Students in top gear for finals of race car contest

Ross Parsons, 10, right, of Team Thunder Street, from Jess AR school in Dubai, competes during the Formula Ethara national finals, a model racing car competition, at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. CShow more

ABU DHABI // In a competition featuring teams like Xtreme Wheels, Fiercesome Foursome and Speeders, the Desert Queens clearly stood out.

They were the first all-girl Emirati team to travel from Dibba to compete against the country’s best model race cars in the second annual National Finals of Formula Ethara held at Yas Marina Circuit Saturday.

The contest, which is open to students in grades six and under, is an extension of the F1 in Schools programme. It challenges the teams to design and build a Formula 1 model race car, develop a corporate identity around their vehicle, enlist official sponsors and raise money to fund team uniforms and brand swag. Teams are awarded points based on their car’s speed, design, overall brand and the students’ presentation skills.

“This is a great platform for kids to learn,” said Faisal Al Sahlawi, head of Yas Marina Circuit retail development. “It teaches them how to become leaders, it teaches them teamwork, and they’re learning stuff that they should be learning in school, but in an exciting and more interesting way.”

For the four members of the Desert Queens, who were the first girls from Diyar International Private School – Dibba to compete in the challenge, there was no question that their brand would be intrinsically tied to their identity.

“Everybody else was doing, ‘faster,’ ‘fabulous,’ I don’t know,” said Haya Al Antali, the team’s 12-year-old engineer. “We chose our culture because it’s different and we like our culture.”

The team’s resource manager, 12-year-old Aisha Al Nuaimi, added: “It’s an honour for us to be Emiratis.”

Their black-and-white race car was designed to look like a traditional Emirati niqab and featured large almond eyes looking up from the hood.

“It shows that were are Emiratis,” said Haya.

The Desert Queens lost to an all-girls team from Dubai, 4ce1, but said they were determined to give the challenge another shot in the F1 in Schools competition next year.

“We want to do it until we win,” said Haya.

With their lime green jumpsuits and lightning logo, Thunder Street were another stand-out team who certainly would have won best-dressed, if that category existed.

Even the competition frequently stopped by the Jumeirah English Speaking School students’ booth to marvel at their neon green presentation and high-quality merchandise – everything from golf shirts to mugs and water bottles.

“I think they just wanted to show off that they love the brand that they worked for, they’ve created this, this is kind of their baby,” said Chris Birch, a teacher at JESS-Arabian Ranches. “They put together a really unique brand and image, so I think they just want to reuse it as much as they can.”