By Olivia McInnes

The Condobolin High School F1 Racing team, Illusion Engineering, has recently soared to new heights when they were crowned State Champions last week.
F1 racing in schools is an engineering and design action-learning project for students, now implemented in high schools around the world.
The project is a multi-faceted and multidisciplinary challenge, which provides students with the opportunity to learn about engineering principles such as physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, leadership/teamwork, media skills and project management.
It requires students from grades 5-12 to use industry level, 3-dimensional CAD/CAM and simulation technologies to design, analyse, test, manufacture and race miniature CO2 powered balsa wood Formula 1 cars.
Illusion Engineering, comprised of Jayden Krebs, Gregory Kuhn, Daniel Heinrich, Sarah Cusack and Joshua Coote recently attended the state finals at the Sydney University of Technology, where they won their age group title of State Champions.
In addition, they also won awards for the best port folio, best marketing and best engineering.
The team said it was a great experience, and that they thoroughly enjoyed learning all the new software and meeting new people.
CHS teacher and supervisor of the F1 project Dinesh Dodhy, said that the organisers of the state finals reported that the CHS team were very professional during the day.
“While other teams were getting tired, our team had a full system of rotation worked out and remained very professional at all times.
“The organisers were very impressed with their level of skills and knowledge,” he said.
CHS F1 Manufacturing Engineer, Jayden Krebs said he would encourage other students to get involved in the program: “it’s a great program and is very rewarding,” he said.
The team now have the task of redesigning their whole pit display for the National Finals in Adelaide in late February.
They would like to thank all of their current sponsors, and ask that if anyone else is interested in coming on board and sponsoring them, it would be a big help in getting them to the National Finals and it would be greatly appreciated.