The "F1 Competition" Story

The 5 team members as pictured in the Lancaster Newspaper.
Photo was taken by a newspaper staff member.  Pictured are front:
Nathan Hillegas, Martin Skika, middle: Colin Stannard, Colin Wolf
rear: Jonathan Whitcraft.  The photo I took during my visit only
showed the three current HS members, so thus the newspaper photo.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking for the photos that I took a few months ago when I went to the high school where I used to teach to see the 4-D printer that they have in the Tech-Ed department.  While there I had the good fortune of meeting a group of fine young men who told me about their F1 Team (Formula 1).  Last school year (2012-2013) they had placed 2nd in the national Formula 1 model-car design competition and were preparing for the world competition that was going to be held in Texas.  They shared with me tales of their adventures as well as showing me the parts of their car that had been made in the 4D printer.  I must say I was blown away by the technology that they possessed, or should I say by the technology that I totally lacked.  The group last year consisted of five Manheim Township High School students and their advisor and my long-time friend and fellow teacher, Jim Campbell.  I only talked with three students today, since two had graduated at the end of last year and both are enrolled in the engineering curriculum at Lehigh University.  They were influenced tremendously by the F1 program they had invested so much time towards last year.  

The car as it proceeds through the different phases of
construction from the wood block to the 4D printer
cutting and then the final result.

The three today  attempted to explain how they went about designing their car, making a CAD (comput- erized aided drawing) and sending the file to the Dimension SST-768 Printer.  The printer (a 4-D model) made the car and parts and they had to sand and refine the parts, assemble it, place the CO-2 cartridge in place and prepare it for racing.  It took them 113 prototypes or designs before they arrived at the best car for competition.  They named their team Team Imperia.  They had to create a car that was not merely fast, but aligned with specifications set by Formula One racing.  The car will travel down a 65-foot track through the use of the 8-gram carbon dioxide cartridge in close to one second!!  

The portfolio they made for the competition.  The logo
in the center of the cover is their Team Imperia logo. 

To go with the car they have to create a portfolio that detailed the production of the car.  For the competition this year they had to raise $20,000 which covered building the car, transportation and housing during the competition in Texas.  They managed to raise the money through sponsorships.  Well, I will fast-forward my story and tell you that after competing in Austin, Texas with 39 F1 teams from 23 countries they finished fourth in  the world!  Pretty impressive feat for five very fine gentlemen.  Even though they didn't win the top prize of a full scholarship to City University London, the knowledge they gained and the friendships they made from visiting with all the other contestants from all over the world during the competition will be a lifetime memory.  And, their futures look bright for all involved.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.