Students Take to the Grid at Historic First S-RC Cup Sheffield Grand Prix
The inaugural Sheffield Grand Prix marked a major milestone for the S-RC Cup, hosting the first-ever points-scoring round in the championship’s history at Sheffield Hallam University.
Held on Friday 24th April inside the Sheffield Hallam University Owen Building, with racing in Hallam Hall and the paddock based in Hallam View, the event brought together seven student teams from across the UK for a full-scale motorsport experience – combining engineering, strategy, teamwork and high-pressure racing.
The S-RC Cup is a STEM+ championship designed to replicate the real-world motorsport industry, inspired by Formula 1. Students don’t just build and race cars – they operate as full teams, managing budgets, running media, organising logistics, and competing across a season-long championship.
High-Stakes Racing and Championship Drama
The race day followed a full competitive format: Free Practice, Qualifying, the S-RC Shootout for the top three teams, and a 57-lap Grand Prix.
On track, the racing delivered intensity from start to finish. Early incidents saw Velocity Vortex and Gripen Racing collide, forcing urgent repairs, while a pit lane error from Speed Demons triggered a major crash with Pink Panthers. A costly pit stop mistake for Pink Panthers – leaving with an unconnected battery – added further drama.
Despite the chaos, the teams settled into a rhythm as the race progressed, showcasing impressive coordination between drivers, engineers, and team principals.
Taking victory was Velocity Vortex from Lawrence Sheriff School, followed by Pink Panthers (UTC Sheffield City Centre) in second, with Gripen Racing completing the podium in third.
The result puts Velocity Vortex at the top of the championship standings with 37 points, while Gripen Racing and Pink Panthers are tied closely behind on 30 points each.
Engineering, Creativity, and Innovation on Display
All teams competed using the official S-RC Gen.1 chassis, but creativity was on full display through custom-built body shells and unique liveries.
Standout designs included Pink Panthers’ hand-painted pink livery and Ignition UTC’s self-manufactured carbon fibre body shell, demonstrating the depth of technical engagement across teams.
A Real Motorsport Experience for the Next Generation
Beyond the racing, the Sheffield Grand Prix delivered a fully immersive motorsport environment, including scrutineering, interviews, team principal and driver conferences, and professional content production.
Students ranged from Year 7 through to Sixth Form, highlighting the accessibility of the programme across age groups. The event also welcomed Early Life CIC, a Sheffield-based organisation supporting young people into employment, who attended to gain experience ahead of future rounds.
The impact extends far beyond the track – with students developing engineering knowledge, teamwork, communication, leadership, and real-world problem-solving skills in a live competitive environment.
What They Said
“Thank you for such a great day, we all had an amazing time. It was a superb day to be a part of and we were delighted to have won 1st and 3rd prize. The excitement built through the day and this was due to the amazing staff and professional set up. We can’t wait to attend the next round. The Lawrence Sheriff pupils are fired up and ready to make modifications to their cars to ensure they keep in poll position.”
Matt Parsons, Teacher of Engineering and DT at Lawrence Sheriff School,
“The S-RC Cup has been a fantastic opportunity for students to develop and apply their engineering skills in an exciting and engaging super-curricular activity. The kits that we received as well as the information and regular communication from the S-RC team helped support students to achieve some impressive designs. The event was exciting and aspired to give students as-close-to-real-life experience of a professional motorsport event as possible with scrutineering, presentations, interviews, qualifying rounds and the main race. The students had a fantastic day and we will certainly be looking at participating in more events in the future.”
James Newton, Teacher of Engineering at UTC Sheffield City Centre
“The Sheffield Grand Prix demonstrated exactly what the S-RC Cup was designed for – students coming together to compete and learn all in one event, whilst most importantly: having fun. Teams spent the last few months preparing their cars, and today they got to see them in action, racing against each other for the win. We saw great engineering, amazing teamwork, dramatic racing action and full engagement – I can’t wait to see the teams on track again in Leicester.”
Pete Hewage, Founder and CEO – S-RC Cup
What’s Next
The championship now moves on to the Leicester Grand Prix, before culminating in the National Final at Whilton Mill – where teams will battle for the Season 1 title.
With growing interest from schools and organisations, and increasing demand for hands-on STEM experiences, the S-RC Cup is actively seeking partners and sponsors to support its expansion and provide opportunities to even more students across the UK.
Media Enquiries
Pete Hewage
Founder, S-RC Cup
petehewage@srccup.co.uk
