To celebrate their new solar car design, Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) are launching a national competition, for school pupils aged from 6 to 14, to design a car for the future. Unlike CUER’s car, the designs will not be restricted to solar power, but the team will still be looking for some exciting and innovative ideas. Competition entries will be judged, in three age categories, by some of CUER’s technical team. Those shortlisted will be invited to the CUER design launch and ‘solar fun day’ event in May.

CUER’s cars are developed to race in the biennial ‘World Solar Challenge’, the ‘Formula One’ of eco-friendly motorsport, which is a 3000 kilometre race across the Australian Outback. In 2009, CUER entered the race for the first time as the only UK team. This year, having developed a much improved car design, CUER will be unveiling their design at a special event in Cambridge.

This design launch event is to be combined with an educational ‘solar fun day’, giving attendees the chance to design and create their own solar powered vehicles, and an award ceremony for the design competition winners. Category winners will be announced at this event, alongside CUER’s new design, and the overall winning design will feature in pride of place on CUER’s completed car when it races in Australia in October.

Materials and information on the competition can be found atwww.cuer.co.uk/future. The team would like to encourage as many young people as possible to enter the competition and would ask anyone with connections to a school or youth group to pass on these details.

CUER is also looking to raise money to support both this competition and team itself. CUER sponsorship packages are still available at all levels for the 2011 World Solar Challenge. Interested parties should email oursponsorship team to find out more. Individuals interested in supporting the project can join the Friends of CUER scheme at www.cuer.co.uk/donate