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Young engineers racing to success

Pupils representing schools from across the region will be racing head-to-head to win a place at the National Formula 1 in Schools Championship in January. Teams of students will race cars they have designed and built themselves on a 20-metre track.

The North East event is one of 11 regional finals where schools compete for their place at the National Final. The winners will compete at the Autosport International event (ASI) at Birmingham NEC in January.

Regional co-ordinator, Geoff Clack from EEF Northern, said: “The scale of the Autosport International event is unimaginable, every hall is a showcase for the cream of motorsport. The F1 in schools final is a key attraction showing the future of the industry. The students competing will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Damon Hill and Eddie Jordon - something enthusiasts dream of.”

The regional final is organised and run by EEF Northern, the manufacturers’ organisation, and sees teams from primary schools competing alongside secondary school pupils for the first time in the North East competition.

The F1 competition gives students experience of the world of manufacturing & design engineering. Students design a model CO2 powered car using CAD (Computer Aided Design), CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) and VR (Virtual Reality) software. They then manufacture and test their model before entering the regional final with the hope of reaching the ASI event.

The North East Regional Final takes place at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle on 4 December. Anyone interested in attending the event should contact Geoff Clack on 0191 4165656 or email geoffclack@eefnorthern.org.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .