A Granbury High School team is advancing to national competition in the F1 in Schools program after winning grand champion honors at the Texas regional contest on April 5, 2014, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Affinity F1 team members are students in career and technical education classes: Chloe Scroggins, project manager; Ian McMasters, manufacturing engineer; Christina Hager, resource manager; Tyler Johnson, graphic designer; and Hayden Coppenbarger and Tommy Wallace, design engineers. Other students assisting the team are Cade Timmons and Daniel Valdez.
In addition to the grand championship trophy, the team also won awards for best verbal presentation, best pit display, best portfolio, and fastest car.
Coach Todd Gibson is assisted by career and technical education director Judy Gentry as well as GHS teachers Greg Belleau, Tammy Bodine, Dawn Bradley, and Jud Griffith. Sponsoring the team are Fat Rat Wrap, Sky-Tec, and Total Equipment and Service.
The national competition is scheduled for May 16-17 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
F1 in Schools 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.
Last May, a GHS squad – then competing as Team Axium – finished as a semifinalist with the third fastest time in the national contest in Michigan. The Granbury students then combined with a group from Austin Akins High School to form Lone Star Racing for the World Finals, where the combined team won Best Team Identity honoring the group for things such as uniforms, professionalism, and sportsmanship.
