Tuxford Academy’s Team Fast4ward — supported by a STEM Ambassador from Eminox Ltd (
www.eminox.com), the Gainsborough-based manufacturer of exhaust after-treatment systems for heavy-duty vehicles — made it through to national final of this year’s Land Rover 4x4 in Schools technology challenge.
Joe Limby, Eathan Oakley, Jacob Vernon, Philip Brackenridge and Jac Warriner qualified for this event by winning the Best Rookie and Best Track Performance categories at regional competitions.
During their regional final, they were given the chassis of a radio-controlled 4x4 vehicle and asked to improve its performance. They added a body, sensors to detect the angle of the vehicle and light-detecting sensors to activate the headlights.
One of the requirements of the regional competitions was for teams to get sponsorship from local companies to cover the cost of competing. Team Fast4ward were sponsored by Eminox, who encouraged them to design a stainless-steel stand to exhibit their vehicle; they then visited the company to see how the stand was made.
For the national final, they designed and built a radio-controlled 4x4 vehicle that could negotiate a specially designed test track.
Competing against 26 other schools from around the UK, they performed extremely well in all areas, and they were praised by the judges for their professional image and knowledge of engineering.