Students On Pole Position
26 October 2010
Winning team 'Pounders' with race organisers and College staff
The Dome was a spectacular venue for the Le Mans replica race.
”Nick Sismey, Chairman of the Rolls-Royce leisure association - Slot Car Section
Competition was fierce between teams of Buxton College students and tutors when the iconic Devonshire Dome hosted a Scalextric version of the famous Le Mans race recently.
Seven teams from the College took part in the endurance race, speeding slot cars around the eight-lane, 233-foot- long mini replica of the Le Mans circuit. The 55 participants, including students from Motor Vehicle and Public Services courses and their tutors, battled in a bid to complete the greatest number of laps in 24 hours.
The lead changed hands at every corner of the first few laps, but as the race continued through the night one team began to stretch ahead. And as the clock counted down the final few minutes of the race, team Pounders began to celebrate their 105 lap lead. The team had completed the circuit an incredible 3,737 times in 24 hours.
The Le Mans race was brought to the Dome by the Rolls-Royce leisure association, Rolls-Royce's independent Sports and Fitness organisation, which has strong links with Buxton College's Motor Vehicle courses, and was organised by Dome Event Management.
Nick Sismey, Chairman of the Rolls-Royce leisure association - Slot Car Section, said: "The Dome was a spectacular venue for the Le Mans replica race. The teams all did incredibly well to keep up the pace for the whole 24 hours, and 3,737 laps was a brilliant winning total."
Ruth Grindey, Head of Division at Buxton College, and one of the race participants said: "The students were all excited to be involved in the 24 hour race, and we saw some fantastic team spirit - as well as competitive spirit. Congratulations to everyone for completing the challenge, and especially to team Pounders - a team made up of students from the Motor Vehicle RVQ - on their win."
Buxton College is part of the University of Derby Buxton. For more information on Motor Vehicle and other courses available at Buxton College visit www.buxtoncollege.ac.uk
For more information please contact Press & PR Officer Joanna Colburn on 01332 593004 or 07775 036988, or email j.colburn@derby.ac.uk
