WORLD FINALS 2018
Horizon, a team of students from Brighton Secondary School, Adelaide, were crowned F1 in Schools World Champions 2018 at the 14th F1 in Schools World Finals, held this year at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. Irish team, CJJ Autovinco from St. Brigid’s College, Loughrea, County Galway were runners-up with Perspective, a USA team representing Palmetto High School, from Bradenton, Florida in third place.
Chase Carey, Executive Chairman, CEO, Formula One Group, and Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, F1 in Schools, presented the new Formula 1 F1 in Schools World Champions Trophy to Horizon at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) supported Awards Celebration Gala Dinner, attended by Formula 1 team representatives and invited guests. The glittering awards extravaganza, attended by over 600 people including guest of honour, Peter Ong, Chairman, Enterprise Singapore, the 50 World Finals teams, teachers, dignitaries and key Formula 1 paddock personnel celebrated the achievements of the F1 in Schools World Finalists, the future Engineers and professionals of the Formula 1 industry. The Horizon team with James Gurney (16), Luke Battjes (18), James Lloyd (16), JJ Elliss (16), Tom Lightfoot (15), Luka Moase (15) win scholarships for City, University London and UCL Engineering, as well as being guests of Formula 1 with complimentary four-day paddock access to the FORMULA 1 2018 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX and presentation of the new Formula 1 F1 in Schools trophy, in front of the F1 photographers, on the podium at the Marina Bay circuit. |
The Australian team also won the Best Engineered Car Award supported by Williams Racing and the Fastest Car Award, supported by Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, with the team’s car clocking a time of 0.977 seconds on the F1 in Schools track, the only team at this year’s World Finals to post a sub one-second time. Horizon were also nominated for the Research and Development Award.
Horizon Team Manager, James Gurney, said of winning, “We’re feeling on top of the world. We knew there were so many competitive teams around but we knew how much work we had done and were just hoping that we had done enough. For some of us it’s been three or four years working on this, but we’ve had late nights and an amazing journey. Well done to all the other teams too, they’ve been very special and we’re going to have lifelong friends and memories.
Of the team’s success he said, “The engineering behind our car was very precise and we were constantly improving and refining it to make the best product possible. We were perfectionists, making sure nothing was half hearted, the effort and dedication we put in, were the key for us. The experience will be something we’ll hold for the rest of our lives.
Horizon Team Manager, James Gurney, said of winning, “We’re feeling on top of the world. We knew there were so many competitive teams around but we knew how much work we had done and were just hoping that we had done enough. For some of us it’s been three or four years working on this, but we’ve had late nights and an amazing journey. Well done to all the other teams too, they’ve been very special and we’re going to have lifelong friends and memories.
Of the team’s success he said, “The engineering behind our car was very precise and we were constantly improving and refining it to make the best product possible. We were perfectionists, making sure nothing was half hearted, the effort and dedication we put in, were the key for us. The experience will be something we’ll hold for the rest of our lives.
The evening included the announcement of nine elated students who won coveted places at the Unilever Williams Engineering Academy. Winning students from England, Vietnam, Ireland, Mexico, Wales and the USA, were announced by Nicola Salter, Group HR Director, Williams and Dave Penrith, Chief Engineer, Unilever, on stage at the awards. This is the fourth intake to the Academy that takes its students exclusively from F1 in Schools World Finals events each year.
A rigorous selection process with a distinguished panel of Williams personnel led by Dave Redding, Race Team Manager, assessed 25 talented F1 in Schools World Finalists earlier this week. Launched in 2014 the students benefit from this remote e-learning programme with the successful candidates receiving support, training and guidance to underpin their engineering education.
The competition has been an excellent showcase of the talents of these 50 teams of World Finalists, with outstanding professionalism and the highest standards of work that encompass the core Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics modules as well as the life skills that are in such demand by industry. The opening day of the competition, with verbal presentations, portfolio, pit display, engineering judging sessions, as well as the intense pressure of F1 in Schools track racing, gave the teams their first taste of competing at the highest level of this acclaimed global education challenge.
A rigorous selection process with a distinguished panel of Williams personnel led by Dave Redding, Race Team Manager, assessed 25 talented F1 in Schools World Finalists earlier this week. Launched in 2014 the students benefit from this remote e-learning programme with the successful candidates receiving support, training and guidance to underpin their engineering education.
The competition has been an excellent showcase of the talents of these 50 teams of World Finalists, with outstanding professionalism and the highest standards of work that encompass the core Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics modules as well as the life skills that are in such demand by industry. The opening day of the competition, with verbal presentations, portfolio, pit display, engineering judging sessions, as well as the intense pressure of F1 in Schools track racing, gave the teams their first taste of competing at the highest level of this acclaimed global education challenge.