National Champions

A Small Car on a Grand Scale

Five students create a car, about the length of a shoe, that accelerates seven times faster than gravity. The F1 in Schools program at Trinity encompasses so much more than impressive engineering feats – but they are still pretty remarkable.

F1 in Schools is an advanced global STEM competition. The cars, designed by students from more than 50 countries, travel down a 20-metre track and accelerate to speeds of 100km/h in less than a second. Trinity’s F1 in Schools program boasts a range of tools and mentoring resources which have enabled Trinity teams to become the most successful in the world.

Participants use industrystandard software to design, test and manufacture their car. Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs are used to precisely design and model intricate car features whilst Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software is applied in the aerodynamic analysis and streamlining of the car.

Cars are primarily manufactured using Computer Numeric Control (CNC) routers, a subtractive machining process which removes material from a balsa wood block to create the intended design. The front and rear wings are created through various 3D printing techniques, including Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and stereolithography. Professional Class teams also have full control over their wheel system and as such, can use advanced engineering plastics such as PEEK and Ertalyte TX.

To utilise these advanced manufacturing techniques, as well as to obtain funds to be as competitive as possible, teams are challenged to create a brand identity and market themselves to industry. Our team, Hydron, has worked with many companies and we were fortunate to visit the facilities of four of our sponsors, including Ford’s Vehicle Research and Testing facility in Geelong.

Teams compete in three main disciplines – engineering, enterprise and marketing. They are challenged to produce 20,000-word portfolios, a trade display, a team uniform, a 10-minute verbal presentation, and of course, race cars, all of which are presented to a panel of industry judges.

Earlier this year, three teams from Trinity competed at the 2021 Australian National Finals. Two of the teams, Sokudo (the Year 9 team) and Seido (the Year 10 team), placed 7th and 5th respectively in their competition classes, and our team, Hydron (made up of students in Years 10 and 11), took out the title of overall National Champions. We won 11 of the 13 available category awards – the most of any national finalist in the history of the competition. Following our team’s success, we have been invited to compete at the 2021 F1 in Schools World Finals.

The learning opportunities which have come from participating in the competition have been invaluable, and our team will treasure them forever.

Team Hydron, Alexander Liu, Tim Crichton, William Johnson, Ben Noonan and Andrew Yeang, with their medals, in the Design Technology lab at Trinity

Ben Noonan

Ben is a student in Year 10 and a member of Hydron, one of Trinity’s F1 in Schools teams. This is an edited version of his article which was originally published in Trinity’s student-led magazine The Trinity Inquirer.