student how to bring your idea to life.”

Greenaway said they provided students with their name, number and colour scheme, but left the design portion in their hands.

“I wanted to see their creativity and see their styles because a lot of students if we tell them that this is how it has to be, then they're really not getting that extra design factor, they're not being creative with it," Greenaway said.

Although the team has selected a winner, Greenaway said they will not announce it ahead of time. Once the wrap is complete, Greenaway will sport it on his car for the entire race season.

The hope for Greenaway and Driedger is to make the competition an annual collaboration with St. Clair College.