Formula 1 (F1) in Schools is an international science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) competition for school children aged 11 to 19, in which groups of three to six students have to design and manufacture a miniature car out of the official F1 Model Block. Miniature bearing supplier, SMB Bearings is supporting Velocity Racing with this challenge, by supplying bearings for the team’s UK final event.
Velocity Racing, a team of six girls from Inveralmond Community High School in West Lothian, is competing for the first time this year, diving straight into the professional division to compete with the best of the best. Having triumphed at the Scotland F1 in Schools regional final, the team will next compete in the UK national final on March 19-20 at the famous Silverstone race circuit in Northamptonshire.
“While it may seem a bit strange to go straight into a professional class, instead of entry or development, we really wanted to push ourselves with the hopes of reaching the world finals later this year,” explained Chloe, team manager of Velocity Racing.
“SMB has been fantastic throughout the competition, by providing us with a big discount on the bearings for our Scottish Finals Car and free bearings for our UK finals car. We really appreciate the company’s support.
“The design and testing process has been long, but we are confident in the design tweaks we have made to ensure our car is as aerodynamic as possible. Getting to this point has taught us so many skills that we can take on throughout our time in school and beyond, including time management, financial tracking and even learning how to give constructive criticism to one another.”
“This team are great ambassadors for other young people to look up to,” explained Chris Johnson, managing director of SMB Bearing. “We really see the value in encouraging the next generation of engineers from an early age, so it’s an honour to play a small role in the success of Velocity Racing. We’re cheering them on from our Oxford headquarters.”
To keep up to date on the final results, visit the F1 in School website. For more information on Velocity Racing, or SMB’s wide range on specialist miniature bearings, contact sales@smbbearings.com or call +44 (0) 1993 842555.
