June 12, 2017

 

Precision Racing and Atlas Racing, two of the F1 in Schools teams from Granbury High School, placed first and second in the national competition on June 8-10, 2017, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Students will traveling abroad to represent the United States in the world finals for the fourth time in five years.

 

“The competition stretched over three days with students racing cars, performing track tests, giving verbal presentations, and defending their design ideas in front of engineers,” said GHS engineering teacher and team coach Todd Gibson.  “Students also displayed their process and hard work on large pit displays and portfolios that were prepared prior to leaving for competition.”

 

 

 

Precision Racing was the national champion and also received awards for best engineered car, best team identity, and best pit display.  Meanwhile, Atlas Racing was second and won the Scrutineering Award.

 

 

 

 

 

Titan Racing, a third F1 team, won fourth place in the national contest.  The squad also racked up honors with the fastest car and won the Knockout Competition Award.

 

In addition, Adrenaline 4x4 placed third in a new part of the competition, the 4x4 Challenge, and earned an international bid as well.  The team, which is coached by engineer teacher Brad Eppler, also won the Team Spirit Award.

 

 

 

“This has been the most successful national competition we have entered, having every team honored with at least one award,” Gibson said.  “Our 4x4 team began preparing for this competition six weeks ago, and it is amazing what they accomplished in such a short amount of time.  This was a great learning experience for them, and they will be the team to beat in future competitions.”

 

Precision Racing and Atlas Racing are advancing to the 13th World Finals to be held September 24-27 at the Sunway Lagoon Resort in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia alongside the 2017 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix.  The competition will bring students from more than forty countries to Southeast Asia “in a combined display of talent ahead of a blistering final showdown where the winning teams will be crowned.”  Adrenaline 4x4 is head to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the 3rd World Finals on December 8-13 at the Ya Marina Circuit.

 

This marks the fourth time in the past five years for GHS to qualify for the international contest.  Granbury students traveled to Singapore in 2015 and Abu Dhabi in 2014.  In 2013, the United States hosted the competition in Austin.

 

Students on the teams are:

• Precision Racing:  Stockton Berryman, team manager; Joslyn Cavitt, manufacturing engineer; Chris McKelvain, design engineer; Caden Baker, graphic designer
• Atlas Racing:  Kyle Beck, team manager; Ashley Boyd, marketing manager; Jackson Winters, manufacturing engineer; Jack Miller and Maxwell Call, design engineers; Kasey Ludwig, graphic designer
• Titan Racing:  Caleb Wood, team manage; Nautica Owens, marketing manager; Michael Horne, manufacturing engineer; Cameron Loveless, design engineer; Tucker Cole, graphic designer
• Adrenaline 4x4:  Hunter Dewey, team manager; Hannah Myers, programming engineer; Cooper Schenewark, manufacturing engineer; Tyler Rau, design engineer

In January, GHS swept the top three places among fifteen team at the Texas regional contest at the Circuit of the Americas.  Precision was first and earned awards for best engineered car, fastest car, innovative thinking, research and development, as well as sponsorship and marketing.  The squad broke the one-second barrier twice with times of .993 and .998 – something only done by four teams in the world since the competition began eleven years ago.  Atlas was second, and Titan was third.

 

The F1 in Schools STEM Challenge is a multi-disciplinary challenge in which teams of students aged 9 to 19 deploy CAD/CAM software to collaborate, design, analyze, manufacture, test, and then race miniature gas-powered balsa wood F1 cars.  The challenge inspires students to use technology to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply them in a practical, imaginative, competitive and exciting way.

 

The Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge requires students to build a radio controlled four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicle to the specifications provided an international rules committee. It must successfully navigate and complete obstacles on an off-road test track which is just as demanding as a real off-road situation. The vehicle must emulate the capabilities of a full size 4x4 vehicle.