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One month countdown- F1 in Schools gears up for 2008 World Champ

Dated: 25/02/2008

25/02/08

F1 in Schools has moved into top gear as it prepares for the 2008 World Championships to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in just one month’s time. School children from 17 countries across the world have battled their way through regional and national finals.

Over three days of enthralling competition (18^th-20^th March 2008), 25 teams will pit their miniature F1 cars against each other along a 20-metre two lane track. Last year’s winners, Team Fuga from Northern Ireland stole the show when they set a new world record of 1.020 seconds to edge closer to the elusive one second barrier.

The aim of F1 in Schools is to encourage students to consider engineering as a career, highlighting the positive nature of all that embraces engineering by creating an enjoyable and exciting environment for young people to experience careers in engineering, Formula One, science, marketing and technology first hand. The challenge is for school children aged 11 to 18 to use CAD/CAM software to design, analyse, manufacture, test and race a 20th scale model F1 car made from balsa wood and powered by CO₂.

This year’s World Championships sees four collaboration teams entering the contest as F1 in Schools strives to bring together different races and cultures from all corners of the globe to compete and work together. The collaboration sees two countries pooling their ideas, skills and teamwork together to produce one miniature F1 car.

The 2008 World Championships will take place in the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 18th to 20th March 2008, the week leading up to the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit. A total of 25 teams representing their countries will contest the International event as they compete to win the coveted Bernie Ecclestone World Championship Trophy and an Automotive Engineering scholarship at City University, London.

Malaysia won the right to hold this year’s World Championships following the growing commitment to F1 in Schools from the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

Malaysian Minister of Education, Dato Sri Hishammuddin Hussein said: "We are honoured that F1 in Schools has chosen Malaysia as the host of the world finals. Malaysia is a growing motorsport nation, and we hope that having such a high profile, youth orientated, motorsport event in Malaysia, alongside our Grand Prix weekend will generate widespread interest both locally and in other Asian countries and showcase the educational and ICT initiatives we are developing within our country."

Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools Ltd expressed his delight ahead of the World Championships in Malaysia. "Malaysia is the first country to adopt F1 in Schools into the national curriculum and new initiatives in teaching and learning and is therefore the ideal host for the 2008 World Championships.

“Last year’s World Championships in Melbourne, Australia were an amazing success, and this year we hope for an even greater level of competition between the teams.”

In 2007, the World Champions were Team Fuga, from Northern Ireland. They set a new world speed record of 1.020 seconds down the 20-metre race track, at a scale speed of over 220 mph per hour and will return next month to defend their title. The runners-up were the all-girl trio from Scotland, Team Lightning, followed by another all-girl team in third place, Mercurial Ace from Malaysia. The world record set in 2006 by Malaysia was broken no less than nine times over the four days!

The competition has grown year on year since its birth in 2000, with over 7 million students aware of and taking part around the globe. Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management gave his support to F1 in Schools by granting the challenge a world-wide protected trademark and a new logo in 2005. Since this time the initiative has gained the support of several patrons from within the world of Formula One including Honda Team Principal Ross Brawn, Red Bull Technical Officer Adrian Newey, Force India F1 Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne, Renault Engineering Director Pat Symonds, Williams Technical Director Sam Michael and ITV F1 Commentator James Allen amongst others.

Confirmed Entry List

Northern Ireland – Fuga - Defending World Champions

Australia – Impulse F1

Australia – Goshawk

China – Yon Shi

China – Guang Su

France – Pitomia

Germany – Friesen Design

Hong Kong – Dragons

Kuwait – Lo YAC Racing

Malaysia – Frontier

Malaysia – Rapid Blaze