Nam Phong Racing are heading to Abu Dhabi for the F1 in Schools World Finals 2019

In September 2018 six IB Diploma students from the British International School Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Nam Phong Racing took to the world stage as the sole representatives for Vietnam in the F1 in Schools World Finals, the pinnacle of this prestigious global education STEAM challenge.

These students put in months of hard work as part of their F1 in Schools co-curricular activity which culminated in the team placing 22nd in the world, winning the Best Team Website award and Ji Min Oh securing a place at the Unilever Williams Engineering Academy! 

These 6 students have now inspired the next generation of marketers, engineers, designers and entrepreneurs at BIS HCMC to take part in this world-renowned competition. Adopting the Nam Phong Racing brand we now have 7 new Year 12 students racing to the World Finals this November in Abu Dhabi.

The 2019 F1 in Schools World Finals will take place at Yas Marina Circuit, alongside the season-ending Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team will be competing against 59 teams from over 25 countries.

The competition itself is a multi-disciplined test of skills embracing Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, design and management, with the teams mirroring Formula 1 in real life, designing, testing and racing a miniature F1 car with marketing, sponsorship and brand programmes. They present their work to a panel of judges, with over 45 specialists from industry, Formula 1 and education, evaluating the varying elements within the students’ work.

The core of F1 in Schools is the racing car, an intricate model designed and built to detailed rules and regulations by team members using 3D CAD/CAM software.

Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools says, “I know our students are going to have the most amazing time in Abu Dhabi for the World Finals and then to have a chance to go to the Grand Prix, makes it extra special. These are the Formula 1 Engineers, marketers and team managers of the future and they gain so much inspiration from experiencing the occasion first-hand, it will give them memories of a lifetime.”

Formula 1 is a hot topic in Vietnam at the moment. In November, it was confirmed that the latest location for a brand new grand prix in the Formula 1 World Championships was none other than Hanoi. Although this will be the 5th cohort of BIS HCMC students to attend the F1 in Schools World Finals, the upcoming Hanoi Grand Prix in 2020 adds an extra bit of excitement for our team representing Vietnam. 

Let’s find out more about our new Nam Phong Racing team consisting of Carl De Liedekerke (Team Manager), Adwaith Nair (Marketing), Cedric Chua (Resources), Yuen Yin Leung (Graphics), Jina Jeon (Design Manufacturer), Tim Ng (Car Designer) and Ashyle George (Manufacturing) to see how they’re feeling about their #RacetoAbuDhabi…

Nam Phong Racing is the most successful team to represent Vietnam at the F1 in Schools World Finals to date. How are you building upon this success for 2019?

This year, we have decided to carry on the legacy of the prior F1 in Schools team by using the same branding: Nam Phong Racing. Last year, they managed to exceed all our expectations and rank as the 22nd best team as well as earn the Best Website Award. By taking on the advice and ideas from the previous team we have modified our approach to the competition and hope to break the Top 10 this year.

Why did your team members decide to participate in this competition?

We decided to participate in F1 in Schools as it allows us to develop each of the aspects of STEAM by working in marketing, sponsorship, design and manufacturing. This means each of us has the opportunity to further explore our individual passions.

What’s your biggest strength as a team?

Our greatest strength is our ambition. Our team is full of people aiming for the top, no one in the team will accept less than being part of the best. This drives us to work hard and put all our effort behind the project. We are very passionate about this competition; it means a lot to the whole team to do well at the 2019 World Finals in Abu Dhabi.

Tell us about the design/manufacturing process for your car…

We start the design process of the car by first mapping out the desired form and features, that we concluded from previous design tests and evaluations. Then, our design and manufacturing team will begin to develop ideas on paper and on Fusion 360. Through testing in Fusion, we finalise various details throughout the car to gradually innovate a faster design. The process is iterated multiple times to achieve a reliable prototype to test with. Then we manufacture the car in order to test it down the track.

There are 4 phases to the manufacturing of the car:

1. The CNC Machine uses a spinning drill bit used to carve through a block of hard foam. 
2. We then use a 3D Printer to print the nose cone.
3. After the main car frame is manufactured we attach all the different pieces using super glue which results in a strong and secure bond.
4. For the refinement and polishing of the car we use sandpaper which smoothens the car surface for reduced drag, and car filler, filling in air spaces and gaps created in the assembly stage.

Our philosophy is always to innovate and push new ideas forward. Our dedicated design team is constantly re-drawing, re-designing and re-manufacturing as there is always room to improve. Our aim is to produce a car that will dominate at the World Finals 2019.

What’s been the best moment so far?

Everyone had different proud moments in their respective fields. For marketing, the best moments have been when we close a deal with a sponsor. We just love the thrill of knowing that all the hard work resulted in us being one step closer to the finals.

So far we’ve secured sponsorship from Milo, Hwaseung Vina, Mercedes-Benz, Megastar, i-IVY, Everest Education, SCORE Tech, Scivi Travel, KeyShot, BOCA Bearing and Sun Life. We are sincerely grateful for the support from each of these sponsors. Without them, our journey to the World Finals would not be possible.

For Design and Manufacturing, the satisfaction we felt after making our first car and getting to test out our designs on the race track was incomparable. It was impressive to see how quick the compressed carbon tanks could propel the car.

What do you think are the main benefits of participating in this competition?

Individually, F1 in Schools has allowed each of our team members to gain more experience and develop their knowledge and skills in their respective fields. Collectively, F1 in Schools really challenged us to try something new and forced us out of our comfort zone. It has provided us with the opportunity to apply our theoretical knowledge gained from our years at school to a real-life experience, allowing us to experience the challenges of the real world. Most importantly, this competition has helped us to develop ourselves as people, in order to become global citizens who can have a real impact on the world we live in today.

You can follow Nam Phong Racing’s #RoadtoAbuDhabi on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re interesting in supporting the team on their journey to Abu Dhabi then please email: namphongracing@bisvietnam.net to receive a sponsorship booklet.