The UAE’s best young racers revved up their engines at Yas Marina Circuit for a shot at glory in the F1 in Schools National Finals.
Students from 12 UAE schools set up their own Formula One teams with a full business plan to design, build and race a miniature racing car.
Team ‘Blitz’ from Emirates International School, Meadows in Dubai clocked not only the fastest time of the day but their mark also broke the UAE national record.
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However, when it comes to the overall winners, the judging process combines scores from all elements of the competition: racing, engineering, verbal presentations and team marketing display.
And the best all-round display came from the ‘Knight Hawks’ of The Indian High School, who emerged victorious in the Professional Class. Team ‘Impulse’ from Repton School, Dubai, were triumphant in the Rookie Class.
The two team champions will now fly the flag for the UAE against hundreds of students from schools all over the world at next year’s F1 in Schools World Finals in Austin, Texas.
“Once again, we’ve been hugely impressed with the quality of the entrants, their enthusiasm for the F1 in Schools Program and their passion for learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through the excitement of Formula 1,” said Abdulla Yousef Al Shammari, Yas community manager. “Yas Marina Circuit is proud to be supporting the strong spirit of innovation and discovery that is
developing in UAE schools.”
Tuesday's action took place on a 20-metre indoor track at Yas Marina Circuit. Propelled by carbon dioxide cartridges, the small balsa wood cars sped along the straight track at speeds of up to 80km/h.
Racing in pairs, the cars typically reached the finish line in just over a second. Just like real F1 teams, the young engineers had to work within design and budgetary constraints to produce cars that are as powerful and aerodynamic as possible.
They also marketed their projects, managed a budget, and tied up sponsorship deals.
“It’s amazing, it’s such a wonderful experience for us,” said Aman Preet Singh, 16, team leader of the Professional Class winners, Knight Hawks. “We have participated here for four years and I think finally our hard work has paid off.
“It feels great to represent the United Arab Emirates in Austin, Texas, and we hope the make the country proud.”