A GROUP of city secondary school students have made it to the finals of a world competition to build a working scale model of a 4×4 Land Rover.
The team from The Kings School in Worcester are called Vertical Horizon and will be representing England in the Land Rover 4×4 in School Technology Challenge from Monday (June 22) to Wednesday (June 24) at Ricoh Arena in Coventry.
Ben Weaver, Ed Ashton, Tom Kelly and James Robins will compete against 11 other countries with their scale remote controlled Land Rover which must compete the specially made track.
The course is designed with obstacles and challenging road surfaces such as water dips, a rope bridge and rocks to compare the entries to the capabilities of a full sized 4×4.
The awards ceremony takes place on the last day of the event where 15 awards will be handed out.
The first place vehicle will receive an impressive trophy, a scholarship to Harper Adams University and a Land Rover driving experience.
Team manager Ben Weaver, said: “What we believe makes us unique is the fact that we have designed and built two distinct vehicles, the VH Explorer and the new VH Explorer Sport.
“Both vehicles have a similar chassis with our own torsion suspension system and specially designed gearboxes that deliver different levels of speed and control that match the application.
“As a team we are most looking forward to and slightly nervous about the track.
“Having read all the information and doing a little research we think that the track will be the hardest part for us, and will be where the competing teams will either win or lose.”
Teams will also be visiting Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Advanced Manufacturing Plant to see how the luxury 4x4s are made.
They will be tested on their knowledge of vehicle design based on a presentation of their work.
Les Ratcliffe, head of community affairs at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the inaugural Land Rover 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge world final in the UK where the competition first began.
“As part of our Global CSR Programme we want to engage two million young people around the world in our school STEM education programme.
“Inspiring ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers’ by 2020. Launching the hugely successful Land Rover 4×4 in Schools competition in new markets will play an important role in this and will introduce even more young people to the exciting world of engineering.”
David Lakin, UK and international project manager of Land Rover 4×4 in Schools, said: “The competition aims to raise awareness and interest in engineering through the practical application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects.
“To this is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop both their academic and interpersonal skills, which going forward will help them in heir university studies and carers, giving them many advantages over their peers.
“It is also an opportunity for the students to showcase their work, take pride in representing their school and county, and create memories that will stay with them throughout their lives.”
