A TEAM of Sidmouth College students has won third place in the regional finals of the Toyota Technology Challenge.

A TEAM of Sidmouth College students has won third place in the regional finals of the Toyota Technology Challenge.

Steven Ward, Chris Aplin, Adrian Turner, Scott Newbury and Andrew Burrow were some of the youngest competitors in the solar power category finals held at Woodbury Park Golf and Country Club on April 23.

They competed against 80 schools to win £1,000 cash for the college and an action-packed adventure holiday in the Alps at the May finals.

Technology teacher Jake Howard said the team gave a detailed presentation and raced the environmentally friendly model car they designed to work on solar power.

He said: "Out of 80 schools that entered they came third. Being some of the youngest who attended, they did a really good job, well done."

The Toyota Technology Challenge, developed by Toyota Manufacturing UK in partnership with educational supplier Rapid, aims to stimulate the interest of young students in technology and engineering, while encouraging pupils to consider the environment and the potential use of recycled materials.

It is targeted at Key Stage 3 & 4 students aged 11-16 and more than 15,000 pupils from across the UK participated in the 2007/8 challenge.

During February, teams submitted a project folder to enter stage one of the competition. Those judged to have submitted the best project folders were invited to progress to regional finals.

Hein Van Gerwen, managing director, Toyota Manufacturing UK, said: "The standard this year has been exceptionally high and we have been impressed by the quality of entries of all participating schools."

The Sidmouth team received a free kit from Rapid with all the components necessary to build a vehicle; making modifications to earn more marks by making their vehicle more environmentally friendly and improving its performance.

Pic shows: Sidmouth College Toyota Technology Challenge team at the regional finals.