Four students from Greenhead College, who were previously at Moor End Academy, have achieved a very impressive fourth place in the World Finals of the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge.
The challenge involves teams of three to six students aged 13-19 working to design and build a radio controlled four-wheel-drive (4x4) vehicle, to set specifications. The vehicle must successfully navigate and overcome obstacles on an off-road test track, and emulate the capabilities of a full size 4x4 vehicle – a challenging yet fantastic opportunity for ambitious young engineers.
The team attracted a great deal of attention throughout the competition and secured sponsorship from a number of high profile businesses including independent recruitment specialists Stafflex, global technology provider Ricoh UK, printing experts Minuteman Press Huddersfield and leading security provider Burnley CCTV Solutions.
Team Robust, made up of students; Zain Anjam, Alyan Saleem, Amaar Farooq and Rizwaan Ali, all aged 16-17, sailed through to the World Finals in Abu Dhabi after finishing in 1st place at the regional and national championships last year. The finals saw them competing against 23 other teams across 16 countries, including three other teams from the UK – of which they finished in the highest place.
Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, the team got off to an unfortunate start when their luggage, containing their vehicle, arrived 16 hours late. This put the team at a slight disadvantage in the competition, as it meant, unlike the other finalists, they were unable to make any final tweaks and amendments to the vehicle.
Despite this, Team Robust kept their spirits high and performed to an outstanding level, earning themselves a fantastic fourth place in the competition.
Alyan Saleem, member of Team Robust and the team’s Human Resource Manager said: "The Land Rover 4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge has given me an insight into the Engineering World and has helped immensely with my career plans. The competition has helped me build key life skills such as working under pressure and working as a team. The World Finals was an amazing experience and it has been a massive success for everyone in the team and we are very pleased with our result!"
The team have decided that they will be re-entering this year’s competition in hope to become the World Champions and are currently looking for sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring the team then please email teamrobust17@gmail.com for more details of the sponsorship package available.