A group of Year 9 pupils from Bungay High School have competed in the regional finals of the “F1 in Schools” competition.

Since October, the four pupils - Oliver Righton, Andrew Woolley, Thomas Osborne and Matthew Ayling - have been deploying their technological skills to design, manufacture and then race a miniature compressed air powered Formula 1 car.

On the day of the finals, held at Sprowston Community High School in Norwich, the Bungay team were up against stiff competition from across the region.

The main objective of the competition is to create a fun and exciting learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, Formula 1, science, marketing and technology. It challenges pupils to form teams and create their own Formula 1 car of the future, using computer technology and engineering processes to manufacture a scale-replica of a modern day racing car.

On competition day, the Bungay pupils, under the name Vulcan Racing Team, were required to exemplify their skills in three elements – an explanation of their portfolio, a verbal presentation to the judging panel and then the race itself.

While the team’s car was only the third fastest in their category, the Bungay group won the award for ‘Best Presentation’ with the judges praising their ability to speak eloquently and passionately about their design without the use of written prompts.

Catherine Wiltshire, associate head, said: “It was a great day for the students and a real sense of accomplishment was felt by all. The team are already thinking about their design ideas for next year’s competition!”