Engineering is one of the most exciting careers around. So it makes sense that learning about the subject should also be enjoyable and rewarding. And that’s where competitions such as Scalextric4Schools comes in.

Scalextric4Schools inspires students aged 11 and 18 to consider science and engineering-related subjects for higher education, and eventually as a career, by getting them to design, manufacture and test their own slot cars. 

The annual finals of the competition provide the perfect opportunity for teams to pit their cars against each other for the top spot on the podium. Cars are tested to the limit and raced against the clock around a fully landscaped circuit provided by Hornby, the parent company of the Scalextric brand. 

Teams also present to a panel of judges, describing how they designed, manufactured, developed and tuned their cars for maximum performance. 

An important part of the competition is the fact that students get to use computer-aided design (CAD) software from PTC to create aero­dynamic bodies and chassis to accommodate the motors, gears and pick-up systems into the racing cars, along with computer numerical control (CNC) equipment to cut and shape the materials used in construction. Schools without their own CNC equipment can get their designs manufactured at one of several schools that are supporting the challenge.