A GROUP of students with a passion for engineering have been named winners of a Land Rover competition after designing and building their own remote controlled 4×4 vehicle.
Team Ascent, a group of 15 and 16-year-olds from The Royal Grammar School in Worcester, were the overall winners of the Central Region Land Rover 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge and also won the award for Best Engineered Vehicle with their innovative double wishbone suspension system particularly impressing the judges.
Through a demanding series of challenges, the judges assessed the teams with presentations, a written portfolio and putting the vehicle through its pace on an off-road course.
Students Alec Berry, Edward Lawson, George Mann, Fiaz Ibrar, Jack Beet, and Harry Smith competed against other teams from around the region at Shirelands Collegiate Academy in Birmingham.
The team’s success has won them a place at the Land Rover 4×4 in Schools UK Final, which will be held in April this year and the UK Champions have the chance to compete at the Land Rover 4×4 in Schools World Finals in July, vying for the World Champions crown.
Alec Berry said: “We really didn’t expect to win today. Time management has been the biggest challenge for us and we developed an innovative double wishbone suspension system that took up a lot of our time. We’ll be reviewing quite a few aspects of our car design before the National Final and looking forward to it.”
Joining Team Ascent at the National Final will be another Worcester team, Planet from The King’s School, Worcester, who won the Beginners Class category of the Challenge.
Mark Wemyss-Holden, UK Project Manager, Land Rover 4×4 in Schools, said of the event: “We’ve seen some unique and innovative designs today, with the students showing impressive STEM skills and knowledge to take on the challenges presented by Land Rover 4×4 in Schools.
“This project brings out the best in the students, unleashing their creativity, passion and enthusiasm in a whole range of areas, whether they are motivated by an interest in engineering, design, marketing or business.
“It is great to see students putting their classroom learning into this engaging programme and enjoying the challenge of creating their own design of 4×4 vehicle,” he added.
