Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO, Formula One Management, presented the newly crowned 2011 F1 in Schools™ World Champions with the trophy which he commissioned especially for this global educational initiative, meeting the winning Australian team, Pentagliders, in the paddock at the Singtel Formula 1™ Singapore Grand Prix.

The 2011 F1 in Schools World Champions were delighted to meet Ecclestone and receive their trophy, with Team Manager of Pentagliders, Amy Winter, saying, “We are so proud to have been presented with our trophy by Mr Ecclestone, who is such a legendary personality in Formula 1. Visiting the paddock at the Singapore Grand Prix was an awesome prize anyway, but this moment is truly special for all of us and I don’t think we’ll ever forget it!

“When Mr Ecclestone held the trophy above my head I was a bit worried that he might drop it, as it is very heavy, but luckily he didn’t. We gave him one of our merchandising items, which was a stress ball in the shape of Australia and suggested that he could use it whenever he was stressed. I’m sure he has a high pressure job, so maybe he will use it. As well as presenting the trophy to us he autographed our winning F1 in Schools model car and our portfolio, so these will be very cherished items now. We have had such an exciting time, it’s been amazing.”

Bernie Ecclestone has been a long-time supporter of F1 in Schools, commissioning an impressive glass trophy to be given to the World Champions each year. Last year Ecclestone visited the F1 in Schools World Finals event when it was held in Singapore, saying of the programme, “It is super, super for the kids, it’s really great and it gets them interested in Formula One and a lot of adults as well are asking what this (F1 in Schools) is all about.” He was also supportive of the initiative’s focus on engineering, saying, “It’s magic. These guys will go somewhere, for sure,” and he also believes they will end up in Formula One, adding, “Yes, for sure, absolutely, they get exposure, people know them and they will get a good position.”

Pentagliders, from Brooks High School, Tasmania lifted the Bernie Ecclestone World Champions trophy and were crowned 2011 F1 in Schools™ World Champions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday. The Pentagliders team with 18-year-old team members Tristan McCarthy, Amy Winter and Nathan Clark and Jack Ball, 17, fought off intense competition in this global student technology challenge, beating 22 teams from Australasia, Europe, Asia, Africa, America and the Middle East to be crowned World Champions and win coveted Automotive and Motorsport Engineering degree scholarships at City University London.

The F1 in Schools Technology Challenge is contested in 34 countries around the world, with 17,000 students participating in the competition. The Australian team had won through Regional Finals and a National Final in their home country to book their places in the World Finals held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to coincide with the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix being held this weekend.

The essence of the F1 in Schools challenge is for teams of students to research, design, test, manufacture and race a miniature Formula One car, using some of the advanced technology employed within the F1 teams in the real world. All the teams competing this week have spent hundreds of hours producing their models in their pursuit of beating their competitors to claim the World Champions crown. The event took place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 19th – 21st September with the assistance of a host of sponsors and supporters including the Malaysian Ministry of Education, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, City University London, Denford Limited, Sepang International Circuit and Hilton Racing.