Behind the Design: My Journey with Apex Racing

Being part of "Apex Racing" was one of the most exciting and challenging projects I've ever taken on. I wore many hats as our team competed in the F1 in Schools North-west regionals — spanning product development, branding and digital design.

It also turned out to be, strangely, one of the most physically demanding. Due to my own poor preparation it got down to the wire: I spent 36 hours before the competition non-stop working to ensure that everything was ready once we arrived. By the time I got home, I hadn't slept for over 50 hours. It's safe to say I won't be doing that any time soon (I hope!)

The Car: Designed to Compete

As the Product Development Specialist, one of my key roles was leading the design and manufacture of our competition car. Using Autodesk Fusion 360, I developed and optimised the car's aerodynamics through extensive CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations. Every curve and edge was refined to reduce drag and maximise speed, all withhin the boundaries of the strict competition regulations.

Take a look at a 3D rendering I made in Blender of the car:

Once the car's design was finalised, I programmed CAM tooling to CNC machine the body and integrated 3D printed components for parts like the wings and wheels. I personally handled final assembly and finishing, ensuring precision and compliance at every stage.

Our efforts paid off — the final car achieved the 4th fastest time on track out of 36 teams, which proved a huge testament to our streamlined and well-documented design process.

More Than Just Speed

Portfolios and Presentation

Alongside the car, I helped craft our Design & Engineering Portfolio, which told the detailed story of our journey from initial concepts to the final product. It combined technical detail with effective story telling, ultimately earning us the "Best Portfolio Award — All Classes".

Team Branding

While the car was our showpiece, our identity and presentation were just as important. I led the development of our:

• Team branding and logo
• Pit display layout and graphics
• Official website: apex-racing.co.uk

Building the website from scratch was especially rewarding. It served as a public view into our operations, showcasing our team story. It also provided a great addition to out pit display, providing an interactive digital aspect to our work.

Leadership and Results

Beyond technical work, I took on an executive leadership role relating to the car's design, making key decisions around priorities, timelines and strategy.

Working within a tight-knit team of four, we ultimately placed 4th in the Professional Class, narrowly missing the opportunity to compete at a national level. This achievement reflects both the quality of our work and the strength of our collaboration.

Final thoughts

F1 in Schools served as more than just a competion — it tought me a great deal about myself and how I work.

• I discovered that I must prepare better for deadlines. Cramming what is a week's worth of work into 48 hours is not for the weak and also not for me.
• I learned how to actually work in a team. Prior to the competition I thought I knew, but your patience really gets tested with projects like this.
• I also learned to believe in myself. In a two week span I went from nearly 0 experience in CAD software (I did a two-hour course three years ago) to fully designing and manufacutring a car. It was a testament to my abilities when I put the work in.

Thanks to the Apex Racing team, my college, and anyone from the F1 in Schools competition.

If you have any questions about this project, either as a fellow competitor, or if you're just curious, don't hesitate to contact me.