TrackNAVCHALLENGE - The Final 2009

GAYDON, UNITED KINGDOM – July 9, 2009: Land Rover yesterday awarded a team of youngsters from Holland Park School, London, the coveted title of 'TrackNAVCHALLENGE Champions 2009' following an exciting national final held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon.

Now in its third year, Land Rover's TrackNAVCHALLENGE is designed to introduce youngsters to the world of design and engineering. Teams are tasked with designing and building a radio-controlled 4-wheel drive vehicle that emulates what a full size Land Rover can do.

Following several fiercely fought UK regional heats, ten teams competed in a climatic final to reveal the 'Ruthless Rovers' team from Holland Park as the overall winners.

Each team's vehicle is tested to its limits over a challenging track, specially designed with a variety of obstacles to ensure it meets specifications set out by Land Rover engineers and educational specialists.

In addition, each team had to provide a portfolio detailing the design and decision making process for their entry, along with financial records and a presentation of their work to a panel of judges, which also ensures the challenge meets academic and industry standard benchmarks.

TrackNAVCHALLENGE is undertaken by groups of four to six pupils at Key Stage 4 or 5 as part of their normal lessons – such as GCSE Engineering and GCSE Design and Technology – or as an extra curricular activity. It has been awarded customised accreditation by ASDAN and meets CREST award requirements at the Silver standard. It supports the delivery of the engineering diploma and helps to meet the employer engagement requirements of the 14-19 curriculum.

Les Ratcliffe, Land Rover's Corporate Community Relations Manager said: "There was an outstanding standard to the entries this year, which were a credit to the young people, teachers and supporters who participated in the challenge. The teams have gained a real insight into the world of work and engineering and they should all be extremely proud of their achievements."

The Future
Following this year's final, Land Rover will join forces with sponsors Denford, The Institute of Engineering and Technology (The IET) and JCB, along with supporters from key Industry and Educational establishments, in combining the best of 'TrackNAVCHALLENGE' and the '4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge', to create a single national competition throughout the United Kingdom.

The new competition will open for registration on 1st September 2009 for the next academic year and all secondary schools and community groups such as Guides, Scouts or ATC Squadrons are welcome.