07 April 2014 Von: ROBERTSON & ZILIA MONTEIRO

The annual F1 in Schools challenge requires much more than simply building a car to go faster than competitors; it’s a complete F1 experience.

Now, coincidentally, in its 10th year, the F1 in Schools tournament descends upon the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi for its world finals later this year, in November alongside the F1 event itself.

It should not really be a surprise to discover that anything with ‘F1’ attached to it should be big business, even the F1 in Schools competition. You only need to take a look at what happens in the likes of the United Kingdom (UK), Australia and Singapore to fully appreciate the task that faced a group of enterprising students from St Christopher’s School in Bahrain at the 2013 world finals.

Download the F1 in Schools brochure from www.f1inschools.com.sg and you will be in for an eye-opener. This is serious business; it’s not a casual school project to earn a few extra credits in your spare time. Equally, the ‘race’ is more than just a game for the students, who view it as an opportunity to further their educational interests.

In the UK, the national championship, where schools compete against each other to represent their country in Abu Dhabi, has already been completed. The winning team comes from Leamington Spa. Where’s that you might ask. The winners competed against 30 other schools, all winners from regional finals.

Last year, in Bahrain, the ‘national championship’ consisted of one team at one school! This year there are five teams, with a maximum of six members per team, ready to pit their wits against others for the right to go to Abu Dhabi, all of which come from St Chris.

The five teams — Gulf Speed Racing, Team Epiphany, Team Trinity, Mirage and Silver Bullets — will be selected at a national championship to be held at the school.

Drawing from last year’s experience at the world finals in Austin, Texas, where Team Epiphany recorded the fourth-fastest car, the students believe that part of their ‘formula for success’ lies in early preparation. This means getting to grips with F1 rules and design efficiency, familiarising themselves with the software to design the car and test out the aerodynamics, and taking advantage of the school’s 3D printer.

“It really is an investment for our future and the experience is life-changing,” says Team Epiphany’s manager, Suad El-Jawhari, 16, of their accomplishments in Texas. “We have a good idea of the areas in which we need to improve, including our pit display.”

The Bahrain team did, though, set a record at the championship, for fielding the youngest-ever contestant, Suad’s brother Mohammed El-Jawhari. Mohammed, now aged 12, already has his sights set on securing a place at Silverstone UTC, the university located adjacent to the F1 track of the same name.

Guided by their F1 in Schools director, and head of design and technology at St Chris, Martin Plunkett, individual team members are assigned tasks to prepare a business plan, develop a budget and raise funds through sponsorships.

The 3D-modelled F1 car made out of balsa wood is designed with the use of Autodesk software, analysed, and tested for aerodynamics, manufactured and scrutinised. At the finals the team is judged on a formal presentation and the pit display, as well as racing their car against more than 40 other national championship winners.

The students also come face to face with some of the world’s finest designers, engineers and other industry professionals associated with the sport. The winning team has a the opportunity to win scholarships from the City of London University, in motorsport or mechanical engineering, in addition to taking home the Bernie Ecclestone F1 in Schools World Champions Trophy.

Raising sponsorship
Like an F1 team, the teams are required to raise sponsorship and funding. This is often a challenge for adults let alone a group of high school students. To have been competitive in Texas Team Epiphany believes they would have needed to raise BD25,000, of which close to BD10,000 was required for travel and hotel expenses. Fortunately, with the event being held in Abu Dhabi, that element of the challenge will be reduced this time around.

In Australia, for example, all the major corporations get behind the competition; in Bahrain, Team Epiphany was, probably, over-reliant on Bahrain International Circuit for resources.

McLaren Automotive, Trust International Insurance and St Chris provided financial support.
Raising funds requires a formal sponsorship proposal to be prepared and be presented to potential financial supporters. Support can come in the form of cash and in-kind. Team members, who would like to see a more competitive local championship, would be particularly interested in talking to companies who could assist with flights to Abu Dhabi, a logistic partner to fly their pit display to the world finals and some engineering facilities for developing components such as the wheels.

Reaching for the sky
In listening to Suad and her team talk, I am reminded of the film October Sky. The movie tells the real-life story of a teenager who, seeing the first man in space orbit the Earth over an October sky in the United States, decided that he wants to build a rocket.

The trials and tribulations he endured, together with a group of friends, are a mirror image of the Herculean task faced by Team Epiphany last year. The teenager in question, who won a national competition with his rocket, went on to become a NASA engineer working on the Space Shuttle programme.

Companies who are interested in finding out more about how they could contribute can email F1inSchools@redhousemarketing.com for further information.