ENGAGING WITH EDUCATION

• Wales Rally GB provides inspirational initiatives for Welsh schools and colleges• Winning design to feature on Elfyn Evans’ Fiesta RS WRC • Two-day Industry Awareness STEM Event at Service Park• Tours of Toyota factory, WRC teams and other industries in Deeside • Bloodhound SSC Supersonic Car among many high-profile exhibitsThe presence of the premier 2014 FIA World Rally Championship in north Wales will be maximised by schools and colleges throughout the country.Motivating and inspiring students, Wales Rally GB (13-16 November) will be the focus for a number of far-reaching educational initiatives – including competitions, exhibitions and events – all aimed at utilising and maximising the prestigious WRC’s appearance.In addition to assisting with the organisation of the industry awareness event at the Wales Rally GB Service Park, the Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW) is organising two special competitions on behalf of the Welsh Government. Both are open to all secondary schools and colleges in Wales, with entry categories for Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 year groups.The first competition requires students to design an item of Wales Rally GB merchandise such as a mug, T-shirt or iPhone with the winning entry being applied to the appropriate item by specialists Performance Clothing. The second asks students to design the livery for a Welsh rally car entering Wales Rally GB. The livery should include a special graphic for the car’s roof vent. The winning entry will then be applied to Elfyn Evans’ M-Sport World Rally Team entered Ford Fiesta RS WRC on November’s event in the place of his usual Welsh flag.“It’s great to see Wales Rally GB engaging with local schools and encouraging the younger generation to get involved in our great sport,” said Elfyn, who currently holds an impressive eighth place in the 2014 WRC title standings in this, his rookie season. “I can’t wait to see all of the different ideas and it will be a real pleasure to sport the winning design on the roof of my Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Here’s hoping it pushes us to a fantastic performance on home soil.”Entry forms, design templates and further details can be downloaded from the www.stemcymru.org.uk website and the closing date is Friday 26 September. The winners will be invited as VIPs to the Wales Rally GB central Service Park in Deeside to receive their prizes.The busy Service Park will also host a two-day Industry Awareness STEM Event (13-14 November) aimed at giving students an exciting and memorable experience that will inspire and motivate them to continue with the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Again organised by the Welsh Government, the event has lined up around 35 exhibitors to provide interactive activities for visitors as well as tours of the world’s top WRC teams, the adjoining Toyota Engine Plant plus two other local companies: UPM Shotton Paper and DRB, the integrated engineering group.In total around 1000 students are expected to visit this special STEM event which will showcase some 35 exhibitors including Airbus, JCB, the Motor Sports Association’s Go Motorsport campaign and the remarkable Bloodhound SSC Supersonic Car project. Wales already has strong educational links with the Bloodhound team through Swansea University’s world-class work on computer fluid dynamics (CFD), which is right at the heart of research on the design and aerodynamics of the 1000mph car.Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James, said: “These two competitions are a fantastic way of engaging young people with Wales Rally GB and showing them all the different activities that are needed to organise and promote an event of this size.“I’m also delighted to see that learners will be able to see the many exciting opportunities offered by the automotive sector. Getting young people involved through exciting, hands-on activities is one of the best ways to show them the relevance and importance of STEM subjects. This is a unique opportunity and I would encourage as many students as possible to go along to the event.”

While public access to the Service Park in Deeside is free – as is entrance to both the Ceremonial Start at Eirias Stadium and the Finish in Llandudno – tickets for all the Wales Rally GB competitive Special Stages are available via the official website at www.walesrallygb.com and the ticket hotline on 0844 847 2251. Forest Passes are available at 2013 prices, as are tickets for the two enhanced RallyFest Stages at Chirk Castle and Kinmel Park, though these must be purchased in advance.

Full ticket and spectator information is available via the official website: www.walesrallygb.com.