Two teams of young engineers are the pride of their schools after
winning the top prizes in the National Final of the 2012-13 Toyota
STEM Challenge.
For the very first time the event was held in the Grand Prix Collection Museum at Donington Park Racing Circuit in Leicestershire, a mecca of British motorsport.
If the teams needed any further inspiration it was provided by the rows of classic Formula 1 cars lining the arena. Twelve UK schools took part in the final of the competition, which
Toyota have developed in partnership with Rapid. Schools from the South-East dominated this year, with the winning teams coming from St Paul's School in London and Tendring Technology College, Essex.
Teams competed in two categories – Solar Power and PIC
microcontroller. During the course of the day the teams presented their
project and vehicle to a panel of judges. Marks were also given for team
identity. Competition on the Challenge racetrack involved a straight race for teams
in the Solar Power category, while teams in the PIC microcontroller category programmed their vehicles to move around a track laid out with obstacles.
The PIC category was won by ‘The Beasts of Tendring’ from Tendring Technology College in Thorpe-le-Soken near Frinton, Essex. The team members were Molley Harriott, Conor Williams, Elizabeth Lorrimer-Roberts, Faye Randall and Matthew Wolton, all 15 years old. Their victory broke Flint High School's two-year reign in this category. Landing 1st place in the Solar category was ‘Apollo’ from St Paul's
School, London. The team consisted of 16-year-olds Nicolas Weninger, David Shah and Theo Heymann.
The judges included representatives from Toyota and Rapid. Nick
Freeman, Assistant General Manager, External Affairs, Toyota
Manufacturing UK, said: “The quality of work that we see at the
National Final is outstanding. The attention to detail, pride, determination and enthusiasm that the students have in their vehicles are a joy to watch”. Chris Calver, Education Manager at Rapid, commented: “Once again the National Final has been fantastic. The level of design innovation and the passion these students have for engineering is incredible and they are a credit to their schools”.
The winning teams collected a trophy, £1,000 in
prize money for their school and can look forward to an action-packed UK adventure
holiday later this year. The other schools in the National Final were: Flint High School, North Wales; Thornhill College and Rathmore Grammar School, Northern Ireland; Aboyne Academy & Aberdeen Grammar School, Scotland; Kirk Hallam Community, Technology & Sports College, Derbyshire; King Edward IV School, Stratford-upon-Avon; Crispin Community School, Somerset; Test Valley School, Hampshire; Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Lancashire.
Over 400 schools from across the UK registered for this year's
competition. Rapid and Toyota would like to thank all the pupils and teachers who made this year's competition such a success, and to everyone at Donington Park and the Regional Final venues for their help and support.
www.rapidonline.com/toyota