At the start of June, at the closing stages of their topic on the Bahrain International Circuit and Formula 1, the children from Year 2 zipped off to the ‘Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ in Zakhir.
They were met by Mohammed, the head of PR, who immediately whisked them off to see the vehicle workshop. Here, the children got to see many types of wheeled transport which is used at the circuit, including Caterhams, hand built racing saloon cars, gold buggies, mopeds and most impressive was the modified jet fighter engine used to dry the track!
The children also had the chance to see the top secret, bullet and sound proofed control room, like something from a James Bond villain’s lair or CIA headquarters, full from floor to ceiling with a myriad of screens. They were amazed by the technology on show and how everything on the track, from traffic signals to floodlighting and CCTV cameras could be controlled from one console.
After a quick snack in the media room, the children were taken to the starting grid to see how cars are positioned at the beginning of a race. Many used it as an opportunity to find out who was the fastest runner in the class, lining up on the chequered start line and racing almost all the way to the treacherous, 70 degree, turn 1.
After all this excitement, one final treat was still to come. The children rushed back to the bus to complete a lap around the F1 track, following hot on the heels of the shiny, red Porsche. For many, including the teachers, this was the highlight of the visit and a fitting end to our awesome F1 topic.
