Khan Younis students create Formula 1-style racing car from scratch
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Jun 14, 2011 20:47 Updated: Jun 14, 2011 22:15
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza: A group of students from United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA) Khan Younis Training Center (KYTC) in Gaza has created a Formula 1-style racing car from scratch, out of recycled parts. The students decided to embark on the project as part of this year's prestigious Formula Student competition, organized by the Institution for Mechanical Engineers.
After months of hard work, molding, sanding, and painting the Gazan team will run an official test drive of their car today (Wednesday).
In a week that sees the blockade of Gaza enter its 5th year, this event will provide a compelling insight into the challenges that confront the young and talented in the Strip. Visitors will be welcome to film, take photos and talk to the students.
Formula Student is one of Europe's biggest student motorsport events, challenging students from around the world to design, build and race a single-seater racing car from scratch.
The contest serves as a talent-nurturing and recruitment event for car companies such as Porsche. Many of the student teams are hired by automotive companies after the competition. Most teams are represented by university students.
Formula Student culminates in a competition to be held from July 14 to July 17 on the Silverstone home straight. It is now in its 14th year.
The 2011 Formula Student will see teams from 31 countries competing. Competitors from as far afield as Palestine, Nigeria, Thailand, Russia and India will be descending on Silverstone in July.
In Gaza, the blockade has decimated the engineering industry. Khan Younis' budding engineers will come back to jobs in garages, earning a maximum of $330 per month.
Due to restrictions on the availability of materials in Gaza, the first year autotronics class sat through a year of theory *— which prompted them to complain, and demand a proper workshop. They have had the Formula Student contest in their sights for over a year.
KYTC was born in the same year as the Israeli blockade of Gaza. As well as autotronics, the center provides vocational courses in subjects such as nursing and business.
Many of the students at KYTC are classed by UNRWA as abject poor. The head of the team is an UNRWA special hardship case - meaning that his parents have an income of $2-3 a day.
Source :
http://www.arabnews.com/middleeast/article454770.ece