After ten months of competition, engineering development and hands-on STEM learning, the inaugural S-RC Cup season came to a dramatic conclusion at Whilton Mill Kart Circuit, where the UK’s next generation of engineers, designers and race strategists battled for the first-ever National Championship title.
Twenty-two teams from schools across England began the championship in September, but only the top ten earned their place at the National Final. Around fifty students arrived at Whilton Mill to contest the longest and most technically demanding race of the season, bringing with them months of engineering improvements and countless hours of preparation.
When the chequered flag finally fell after thirty-five minutes of racing around S-RC’s longest circuit to date, it was Gripen Racing, representing Lawrence Sheriff School, who were crowned the inaugural S-RC Cup National Champions.
Their victory capped an outstanding season, with the team also claiming the Engineering Award, Innovation Award and Sponsorship & Finance Award, underlining their strength both on and off the circuit.
Yet the championship was anything but straightforward.
One of the stories of the day belonged to fellow Lawrence Sheriff School team Speed Demons, who produced their strongest qualifying performance of the season. After briefly holding provisional pole position, they were ultimately displaced during the closing moments of qualifying as Gripen Racing, Velocity Vortex and Absolute Zero all found extra pace on their final runs.
The race itself brought heartbreak. Following a promising opening stint, Speed Demons encountered an electrical issue believed to have been linked to a newly installed motor upgrade. Both race batteries discharged significantly faster than expected, forcing an unscheduled early pit stop before the second battery suffered the same problem. The team were ultimately forced to retire, bringing a disappointing end to what had looked like one of their most competitive racedays.
Meanwhile, Absolute Zero, representing City of Bristol College, delivered one of the standout performances of the meeting. Exceptional consistency throughout practice, qualifying and the Grand Prix earned the team second place, while Velocity Vortex completed the podium in third.
The National Final followed the structure of a professional motorsport event. Teams began the morning with driver and team principal briefings before presenting their cars for scrutineering. After media sessions and a track walk, drivers completed two free practice sessions before qualifying, where each team received two three-minute runs to set their fastest lap.
The day culminated in a thirty-five-minute Grand Prix – the longest race on the S-RC calendar – which challenged teams not only for outright speed, but also for battery management, tyre wear and race strategy. Drivers fought wheel-to-wheel around the 260-metre circuit, the longest S-RC track ever constructed and more than four times longer than the next biggest venue used during the season.
With top speeds estimated at over 53 km/h along the Whilton Straight, the racing reached a standard not previously seen during the championship. Close overtakes, tactical pit stops and strategic decision-making rewarded teams that could combine speed with reliability over race distance.
Perhaps the greatest success of the season, however, was not measured in lap times.
When the championship began in September, many students had never modified an RC race car before. By the National Final, teams were confidently developing custom gear ratios, experimenting with tyre compounds, adjusting camber and toe geometry, redesigning chassis layouts, optimising weight distribution, installing upgraded motors and developing cooling solutions to improve reliability.
The transformation reflected months of practical engineering supported by the S-RC Education programme, allowing students to apply classroom theory directly to competitive motorsport.
Alongside the racing, teams were recognised for achievements developed throughout the year. Gripen Racing added the Engineering Award, Innovation Award and Sponsorship & Finance Award to their National Championship victory, while Alderman Peel High School were recognised with the Best Team Identity Award for their outstanding branding, professionalism and presentation throughout the season.
Pete Hewage, Founder/CEO of S-RC Cup, said:
“When we launched S-RC Cup, the vision was simple: create something that gives young people the chance to experience engineering by actually doing it. Ten months later we watched students who started with a standard RC car arrive at the National Final having engineered genuine performance improvements, worked as professional race teams and competed at an incredibly high level. That’s something everyone involved should be proud of. This is only the beginning, and we’re excited to grow the championship even further in Season 2.”
Amanda Moffat, Design & Technology Teacher and STEM Coordinator at Alderman Peel High School, said:
“Our students have absolutely loved taking part. It has been wonderful to watch their confidence grow over the past few months, and they have developed so many skills beyond engineering – teamwork, communication, problem-solving, sponsorship, creativity and resilience. Winning the Best Team Identity Award was the perfect way to finish an incredible first season.”
Evangeline Clark, Team Principal of Wheely Fast Car at City of Bristol College, reflected on her team’s season:
“I’m really pleased with the way we just got up and kept going, no matter how much our car seemed to fall apart. Looking back, that’s probably what I’m most proud of. We kept solving problems, kept learning and never gave up.”
The conclusion of Season 1 also marked the culmination of an extraordinary collaborative effort. Over the course of the championship, more than 60 volunteers from across the UK contributed their time and expertise to deliver events, support schools and inspire the next generation of engineers.
S-RC Cup also thanks Whilton Mill Kart Circuit for hosting the National Final, Aerospace Bristol, Sheffield Hallam University and De Montfort University for hosting rounds during the inaugural season, and 750 Motor Club, who are generously providing Silverstone International tickets for the National Champions.
With Season 1 complete, attention now turns to the future.
Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating schools, S-RC Cup hopes to expand the championship calendar, welcome more schools from across the UK and create additional regional events. To make that ambition possible, the organisation is actively seeking commercial partners and sponsors to support the continued growth of the programme.
The inaugural season has demonstrated that sustained, hands-on STEM education can inspire students to develop not only engineering knowledge, but also teamwork, leadership, communication, creativity and resilience through genuine competition.
Applications of interest are now open for schools wishing to join Season 2, as S-RC Cup begins the next chapter of its mission to inspire the future of motorsport, engineering and STEM. The Championship continues to look for a sponsor to support the future of engineering as S-RC progresses into S2.
About S-RC Cup
The S-RC Cup is a UK-based student engineering motorsport championship where teams design, build and race their own remote-controlled vehicles. Combining motorsport competition with practical engineering education, the championship aims to inspire the next generation of engineers, designers and innovators. S-RC is currently seeking Sponsorship / Grants.
For more information:
www.srccup.co.uk
Press Contact: petehewage@srccup.co.uk / +44 (0)7305 304865
