The F1 in Schools initiative aimed at nurturing the design and
engineering stars of the future crowned two new champions at last
weekends Autosport International show in Birmingham.
Bradfield Panthers from Bradfield School in Sheffield won the UK
national championship, while The Stingers from Trinity Grammar
School in Melbourne, Australia, scooped the world title.
The competition involves teams of school children aged 11-18 using
CAD/CAM software to design and manufacture miniature CO2-powered
racing cars and then racing them over a distance of 20
metres.
Students have to manage the project themselves, including drawing
up a business plan, raising the sponsorship to finance it and
presenting their ideas in front of a panel of eminent judges.
The Bradfield team saw off strong competition from 31 finalist
teams from around the UK on the strength of its outstanding
presentation and impressive design portfolio.
With a budget of just £700 and an average age of just over 13, the
Panthers edged out considerably better financed and more senior
opposition.
I think we have just found the Adrian Neweys of the future, said
ITV-F1 analyst Mark Blundell, who presented the winning team with
its trophy.
The Panthers reward is to win a place in next years world
championships, to be held in Disneyland, USA, as well as the
opportunity to take on real F1 teams in a David vs Goliath'
head-to-head challenge at this years US Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, The Stingers beat 16 teams from 11 countries (including
South Africa, the USA, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and
South Korea) to earn the coveted Bernie Ecclestone trophy awarded
to the world champions.
The Stingers were pushed hard by Team Flash from St Albans College
in Pretoria, South Africa, which won the best team sponsorship and
marketing' prize as well as the best engineered car.
It was a big surprise when we won, said Alexander Nunn,
manufacturing engineer for The Stingers, which comprised six
students aged 13-14.
Im shocked personally and very, very happy. There are some great
competitors out there, but hey, its no fun without great
competition.
In designing their car, The Stingers visited the Hawker deHavilland
plant in Australia to study aircraft wing design and the Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology to learn about
aerodynamics.
They even used the Schlieren technique for photographing invisible
gases with a high-speed, 1,000-frames-per-second camera.
Each winning student will be awarded an automotive engineering scholarship at The
City University, London worth a total of over
$500,000.
Launched in Britain in 2000, F1 in Schools landed a major coup last
year when founder and chairman Andrew Denford secured the official
blessing of F1 supremo Ecclestone.
In addition to ITV-F1 commentator James Allen, who has been
involved since the beginning, five of F1s brightest technical
brains have signed up as patrons of the scheme.
Renaults Pat Symonds recently joined Ferraris Ross Brawn,
Toyotas Mike Gascoyne, Williams Sam Michael and Hondas Geoff
Willis by pledging his support.
hey singapore sent a team? wonder which sch they were from. The
prize for winning this competition is a scholarship to study in my
course in my uni! 
