GT in Schools Winners
Six girls from Victoria College in Belfast were proclaimed overall winners of the GT in Schools competition for their race car design. Part of the F1 in Schools programme, the final test heats and judging for the GT in Schools competition were held at the recent Autosport International Show at the NEC, where John Christie presented the winning team, Victoria’s Vipers, with a trophy, and a prize supplied by Apex Motorsport. The six girls received tickets to the first GT3 race of the 2009 season, at Silverstone on 3rd May where Team Victoria’s Vipers will have unlimited access to the Apex pit garage to witness at first hand the pre and post race preparations for the two supercharged Jaguars entered in the GT3 race, together with interviews with drivers and team engineers.
John, who has recently been appointed Operations Director of Apex Motorsport, commented; “I’ve been incredibly impressed with the detail and professionalism of all the teams competing here today. Some of the designs and models have demonstrated a real eye for aerodynamics, and the presentations are of a very high standard. All the teams should be very proud to have reached this stage of the competition.”
Les Ratcliffe, Community Relations Manager for Jaguar, said; “The competition has been very well supported this year, and we’ve seen some fantastic designs being produced by the teams. We’re very pleased to have the support of Apex Motorsport, and I’m sure that Team Victoria’s Vipers will have a tremendous experience at Silverstone in May.”
The F1 in Schools programme is aimed at students aged between 9 to 19. The main objective is to help change perceptions of engineering, science and technology by creating a fun a exciting learning experience for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, autosport, science, marketing and technology. The competition requires teams of students to use CAD/CAM software to design, manufacture, test and race a miniature gas powered race car.
Originally formed in 1999, the F1 in Schools programme is now available to over 9 million students in 30 countries worldwide.
