Super Sonic Speed, Merewether High School’s F1 in Schools team, were crowned overall state champions in the Professional Senior Class of F1 in Schools NSW State Championships held in Sydney recently.

As a ME Program partner school, the team from Merewether High were given a wild card entry into the Championships.  They will represent the NSW in the National Championships to be hosted in Canberra.

The F1 in Schools™ Technology Challenge is the world’s largest secondary school technology program. It involves over nine million students from 17,000 schools in 31 nations. Each year the program engages more than 40,000 high school students in Australia and delivers industry-standard technology into schools. Students as young as 10 are designing, testing and making miniature F1™ cars capable of 80km/h.

Teams are judged on a number of areas such as ‘Best Engineered Design’ and ‘Best Team Portfolio’.

Regional Development Australia Hunter ME Program Manager Ashley Cox said the competition was a chance for students to get a taste of manufacturing techniques.

‘‘Students who engage in the F1 in Schools program are more likely to choose Maths and Science careers, which is ultimately good for the region,’’ he said.

‘‘As careers become more focused on technology our region will require a workforce with these skills and the competition is all about giving students experiences that will influence their career decisions for the future.’’