King’s F1 In School Team Qualify for National Finals

A Team of five Upper Remove Boys have secured a place in the F1 in Schools National Final following a win in the ‘Central Regional Final Professional Class Award’ at Aston University.

Ethan T, Arthur D, Lucas C, Aron G, and Will P competed as Prism Racing and won the Fastest Professional Class Car award with a time of 1.265 seconds. Additionally, Aron received the Lightning Reaction Time award, this is the equivalent of a racing driver starting a race.

F1 In Schools inspires students to use a multi-disciplinary approach to learn about physics, and aerodynamics, use their design skills to problem solve and create engineering solutions, and then use CAD/CAM to manufacture a miniature compressed air-powered car made from a supplied F1 block. Prism Racing followed the real world of Formula One by using distinctive graphics to support the teams’ brand image. Teams must raise sponsorship and manage budgets to fund research, testing, travel and accommodation. Having a successful car provides more opportunities to gain media time and keep their sponsors’ names in the public eye. Bringing this all together is the job of the Project manager and maintaining a productive team is hard work in itself.

The team started their day by delivering the car to Parc Ferme where the judges scrutinize every dimension to check they comply with the Rules and Regulations and only get it back to race down the 20-metre long track.  Just like real race teams setting up the pit area, called the pit display, is the next job and this becomes the central meeting point for judging the team’s work on project management, marketing, sponsorship and enterprise. The team also do an illustrated presentation to a different panel of judges to show off their IT and verbal communication skills and this covers all aspects of their work.  After, completing four races, they met up with the engineering judges for the verbal presentation judging sessions. They were very animated in their explanations about how their car had been manufactured and why particular designs and processes were chosen.

We wish the team the best of luck at the National Finals in March.