A TEAM of aspiring engineers from a North-East school have blown away the competition in a hovercraft-building competition.

The eight Year 10 students from Hummersknott Academy, in Darlington, took first place in the annual Hovercraft Racers competition held at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, beating nine rival teams from all over the area.

The annual event is organised by Foundation for Jobs, and highlights real-world applications of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and maths), and gateways into employment in these fields.

The day began with an explanation of the physics involved, before teams were issued with a variety of materials to use in their vehicle construction, along with a leaf-blower to power it.

Each team scored points for its hovercraft design, and for the hovercraft’s performance in a point-to-point race while carrying a human pilot.

The Year 10 Hummersknott team based their design on the recurring character ‘Bullet Bill’ from the Mario Kart video game series. Pilot Daisy Craven even sported the hat worn by the series’ character Luigi, Mario’s twin brother.

Despite fierce competition, Bullet Bill’s streamlined body and stylish black design provided the Hummersknott team with the edge they needed to ace the course and impress the judges.

Design and Technology teacher John Barker, who organised the Hummersknott team, said: "The Hovercraft Racers is always very competitive, and pupils at Hummersknott are always eager to enter the challenge.

“On the race track, it's either sink or swim – I’ve seen many great hovercraft designs over the years, but some fail straight away. This year’s entry, ‘Bullet Bill’, which was designed and engineered by our Year 10 team, was both aesthetically and structurally sound.

“I'm so proud of the pupils, they all did the school and themselves proud. It's been six years since we last won, and this year's win was the perfect climax to a busy and productive term.”