YOUNG engineers from a school in Odiham are all geared up to head to Abu Dhabi for a F1 competition.

Colossus F1, made up of six students from Robert May’s School, in West Street, were runners-up in the F1 in Schools UK National Finals in Birmingham.

The engineering competition saw the team pit their wits against other schoolchildren in designing and racing miniature F1 cars.

The second-place finish means the team will represent England in the world finals in the United Arab Emirates in November.

Team manager Victoria Waterfield, 16, said: “We really did not expect to do so well, and it feels amazing.

“Standing on the podium and seeing all the proud faces of our friends, teachers and family was quite emotional, but it made everyone’s work worth it.”

The team also won an award for the best presentation and the knockout racing competition – thanks to some innovative thinking.

Charlie Flynn, 16, design engineer, said: “I was selected to fire the car off the line as we tested all our reaction times, and I was the fastest.

“We also found that I had an even better reaction time if I went for a 10-minute run in a jacket, so that’s what I did, and it obviously paid off.”

The other members of the team are Dan Warnes, 16, Emma Baldry, 15, and 14-year-olds Rachael Matthews and Paul Cumner.

Two other teams from Robert May’s, Ignition and Team Venom, came second and third respectively in a junior category of the competition.