Hundreds race at KMF race day

The final race day of the 2018 KMF Young Engineer of the Year competition saw 22 schools go head-to-head on the track of Mallory Park race circuit in Leicester, to discover which of the teams had developed the fastest and most efficient electric kit car.

Electric-powered race cars were built from Greenpower kits supplied by KMF Group and a selection of sponsor organisations.

The challenge was to achieve the fastest lap over two 90-minute heats or to travel the furthest distance. Each heat involved a pit stop for a driver change with Greenpower rules dictating a minimum of three drivers per race. With over 250 students competing for chequered flag glory, the level of enthusiasm and competition was intense.

Jenny Conlon, KMF's Training Centre Manager, said: "These young people have got the opportunity to feel like Lewis Hamilton. They have torn up the rulebook and designed and manufactured their own race cars from scratch – it's incredible! We hope the excitement of the day and the engineering experience gained over the past 9 months of the project, will inspire these young students to consider all of the exciting careers available to them in engineering and other STEM subjects."

BBC sports presenter Mike Bushell joined the teams at Mallory Park on the day and even jumped in a kit car himself to have his own shot at race car victory. Watch the BBC's footage of the day here.

The project, which challenged teams of year 10 students to design, build and race an electric kit car, is part of KMF's annual 'Young Engineer of the Year' (YEOTY) competition which is now in its sixth year.

2018's edition of the project came to an end on July 3rd at a speculator awards ceremony at the King's Hall, Stoke.

KMF has worked with Greenpower Education Trust previously on the 2014 YEOTY competition, however, the 2018 project sees the addition of filmmaking, as students are asked to capture their YEOTY journey with GoPro cameras and to produce a short film that documents the highlights of their build.

One of the primary drivers of this campaign is to enhance the career aspirations of young people. Over the last five years, KMF's Young Engineer Competition has reached more than 19,000 students, worked with over 55 sponsor organisations and invested over £550,000 in the encouragement of students into STEM subjects.