Road to Austin, Texas

Road to Austin, Texas Determined to build on Team Helios' success, Steve, Rui, Ben and Hae On, better known as Doppler Racing, are travelling to Texas to compete in the 2016 F1 in Schools World Finals.

F1 in Schools offers a way to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related subjects in an exciting way! As the largest and most successful school based STEM program in the world, it is driving an interest in engineering careers for both boys and girls.

With the support of the Formula One™ community, this really is an opportunity of a lifetime for the students who make it to the World Finals. There are many success stories of students who have participated in the F1 in Schools initiative and have gone on to achieve significant outcomes in their lives including positions in Formula One teams.  

Last September, five pioneering Secondary students from BIS HCMC created history by being the first ever team from Vietnam to participate in the competition.  Team Helios exceeded all expectations by returning to the school with Best Newcomer Award!  

Determined to build on their predecessor’s success, a new team evolved, and a year later, Steve, Rui, Ben and Hae On are travelling to Texas to compete in the 2016 F1 in Schools World Finals.

Doppler Racing has competed against 20 million other students worldwide to get to this point. As the reigning National Champions, they are not only representing their school, but also Vietnam. Their journey has been an ambitious one, and speaks volumes about their perseverance and determination to succeed.

As we wish them the best of luck on the final stretch, here is a timeline of their journey so far:

September 2015: Shortly after Team Helios came back as the Best Newcomers of 2015, members Steve, Rui, Ben and Hae On got together to establish the new F1 in Schools team,  Doppler Racing.

November 2015: First and second prototypes (P4, P5) manufactured.

December 2015: Christmas BISzaar - they were able to raise awareness of their team and garner support from students and parents of all age groups. They encountered their first major problem! The glue holding the wheels together started to melt by the end of the BISzaar due to the heat.

January 2016: Bearings arrived from Boca Bearings!

Later that month… Mr Ball broke 3 ceramic bearings… but Boca Bearings were kind enough to provide them with the replacements.

February 2016: Xin Chao Magazine interviewed them. They were given a double page spread and were even featured on the front cover.

March 2016: Third prototype (P6) was manufactured. The design team was sad to learn that it was slower than P5. They conducted continuous research and development into all aspects of the car.

June 2016: Audi Progressive event 2016. Audi launched a grand-scale “progressive event” in Hanoi whereby they showcased new car designs and models in addition to progressive actions that Audi took in Vietnam. Doppler Racing were invited to show their car off and their pit display was showcased alongside their new car models.

July/August 2016: They weren’t able to get much done over the summer. Sponsorship offers were slow and fear and hesitation set in as to whether or not the team would actually be able to go to Texas.

August/September 2016: P5 was chosen as the final design after much deliberation and ceaseless research and development using CFD analysis and a wind tunnel that Steve made.

September 2016: A creative presentation and some out of the box thinking secured the last sponsorship offer! Thank you BIS!

October 2016: The countdown began! #RoadtoAustin #F1inSchoolsWF

Once again, a big thank you to all of Doppler Racing sponsors:

British International School, HCMC

Audi

Aulac Corporation

Nike

Asia Motions

The Caterers

Autodesk

Summa Education

Boca Bearings

Hilton Hotel

Dragonfly Theatre Company

If you would like to tune in live, you can, using the links below!

The World Finals will be webcast live via the F1 in Schools YouTube Channel.   Below are the direct links to the webcast for each day of the event. Detailed timings are provided by clicking on the links below.

Sunday 16th October

Competition Day 1

Monday 17th October

Pit interviews

Reaction Racing

Tuesday 18th October - Day 3:

Knockout Competition

Wednesday 19th October Day 4:

Awards Celebration

You can follow all of the team’s progress here:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Lucy Glynn, Online Marketing Officer