St James College students have raced their way to an impressive third place overall in this year’s Formula High School Challenge, the thrilling culmination of their Certificate II in Engineering Pathways program.

The program is designed to excite the future workforce by teaching work-ready skills, offering real industry experiences, and giving students a head start on their careers.

Throughout the year, students worked as a team to design, construct and refine a customised race car, from the chassis to the exterior, applying the technical and teamwork skills they’ve developed during their course.

The Formula High School Challenge Day, held at Lakeside circuit, is the pinnacle event for participating schools. The event brings together more than 400 students from over 20 schools to put their vehicles, and their engineering knowledge to the ultimate test. 

As an endurance race event, it's not about just a single lap, it's a full-day test of design, stamina, teamwork, and resilience off the track. Over approximately six hours (with a midday break), students from each team take turns driving their custom car, pushing for as many laps as possible. In between laps, they deal with pit stops, driver changes, repairs, and strategy, keeping the vehicle running at peak performance all day.

The race happens at Lakeside Park Raceway, and the goal is to balance speed with durability, coordination, and smart engineering decisions.

St James College Head of Faculty - VET & Trade Skills Anthony Hill said this event where the learning comes together. 

“It’s incredible to see our students apply what they’ve learned in such an exciting, hands-on way.”

"The creativity and passion of our Jimmies Racing Team truly stood out, making the entire St James community proud," Hill added. 

Congratulations to the team for their innovation, teamwork and persistence, and for driving St James College to the podium.