YOUNG engineers and motor racing fans from Otley have excelled in a regional technological competition.

Two teams from Prince Henry's Grammar School, StormForce and Velocita, came first and second respectively in the event.

They will now represent Yorkshire and the Humber in the national finals at Silverstone Race Track, where they will be competing for a place at the WorldFinals in Texas.

Winners StormForce, comprising Year 13 students Ciaran Clarke, Isaac Parsons, Olivia Gordon, Liam Brown, Joey Williamson and Oscar Ruane, also won awards for designing the fastest and best engineered car.

Second-placed Velocita, meanwhile - whose members are Jamie Webster, Hollie Reynard, George Lyttle and Megan Jones-Tinsley - won the Sponsorship and Marketing Award.

And there was a third trophy for the school, too, courtesy of the Raptor Racing Team - featuring Andrew Tillotson, Daniel Hook, Sam Marston, Patrick Blake and Toby Wales - which won the Innovative Thinking class.

Some of the students had enjoyed success in last year's regional heats, which Lead Teacher for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) at Prince Henry's, Danielle Staniforth, believes stood them in good stead.

She said: "We are very proud of their achievements and really looking forward to seeing if the teams can make it to Texas!

"The students have worked so hard on their projects, learning a lot from last year’s success and building on it to create this amazing result."

The competition challenges teams to design, build and race the fastest model Formula One 'car of the future', powered by compressed Carbon dioxide cylinders.

Groups of students from each participating school, aged nine to 19, used Computer Aided Design software to create their cars.

They also learned about the business side of racing by raising sponsorship and managing budgets to fund research, travel and accommodation.

At Prince Henry’s the winning teams enjoyed crucial support from local businesses, including Austin Hayes paint works and Countrywide Electrical Distributors, who sponsored them.

Any business interested in helping the Prince Henry's students with the next stage of the competition is asked to send an e-mail to info@princehenrys.co.uk, headed F.A.O F1 in Schools.

F1 in Schools Ltd is a non-profit organisation established to encourage learning through the appeal of Formula One.

Entering the competition is one of many ways in which Prince Henry's students are encouraged to explore STEM subjects further.