Wilmslow students in national final of motor racing design competition

A Level students at Wilmslow High School entered the Lenovo D1 Schools challenge, which involved designing and building their own mini F1 racing car.

The students christened their team Exhausted Racing and took part in the north west regional final at Bolton University in March.

READ > Burglars tunnel into Wilmslow Rolex jewellers from nearby café

Local house builder Jones Homes covered their entry fees and will now donate £250 towards their expenses for the national stage.

Wilmslow High School students with their mini F1 racing car (Image: Jones Homes)

Simon Whalley, sales director at Jones Homes North West in Alderley Edge, said: “We are so impressed with the Exhausted Racing team, who have worked incredibly hard and with great enthusiasm and ingenuity on their mini racing car.

“The Lenovo F1 in Schools competition is a fantastic opportunity for young people.

“They learn not just about how to design a racing car, but about the business side too.

“Most importantly they learn about working as a team.

“We are very happy to have helped the students on their way with sponsorship, and we are looking forward to seeing how Exhausted Racing performs at the national final.

“We know they will do themselves proud.”

There were 18 teams at the regional event and Exhausted Racing was one of only three to qualify for the next stage.

Teams were judged on their pit displays, which showed how they worked on the project, and enterprise portfolios, which focused on sponsors and marketing.

Students also had to give a presentation to two engineering judges who examined the design and engineering of the car.

Exhausted Racing competed in four races, winning each one, and had the third fastest car of the day.

The final stage was a presentation to judges in which they talked about their journey and explained what they had learned from taking part in the competition.

The team finished second in their class.

The students now go on to the national final later in the year.

Kirsty Regan, the school’s curriculum team leader design and technology with computing, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to all the sponsors, as without their support this would not have been possible.

“We are really pleased that Jones Homes will continue to sponsor us through the next steps of the F1 in Schools competition.

“The team are excited to get back to re-designing the car to make improvements and look forward to sharing these further developments as they continue their F1 journey.”

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

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

Jones Homes, which is building developments at Bollin Park, Sanctuary Court and Sanctuary, donated £75 to fund the school’s entry fee for the regional heat.

Other sponsors included Porsche Wilmslow, Celerity and Bott and Co Solicitors.