Barnstaple Petroc students speed their way into F1 finals
By tinap | Thursday, March 07, 2013, 10:34
A group of engineering students from Barnstaple Petroc have raced their way to the finals of the F1 in Schools Competition, after picking up a series of awards at the South West Regional Final this week. (February 26)
Georgia Hazell, Johnathan Shapland, Harry Cloake, Miles Caddy and Jack Mullen lived up to their team name, F4S (Formula for Success), by winning Best Engineered Car, Fastest F1 Car and First Place F1 Class at the competition at Exeter University.
F1 in Schools challenges students to create their own Formula One team which is commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest miniature Formula One car of the future; a 21cm long scale model built from a block of balsa wood and powered by a compressed air cylinder.
The teams then race their model cars on a specially designed 20 metre test track, with the cars covering the distance in just over one second. F4S achieved a winning time of 1.141s.
Georgia Hazell, Team Manager, said: "We're really looking forward to the finals now. I've learnt so much from doing the competition; following a project through from start to finish. We're now appealing for sponsorship from local companies, to allow us to achieve the best we possibly can at the finals."
"This competition is a fantastic opportunity for our level 3 engineering diploma students and looks great on their CVs," explained engineering lecturer Mark Holbourn.
"They have an enormous amount of fun both in the run up to and during the event, as well as learning how to solve problems and come up with new ideas," he added.
F4S have now gained a place at the UK National Final at the Big Bang Fair in London on March 15 and 16, where they will be competing against all the UK regional winners for the title of UK Champion. If the team are successful at the final they may secure the chance to compete at the World Final in Austin, Texas in November.
Anyone interested in finding out more about engineering courses at Petroc is invited to call the Guidance Centre on 01271 338125.
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