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Six students from Southern Regional College have won the Northern Ireland Champions National Cup at the STEM Racing Car UK Finals. They will now represent Northern Ireland at the Aramco STEM World Finals in Singapore this October.
The UK Finals took place at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham from 24 to 26 March 2026, drawing together the top student engineering teams from across the UK. The Southern Regional College team, known as SCAR, came out on top in a competition backed by Formula One and widely regarded as one of the key talent pipelines for the motorsport and engineering industries. The world finals are scheduled to take place the weekend before the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix.
The winning team is made up of Shea Smith (19) from Newry, Chloe O'Hare (18) from Hilltown, Sophie Houston (18) from Dromore, Ellie Magee (20) from Warrenpoint, Harry Danks (18) from Kilkeel and James McMullen (18) from Armagh. Each of them took on a specialist role within the team, designing, building and racing a miniature Formula 1 car from concept to the racetrack. All six are studying an Engineering Level 3 Extended Diploma at the College's Newry campus.
Work on their entry began last September. Over several months, the students developed skills well beyond their standard curriculum, covering Computational Fluid Dynamics, Finite Element Analysis, Computer Aided Manufacturing platforms, project management, financial forecasting and budgeting.
Their ability to secure sponsorship also proved important in funding their journey to both the UK Finals and the upcoming World Finals. Sponsors included Re-Gen, Used Cars NI, Murray Motorsport, The Exact Group, SMD Methods, MatLab, Ansys Simulation Software, Precision Mechanical Estimating, Southern Regional College and STEM Racing UK.
Engineering lecturer Seán MacDiarmada said: "The Champions of NI Cup is reflective of the effort students have put in, remaining to late hours in the College on a number of evenings to develop their entry. The qualification to compete in Singapore is a once in a lifetime opportunity, putting them in the spotlight amongst the most promising young engineers in the world with Formula One team talent spotters scrutinising and judging their work. This puts them in poll position to be recruited into positions and careers that exist at the pinnacle of engineering."
Mrs Lee Campbell, Principal and Chief Executive of Southern Regional College, added: "This is an extraordinary accomplishment for our students and a proud moment for the College. Their success reflects not only their talent and determination, but also the strength of STEM education and industry collaboration at Southern Regional College. We are incredibly proud of Team SCAR and look forward to supporting them as they represent Northern Ireland on the world stage in Singapore. They are outstanding ambassadors for the College and an inspiration to future students considering careers in engineering and innovation."
