30th June 2006....HONDA RACING F1 TEAM RECORD FASTEST TIME IN STUDENT CHALLENGE...

Honda Racing F1 Team beat off stiff opposition from Scuderia Ferrari F1, the Bradfield Panthers and the East Cobb Flying Cougars to record the fastest time of the day with their miniature racer, in the F1 in Schools F1 teams event held today at the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
Teams from Honda Racing F1 Team and Ferrari took up the challenge to build F1 cars of the future and race against the F1 in Schools National Champion student teams from the USA and UK.

The event was a showcase for the F1 in Schools Formula One Technology Challenge, a global competition which aims to help change perceptions of engineering, science and technology by creating a fun and exciting learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, science and technology.
A purpose-built 20 metre track set up at the American race facility was used to test the speed of 1:20 scale model CO2 powered balsa wood F1™ cars which were designed, manufactured and tested by each team. The car of the Bradfield Panthers from the UK and that of East Cobb Flying Cougars of the USA had already proved their speed, winning their respective national championships earlier this year.
The F1 teams, built by young designers in their spare time, were unproven until this afternoon.
The Honda Racing F1 team led by Gil de Ferran and Ferrari F1 team headed by Ross Brawn had both produced cars with unique designs, reflecting the innovative approaches used within Formula One, and it was that of the Honda Racing F1 team which posted the fastest time of 1.146 seconds. The current world record time is held by a student team from Malaysia with a car which has recorded a time of 1.083 seconds.

It was the Bradfield Panthers car which was the biggest threat to Honda Racing F1 but in the final run off couldn’t match the pace of the Formula One team, recording a time of 1.157 seconds, to claim the runner up spot. The Flying Cougars team from Marietta, Georgia and the Ferrari team had to settle for third and fourth fastest times respectively,
UK national champions, Bradfield Panthers, were impressed with the Honda Racing F1 car and planned to use some of its design elements to upgrade their racer before their participation in the World Championships in Melbourne next year.
Brad McAnearney from the Panthers said at the end of the Challenge,

“It’s been a great experience to race against real F1 teams. We were a bit
disappointed that we didn’t win, but we’ve learnt so much from talking to the
designers and having a close look at their race cars, that it will help us for
the World Championships.”

Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools Ltd, said,

“This has been a unique opportunity for us to showcase the F1 in Schools Formula
One Technology Challenge right in the heart of a Formula One race weekend, and
with the support of two Formula One teams. Their participation has helped us to
put our initiative into the spotlight and we hope that this will, in turn,
encourage more students and schools to participate in the Challenge and this
could be in one of over 20 countries.

Denford adds,

“My thanks go to Bernie Ecclestone, for giving us so much support and enabling
us to make this challenge happen and also to Ferrari and Honda Racing F1 too,
for being brave enough to take up the offer of building a car and racing it,
untried, in public.I think the teams have seen that there are school children
preparing to follow in their footsteps, and through F1 in Schools, have been
enthused about engineering. Both teams have shown the students that F1 technical
teams are also the heroes of Formula One and should be aspired towards. It’s
been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our student teams today.”

F1 in Schools™ was given generous support by The Formula One Group and Indianapolis Motor Speedway to host the event and welcome the student teams into Formula One™. F1 in Schools™ is a not-for-profit organisation solely supported by sponsors and partners. Launched in Britain in 2000, F1 in Schools™ now covers the world. In November 2005, it received the backing of the Formula One™ group which granted a world-wide protected trademark and logo. F1 in Schools™ is acknowledged as highlighting some of the finest design and engineering minds of the teen generation, including potential future Formula One™ design stars.