Singapore (Singapore) – October 19, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Pursuit Racing team from Amnuay Silpa School was recently selected as one of Thailand's representative teams for the 2018 F1 in Schools World Final. Over eight months of hard work and dedication went into preparing the project. From budget planning and securing sponsors to research and development of the fastest model Formula 1 race car, as well as marketing and social media strategy, everything was done to ensure the project was optimally prepared in all areas. The tasks, encompassing the three main areas of engineering, marketing, and finance, were divided among the six talented Pursuit Racing team members – students in grades 9 and 12, aged 13 to 16. Three team members participated in the competition last year, while the other three were recruited this year.

The team traveled to Singapore on September 6th to submit their car and portfolios and register for the event. Prior to the competition, which took place from September 9th to 12th, they set up their pit box at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sentosa, the venue for the competition, which featured fifty participating teams from 24 countries worldwide.

With regard to the actual car races at the event, Pursuit Racing finished second in terms of overall race time, had the fourth fastest car and was seeded fifth for the knockout round of the 16 final teams.

In addition to the racing results, the overall ranking also included assessments in engineering, business, and pit lane presentation, which were announced at the gala dinner. Pursuit Racing finished sixth out of fifty teams, making them the highest-placed Asian team of 2018! The winner was Horizon from Australia, followed by CJJ Autovinco from Ireland, Perspective from the USA, Alacrity Project from Greece, and Origin from England in second through fifth place.

Pursuit Racing's Team Manager, Por Oudomying, explained: "Last year, Thailand participated in this competition for the first time. Due to a lack of experience and only three months of preparation time—less than half the time of our competitors—the team had to work under various restrictions and high pressure. Therefore, our results were not optimal. This year, however, we were better prepared and, thanks to the excellent cooperation of everyone involved, achieved our goal of finishing among the top ten teams overall. On behalf of all Thai youth, I am proud that Thailand received the recognition it deserved on the F1 in Schools™ stage. Last year, our team won awards for Best Website and the Autodesk Pressure Challenge. In this particular challenge, participants were given a surprising scenario and had two hours to find a solution. While last year's challenge focused on the safety of Formula 1 drivers, the Autodesk Pressure Challenge was not included this year."

Participation in the competition involved various costs, including registration fees, vehicle manufacturing costs, and travel and accommodation expenses. Teams were free to arrange their own financing. Pursuit Racing chose to approach organizations that support the education of Thai youth and was fortunate enough to secure twelve sponsors, including Bangkok Bank, PTT, Bangkok Airways, Insight Telco, Bira Circuit, Jorakay Corporations, CTC, Autodesk, Thai Star Shipping, CP Meiji, the Amnuay Silpa School Parents' Council, and Amnuay Silpa School itself.

“Many thanks to all our sponsors who made our participation in this competition possible and helped raise Thailand’s profile in the world of F1 in Schools™. It was an honor to present our project to so many business leaders, and we are grateful for the valuable advice our sponsors gave us regarding the competition, university studies, and our future careers. A special thank you also goes to our parents, who supported us throughout the project and helped us whenever we didn’t understand something or got stuck. Thanks to their professional experience, we were able to acquire skills and knowledge we couldn’t have gained anywhere else,” added Akapat Thammongkol, the team’s marketing manager.

Since one of the main goals of F1 in Schools™ is to give students insights into the working world of a real company, the team collaborated as much as possible—both online and in person—and had access to professional advice at any time. For example, they spoke with engineers, contacted the founders of Brand Now Asia to learn more about marketing, and received support from Krinbourne Communications with public relations. Mr. Pantachak Wong Preecha advised them on dealing with sponsors and networking, and they met with Mr. Philip Massoud, a professional racing driver, to get inspiring and motivating tips.

Pursuit Racing also received advice from teachers at Amnuay Silpa School. Furthermore, the school supported the team by investing in equipment for vehicle production and allowing its use after school hours. The team is very grateful to Mr. Robert Ortiz for his kind support in production.

According to Siwakorn Chinpongsuwan, the team's lead engineer, sixth place out of fifty teams is a huge success. We deliberately chose to balance our work across all aspects of the competition, rather than focusing on the outcome of a single factor. We are all proud of our team and our achievements, and we agree that F1 in Schools™ has given us the opportunity to learn things that you might not be able to learn in the classroom. I am sure that children from all over Thailand will become interested in this competition, and I truly believe that one day a Thai team will be waving the national flag on the winner's podium.

F1 in Schools™ challenges the creative thinking, skills and understanding of secondary school students and is based on real Formula 1. Using STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), each team must design and build carbon dioxide-powered miniature cars, race them on a 20-meter track, and effectively integrate management, marketing and finance.

Mr. David Eccles, the team's technical advisor and design teacher, commented from an advisory perspective: "Amnuay Silpa School is a firm believer in the benefits of project-based learning, teamwork, and STEM subjects, which foster thinking skills, scientific creativity, and problem-solving abilities. F1 in Schools™ is the ultimate challenge, as the team not only has to design and build the fastest miniature race car, but also operate like a real Formula 1 team and raise funds for the project."

About Amnuay Silpa School: Amnuay Silpa School (ANS) is a bilingual school with a combined Thai-British curriculum. With over 90 years of history, the school provides education from preschool to secondary school and has over 70,000 graduates, including six former Prime Ministers. ANS was founded on May 24, 1926, and in 2013 was accredited by the University of Exeter as Asia's first and only "Thinking School." In 2017, it was awarded "Advanced School" status by the Cognitive Education Department at the University of Exeter.

About F1 In Schools™: F1 In Schools™ is a global, interdisciplinary challenge that inspires teams of students aged 9 to 19 to use IT, CAD/CAM software, physics, and aerodynamics to design, analyze, build, and race model Formula 1 cars. They also learn about branding, graphic design, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media literacy, and financial strategy to help them launch their own business.