Ron Dearing UTC students who competed in the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition have reflected on their incredible achievements and experience following the event.
Ron Racing finished fifth overall in the F1 in Schools UK National Finals out of 32 teams and third overall in England. They also ranked first out of all UTCs competing.
The first day of the competition saw Ron Racing finish with the fourth fastest car nationally and the second fastest overall time, including reaction time.
The team, comprising of Year 13 students Heidi Porter, Harry Tyler, Jasper Gourley, Elliot Johnson and Will Jones, travelled to the National Finals at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Sheffield two Porsche Taycan electric sports cars.
The cars were donated by Porsche Centre Hull, a Major Partner of Ron Dearing UTC and the team’s official Sustainability Partner, to offset the team’s carbon footprint.
Heidi, 17, who is studying Triple Engineering at Ron Dearing UTC’s sixth form, said: “The F1 in Schools journey was great fun. I learnt how to lead a team and be more confident when presenting.
“The engineering and leadership skills I’ve gained will help me move forward into the engineering industry and I’m excited to see where that takes me in the future. It was a fantastic experience and I’m really pleased I took part.”
Harry, 18, who is studying Double Engineering and Physics at the UTC, said: “F1 in Schools is a great first step into the motorsport world.
“It has given me baseline knowledge of designing cars using Computer Aided Design (CAD), which will give me an advantage at university when studying motorsport engineering.”
The F1 in Schools challenge sees more than one million school children from 40 countries take part annually. Each team designs and manufactures a miniature car based on the official F1 model using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).
The cars are powered using CO₂ cartridges and are attached to a 25m track by a nylon wire and raced. The teams also design their own branding and logos, plan social media and marketing strategies to promote themselves, deliver presentations and raise sponsorship for their teams.
The first stage of the competition saw Ron Racing go head-to-head with 19 other teams from schools and colleges to take pole position in the regional finals at the National STEM Learning Centre in York earlier this year. The team also won the award for Best Pit Display.
This is the third consecutive year Ron Dearing UTC students have entered the development class of competition and secured the top spot in the Regional Finals.
Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal – Employer Engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, and Cieran Dowling, the UTC’s F1 in Schools Coordinator, supported Ron Racing throughout the F1 in Schools competition.
Glenn said: “We’re incredibly proud of the whole Ron Racing team following their success in this year’s competition. They put so much hard work and effort into every element of the challenge, they all looked the part and their pit display was outstanding.
“They conducted themselves in the most professional manner and finishing fifth overall is a fantastic achievement.
“All of the students gained some really important skills throughout the competition which will help towards their goals for the future, and the judges were really impressed with their presentations.
“F1 in Schools is a wonderful opportunity for young people across the world and we’re delighted our students continue to experience this.”