ALLOA ACADEMY'S very own racing team earned a podium finish in the recent Formula 1 in Schools Regional Finals.

The F1 competition tasks pupils with running their own team and pitting a small-scale car against other schools in the hope that they will one day go on to become professional drivers.

The third-place finish meant that Alloa's Presto Racing team have now qualified for the national finals of the competition.

It is the first time a school from Clackmannanshire has made it this far in the competition, a fact which the school are incredibly proud of.

The national final is held at the prestigious Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit and will be shown to the entire world via a live webcast, meaning thousands of people could be watching the school’s team competing against the very best from across the country.

As well as coming third, the team also received an award for their research and development. They won the award as the judges were very impressed at how they designed the front and rear wings on their F1 car.

A spokesman for the school said: “Similarly to real Formula 1, it's not just about the car itself. The team are also judged on their commercial performance, in securing sponsorship for the team.

“The team would like to thank their sponsors Arnold Clark and Keyshot, who helped them get this far.

“We are now on the hunt for more local businesses and organisations who can go into partnership with and help them achieve their goal of qualifying for the World Championships in Singapore.”

Andrew Denford, founder and chairman of F1 in Schools, said: “There has been great work on display at today’s event and the students have all shown how a practical challenge can bring alive classroom learning and inspire them to prove themselves.

"It’s been tough for the judges with so much good work as all the teams put in strong performances with some great ideas and innovative designs.

"We love being able to harness young Engineering, marketing and leadership talent and open their eyes to the myriad of career choices available to them.

"We look forward to seeing our winners at Silverstone in March.”