Irish schoolboys on grid for F1 decider in Singapore

Sep 13, 2015

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Three Irish schoolboys are targeting Formula One glory in Singapore this weekend when they take part in the F1 in Schools World Finals 2015.

Gerard Hunt, Eoin Leonard, Niall O’Donnell – all from St. Attracta’s Community School, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo – will join 47 teams from 23 countries lining up on the grid in the largest gathering in the 12-year history of the competition.

The students booked their place at the world finals last spring when their team, Verus Racing, was crowned Irish F1 in Schools Champions, becoming the first 3 person team and the first public school to be win the title.

They designed and constructed a miniature Formula One Car of the Future; a 21cm long scale model built from a material block and powered by a compressed air cylinder.

At the World Finals, their car will race on a 20 metre track, covering the distance in around one second. The current record World Record of 1.003 seconds is held by the Colossus F1 team from England, however, Verus racing is confident after beating that time in unofficial testing. The boys have also prepared a pit display and portfolio for the finals, and will give a verbal presentation to the judges.

All the competitors will be playing for high stakes with the winners receiving the Bernie Ecclestone World Champions Trophy, City University London scholarships and a VIP paddock tour at the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Eoin Leonard said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us and we can’t wait to represent Ireland in Singapore. We have built a completely new car for the competition and are confident we will be competitive at the finals. We are hugely grateful for all the support we’ve received and to have Motorsport Ireland supporting us is an honour.”

“We all got really interested in motorsport when Sligo hosted Rally Ireland a number of years ago and to be involved in it now is a great feeling.”

Art McCarrick, Motorsport Ireland Development Officer, said: “What the boys have achieved to date is inspiring – their ability to fuse their passions for science and motorsport is incredible. The level of detail in the lads preparation has been very impressive and it would be great if they bring the world title to Ireland.”

“Motorsport Ireland normally supports young drivers and it’s great to be supporting these young engineers now. We’re sure they’ll be model representatives for their school, their country and their sponsors.”

The Team:

Gerard Hunt – As Design Engineer of Verus Racing, Gerard Hunt is responsible for the designing of the car from inception to completion. It is his job to make the car as aerodynamically efficient as possible. Gerard is also Resource Manager meaning he has overall responsibility for the management of Verus Racing’s materials and resources e.g software, working materials , etc. Project planning and financial projections is key to the success of Verus Racing.

Eoin Leonard – As Team Manager of Verus Racing, Eoin Leonard is responsible for the co-ordination of all aspects of the team. This involves working closely with team members and sponsorship partners. Eoin is responsible for the over all delivery of the completed project.

Niall O’Donnell – As Marketing and Communications Manager of Verus Racing, Niall O’Donnell is responsible for all of the teams communications between various different people, businesses, sponsors , etc.

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