FMAT Donington Park visit: Students from across the Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust enjoyed a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity to go behind the scenes at a major motorsport event during a recent visit to Donington Park.
Year 9 and 10 students were given special access on Friday 17 April, the day before the British Touring Car Championships (BTCC), as part of a STEM and Enterprise Day.
They toured facilities, including the race car workshop, to see how teams prepare for race day, and even met professional racing drivers who signed autographs.
Academy Improvement Advisor for Maths, Natalie Thompson, said students were also challenged to apply what they had learned through a series of hands‑on engineering tasks.
She said: “Some of the teams were a mix of students from different schools, which helped them build confidence when working with new people.
“One challenge involved designing a practice schedule for the team while considering fuel usage and tyre wear. Another required students to create a structure to protect an egg dropped from scaffolding, encouraging them to think about safety and impact protection in racing cars.
“The final egg drop created plenty of excitement, with cheers and groans as teams discovered whether their designs had been successful!”
After a Q & A session with BTCC stars Gordon Shedden and Árón Taylor‑Smith, students moved on to enterprise‑focused activities.
Working alongside professionals from Laser Tools Racing, they designed their own racing team before pitching their ideas to industry experts.
At the end of the day, the team with the highest overall score was made up of students from Bournville School and Erdington Academy. They were each awarded family tickets to Donington Park in recognition of their outstanding performance.
Natalie said the experience had a lasting impact on students.
“Our FMAT Donington Park visit gave students first‑hand insight into how engineering, teamwork and enterprise skills are used in real careers. It was an inspiring and memorable opportunity that supported careers education while developing confidence, communication and problem‑solving skills.
“A huge thank you to Laser Tools Racing and MB Motorsports for hosting such a fantastic and educational event, and to RM Education for facilitating the day.”
