Wilmslow High School students qualify for national final of F1 design competition with help from Jones Homes

Students at Wilmslow High School have qualified for the national finals of a motor racing design competition – with support from local housebuilder Jones Homes.

The A-level students entered the Lenovo F1 in Schools challenge, which involved designing and building their own mini F1 racing car.

Jones Homes, which is building at three developments in the town, covered the students’ entry fees for the regional competition and will now donate £250 towards the team’s expenses for the national stage.

The students, who called their team Exhausted Racing, entered the development class in the competition and took part in the North West regional final at Bolton University on Wednesday 15 March.

Simon Whalley, Sales Director at Jones Homes North West, which is based 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.

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

They 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, behind Cheadle Hulme School. The other school to qualify was Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, which won the professional class.

Now the Wilmslow High School students will go on to the national final, which will take place later on in the year.

During the project the teams design their vehicle with CAD (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 at its Bollin Park, Sanctuary Court and Sanctuary Wilmslow developments in the town, donated £75 to cover the school’s entry fee for the regional heat. Other sponsors included Porsche Wilmslow, Celerity, and Bott and Co Solicitors.

Kirsty Regan, Curriculum Team Leader Design and Technology with Computing at Wilmslow High School, 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.”

To find out more about the Lenovo F1 in Schools competition, visit f1inschools.co.uk.

For more information about Jones Homes, visit jones-homes.co.uk.