4:00pm Friday 27th January 2012
By Emily Roberts
SHOPPERS can speed round a track in Festival Place to help a team of school pupils reach the next stage of a national competition.
Team Rush, from Robert May’s School, in Odiham, need to raise funds to progress in the F1 in Schools challenge, which involves contestants working in teams to design a Formula One car of the future and racing it in a bid to win the championship trophy.
They are hosting the event this weekend in the Basingstoke shopping centre, between 10am and 5pm on Saturday, and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.
Shoppers can pay £1 to compete against the mini-racers head to head on a 16-metre long track, reaching speeds of more than 60kmph.
Those with the top speeds will be in with the chance of winning a Formula One canvas from Inside Out – a contemporary art shop in Festival Place.
Shoppers can also admire a real Lotus Renault F1 car, have a ride in a Formula One simulator and have a go on the Batak wall, used by F1 drivers to test their reactions.
The F1 in Schools programme was set up to educate and engage children with science and technology and to inspire interest in the engineering industry.
Andrew Denford, founder of the prog-ramme, said: “F1 in Schools is fast becoming the only global programme that raises awareness of Formula One among children.
“We’re thrilled to bring this initiative to Basingstoke and create a fun learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about the science and technology involved in fast cars.”
Steven Connolly, centre director of Festival Place, added: “For decades, Formula One has been at the centre of British sport. We’re proud to host an event which brings motor engineering to life for children, and support the fundraising efforts of Team Rush.
“British engineering relies on each new generation being inspired to study the right subjects and F1 in Schools is doing a great job to help.”
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