F1 in Schools.
Main Components.
General Info.
F1 in Schools is F1 in Schools is a global competition that challenges secondary school students to design, build and race miniature Polymer Formula One cars powered by compressed air canisters.
The competition inspires students to use IT to learn about a range of different things such as physics, aerodynamics, design,manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply them in a practical, competitive and exciting way.
Students from all over Ireland battled it out in Spring 2013 at the regional and national finals of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge. Teams compete, testing the speed and engineering quality of their model F1 cars.
The race takes place on a 20-metre track, with the cars reaching speeds of up to 120km/h. However its not all about the cars and winning the race, teams are also judged on the manufacturing quality, the marketing of the team, quality of their 20 page portfolio, their 5 minute verbal presentation and the overall effort they put in.
The Cars- A team of 3-6 members are faced with the task of designing and manufacturing a miniature car out of Polymer using CAD/CAM Software. The cars are powered by a CO2 canister and race along a two-lane 20 metre track. At the competition the cars a scrutinized by judges to make sure they meet the specific requirements. Software called F1 VirtualWind Tunel, allows the teams to test their cars aerodynamic efficiency before their design is sent to a CNC router to be manufactured. After this it is up to each team to put axle's, bearings and wheels on their car. Each car must also be sealed and painted before the race, the quality of which is marked on the day.
Verbal Presentation- The Verbal Presentation is where a huge amount of points are gained and lost by teams. On the day of the race the teams are asked to give a 5 minute Verbal Presentation to a set of judges. The Presentation is to outline all the key components and work involved throughout their whole project. All Team Member's are asked to contribute to all parts of the Presentation. During the Teams Presentation, they may also choose to use a PowerPoint Presentation along with various props. This will hopefully gain them extra marks with the Judges as it is very interactive
Portfolio- Along with all of the other aspects of the project each Team is asked to make a 20 Page Portfolio to accompany their Car and Verbal Presentation. On the day of the race this Portfolio is also handed up to a set of judges to be read and marked. The 20 Page Portfolio should be a full and comprehensive record of every step taken throughout the Project. From the Team Members, to The Budgeting of the project to The Design and Manufacturing of the Car. Depending on the contents of the Portfolio, Teams are marked on whether or not they have included various information in their Portfolio that the Judges have found should be included.
The team will have to create all 3 of these, while also meeting all the
other requirements of the project.
