• Students from Worcester, UK, celebrate after beating 100 young people from 11 countries in the inaugural World Final
• Land Rover 4X4 in Schools Technology Challenge helped Jaguar Land Rover engage 300,000 young people in 2014
• Brand new Virgin Galactic towing challenge launched at event to inspire more young people to consider engineering careers   

Whitley, UK, Friday 26 June 2015 ‑ Students from The Kings School, Worcester, England, are celebrating after winning Land Rover's new global education challenge.

The team of 16 year olds were named Land Rover 4x4 in Schools World Champions at the event held in Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK. In the Challenge, teams spend months designing, building and testing miniature remote‑controlled 4x4 vehicles which must complete challenging off‑road tracks in regional and national final competitions. National champions from as far afield as Australia, United Arab Emirates and Brazil came together for the first ever World Final.

The 'Vertical Horizon' team impressed the judges and achieved an excellent driving challenge on the tough test track, which included a rope bridge, water dip and rock crawl as it travelled through and round a Range Rover vehicle.

The Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge is an innovative educational initiative which has engaged more than 100,000 young people since it was launched in the UK in 2007. Last year, the Challenge was rolled out to 15 countries around the world.

'Vertical Horizon' team manager Ben Weaver, said, "I'm delighted we won, it's beyond anything we dreamed of. I think we were successful thanks to 1,000 hours of hard graft, team work and perseverance as well as attention to detail. We also developed a unique suspension and focused on quality craftsmanship, engineering and design throughout the project. As a result of the Challenge, we are all now inspired to become engineers. It's been a great experience and we prove that if you put the effort in, you can succeed."

Teacher Eric Lummas, added, "I'm extremely proud of the team. They have worked very hard to achieve success including lots of work outside school. The Challenge has helped them strengthen key skills such as team working, problem solving and communication which will help them when they enter the world of work. The competition is a great opportunity for young people and I'd highly recommend it to other schools and students."

Les Ratcliffe, Head of Community Relations for Jaguar Land Rover said, "We're delighted to host the first ever world finals in Coventry, UK, close to Jaguar Land Rover's Headquarters, and show the students around our Solihull plant during the programme. Huge congratulations to 'Vertical Horizon' for winning the inaugural Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge World Final. Launching the hugely successful Land Rover 4x4 in Schools competition globally will help us engage 2 million young people in our education programme by 2020 and will introduce even more young people to the exciting world of engineering. Students have built skills, experiences, friendships and memories during the three day programme which will stay with them throughout their lives."

As part of its long‑term global partnership, Land Rover and pioneering commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic aim to inspire more young people to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers and explore new ways of travelling for future generations. A brand new Virgin Galactic towing challenge was unveiled at the world final. Students had to tow a scale version of SpaceShipTwo around Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic's operational headquarters in New Mexico, USA, using their remote controlled vehicles.

Virgin Galactic Commercial Director Stephen Attenborough commented, "As Virgin Galactic's team continues to develop our spaceflight vehicles, our partnership with Land Rover is providing a wonderful opportunity to bring some of the challenges of commercial space travel into the classroom. By encouraging our brightest young minds today to tackle some of the engineering challenges of tomorrow, Land Rover and Virgin Galactic hope to inspire young people along an educational path that will produce brilliant engineers and scientists ‑ and a brighter future for the planet."

The 'Vertical Horizon' team won an Arkwright scholarship from Land Rover, a £1,000 scholarship for Harper Adams University and the prestigious Land Rover 4X4 in Schools Technology World Challenge trophy. They also picked up 'Best Engineered Vehicle' and 'Best Verbal Presentation' awards.

A total of 16 awards were presented, rewarding the hard work and high standards of work produced by the teams of students. Team 'Clystalians' from Clyst Vale Community College, Broadclyst, Exeter, UK, came a close second followed by 'Wombat Warriors' from Pine Rivers State High School, Brisbane, Australia in third place.

Teams from Greece, Australia, Portugal, UAE, Czech Republic and UK also collected awards for their achievements in key elements of the judging process.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Kate Birkenhead, CSR PR and Communications, Jaguar Land Rover
M: 07780 494 352, E: kbirkenh@jaguarlandrover.com

Alison Hill, Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Press Officer
Mobile: 07710 306588, Alison@id‑pr.co.uk

Christine Choi, Head of Communications, Virgin Galactic
M: +1415 531 4754, E: Christine.Choi@virgin.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Results table

Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge

• In the challenge, teams of up to six students aged 11 ‑ 19 design and build a remote controlled scale‑model 4x4 all‑terrain vehicles which must negotiate challenging obstacles and tests on a brand new test track. The teams present their vehicle designs and knowledge of 4x4 vehicle designs to a panel of expert judges and have their remote control car put under intense scrutiny by vehicle design specialists, against a comprehensive set of rules and regulations.
• The Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge was developed by Land Rover and is managed by Engineering in Motion a not‑for‑profit organisation funded by generous support from lead sponsors Jaguar Land Rover and supporting sponsors and partners the Institution of Engineering and Technology, WNT, Denford Limited, LUKE, Raspberry Pi and Harper Adams University.
• For more information about the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools technology challenge visit www.4x4inschools.co.uk.

Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the largest manufacturer of premium vehicles in the UK and is at the centre of the UK automotive industry's drive to deliver technical innovation in all areas of vehicle development. As the UK's largest automotive employer, JLR has a world‑class team of 32,400 people in the UK, plus 1,600 globally. JLR's Inspiring Tomorrow's Engineers national STEM education programme, including Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge, engaged more than 300,000 young people in 2014, encouraging them to consider careers in engineering and manufacturing.

Land Rover and Virgin Galactic Partnership

Land Rover and Virgin Galactic announced a global partnership in April 2014 which demonstrates a shared vision of pioneering spirit, technological innovation and sense of adventure, and illustrates a desire to push the boundaries of travel for the next generation. Land Rover and Virgin Galactic are working together to share engineering and design expertise for the benefit of research and development, potential future design collaborations, exclusive projects and dual brand immersive experiences for consumers. Both brands have a shared dedication to inspire the youth of today into engineering, science and technology careers that will continue to change how we define travel in the future.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is the world's first commercial spaceline. Founded by Sir Richard Branson and owned by the Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS, Virgin Galactic will transform access to space for the benefit of life on Earth. To date, 700 men and women from over 50 countries‑greater than the total number of humans who have ever been to space‑have reserved places to fly on Virgin Galactic's reusable space launch system, consisting of carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo and spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo. SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo are manufactured and tested in Mojave, California, by its manufacturing wing, The Spaceship Company.  Spaceflight operations will be based at Spaceport America in New Mexico, the world's first purpose‑built commercial spaceport. Virgin Galactic is also developing LauncherOne, an affordable dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites. As an air‑launched rocket, LauncherOne is designed to provide commercial and government‑built satellites a flexible launch service that meets each customer's specific mission requirements. LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and launches will be conducted from various locations.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology

The IET is a world leading professional organisation sharing and advancing knowledge to promote science, engineering and technology across the world. It is a professional home for life for engineers and technicians, and a trusted source of essential engineering intelligence.

WNT

WNT (UK) is one of the leading suppliers of precision cutting tools to the UK's engineering manufacturing sector.  WNT operates a proactive education initiative through which it provides technical support and products to schools, colleges and universities, with these groups benefitting from significant discounts across the entire WNT catalogue range.