Teenagers speed to a win in F1 car design race

Andrew Robinson

A TEAM of students are among the fastest on the block after designing an award-winning racing car.

The Castleford High School pupils are celebrated taking first place in the rookies category at the UK Final of the Formula One in Schools Technology Challenge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bloodhounds, a team of 13-year-olds at Castleford High, comprising Jake Iveson, Gage Downey, Jessie Henderson and Joe Herring, have been working long hours for many months to make their race car, and after winning through from their regional final, continued to prepare for the UK final.

Chairman and founder of F1 in Schools, Andrew Denford, said: “Each time we hold the UK Finals the judges are blown away by the standard of the entrants, particularly the engineering expertise which we are seeing, some of which is exceeding GCSE level.

“The bar is being raised each year too, with teams introducing new innovations, top quality presentations and portfolios, and producing very close racing.”

Nine teams from around the UK collected trophies at an awards ceremony in Birmingham.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

F1 in Schools aims to help change perceptions of engineering, science and technology by creating a fun and exciting learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about careers in mathematics, engineering, science and technology. Students are given a brief to design an F1-style car of the future using computer software tools. Cars are then manufactured on a machine.

The cars race on a 20-metre track in a bid to cover the distance in just over one second, a speed barrier which has not been broken by any student team since 2007.

The challenge encourages students to use IT to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply these in practical, competitive and exciting ways.

The Castleford High School team won the rookie class, with Scintilla, of Ribblesdale Technology College, Clitheroe, second.