STEM Racing
Join the global, hands-on STEM competition where students aged 9 - 19 form teams to design, build, brand and race miniature racing cars, through real-world engineering, marketing and project management. Supported by Formula 1.
The University of Leeds is a Centre of Excellence for local secondary schools and sixth form colleges in Yorkshire and the Humber. This includes design support, manufacturing facilities and access to a test track ahead of the regional competition on Tuesday 2 February 2027.
Teachers are responsible for being the main point of contact with the university and overseeing the students projects, often included as extra curricular activity around the school day. Please note that we can not respond to student enquiries directly without a teacher contact.
Key Dates:
- Design support deadline - Friday 13 November 2026
- Manufacturing deadline - Friday 27 November 2026
- Test track event - Wednesday 16 December 2026 (allocated times p/school) at The University of Leeds
- Regional Competition - Tuesday 2 February 2027 at STEM Learning, York
Overview
Design Support
Dr Josh Owen from the School of Mechanical Engineering is available to offer design support to teams on an ad-hoc basis. Please email your design queries to [email protected] by Friday 13 November 2026.
This allows 2 weeks for the designs to be modified before the manufacturing deadline.
Manufacturing Service
Dr Josh Owen from the School of Mechanical Engineering will organise the manufacturing of cars. Please email your design files to [email protected] by Friday 27 November 2026. There is a maximum of 3 cars p/team.
There are no costs attached to this service.
Printed cars will be available and returned to you on Wednesday 16 December 2026 at the Test Track event at The University of Leeds.
Test Track Event
On Wednesday 16 December 2026, teams are invited to campus with their teachers to test their printed cars on the STEM Racing track.
You will be given exclusive access to the track for one hour, understanding where modifications need to be made to improve the performance of your cars. Post-graduate engineers will be leading the activity and have experience of Formula 1, now STEM Racing.
You will have the option to book a space for lunch before/ after your visit before travelling back to school.
The STEM Access & Outreach team will be overseeing the activity and can assist with any questions that you may have.
Regional Competition
Register your team/s on the STEM Racing website by selected Entry Class (ages 11-14) and Development Class (ages 11-19).
The regional competition will take at STEM Learning, York with an opportunity to progress to the national and world finals.