What is F1 in Schools?

It's a competition for teams of 3-6 school children to design and manufacture miniature CO2-powered racing cars and then race them at regional, national and international level.

Sounds simple? Not when you consider that these 11-18 year old kids use state-of-the-art software programmes that enable them to play around with CAD (computer aided design) and CFD (computational fluid dynamics), just like real F1 designers.

Or that they have to manage the whole project from scratch, from drawing up a business plan and raising the sponsorship to finance it through the design and manufacturing stages to a presentation in front of a panel of eminent judges.

To find out more go to:  http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=34581

A life-changing experience

F1 in Schools 'graduate' Adam Charnley testifies to the value of getting involved: "You gain a lot of skills from it, not just in designing the cars but also communication and sponsorship skills.

"You also learn how to build a car that is not only fast and efficient but also reliable and cheap to manufacture.

"I had started an architecture course at uni and I've now changed courses to an engineering degree, which is what I really wanted to do in the first place, so it’s changed my life."

To find out more about CHAM CFD Software to go  www.cham.co.uk built by Racecar