Wilmslow students impress judges in F1 motor racing design challenge

Wilmslow High School sixth formers took part in the national finals of the Lenovo F1 in Schools challenge.

The A Level students called their team Exhausted Racing and designed and built a miniature F1 racing car.

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During the project, teams design their vehicle with computer software, then analyse, make, and test their vehicle.

The Exhausted Racing team praised by judges for theire 'eye-catching bold' pit display (Image: Supplied)

As part of the process, students are encouraged to collaborate with industry experts and make links with businesses, raising sponsorship and developing a budget.

The Wilmslow team qualified in March and took part in the finals in June at Leeds University.

On the first day, the team delivered their business and enterprise portfolio and a pit display.

Students had to give a verbal presentation to show what they had learned.

Judges described the pit display as ‘very eye-catching and bold’.

There was racing on both days.

Exhausted Racing ended the first day in second on the leaderboard before eventually finishing fifth in the overall competition.

Kirsty Regan, curriculum team leader design and technology with computing at the school, said: “This was a fantastic achievement as they finished fifth out of 33 teams representing England, Scotland and Wales and in places three to six there was nothing in the times.

Wilmslow High School students with their miniature racing car (Image: Supplied)

“The Exhausted Racing team came away very proud of their achievements.

“It is a great competition to put onto their CV for university applications, especially for those applying for engineering degrees as it is well recognised.

“All of this would not have been possible without the support from all the sponsors, so I thank them greatly for all their ongoing help and support.

“Now that they have learnt so much, they are going to go again, so it’s back to planning and testing for the next race.”

The team hope to enter the professional class of the regional competition.

Housebuilder Jones Homes donated £250 in sponsorship.

Simon Whalley, sales director at Jones Homes North West, said: “We sponsored the students in the early stages of the competition and so when they got into the finals we were pleased to help them out again.

“The team tackled the final competition with real enthusiasm.

“It’s quite something to put your work in front of a panel of expert judges and answer in-depth questions about it, but the students did an excellent job.

“The Lenovo F1 in Schools competition is a great challenge to take part in as it teaches the pupils about so many things that they will face during their careers including problem solving, working as a team and giving presentations.”