Gwynedd Council has congratulated a team of Ysgol Brynrefail pupils who will be representing Wales in an international Formula One race for schools of model cars in Malaysia.

The team of Beca Jones, Anna Thomas, Jessica Pritchard, Tesni Smith, Eleanor Edwards-Jones and Elin Worth, collectively known as “Falcon Force” are all year 11 pupils who are studying Design Technology and Science at the school.

The girls have recently given up their lunch breaks to design and make the model race car, with a little help from Mr Paul Griffiths, their DT Teacher.

The team won the first round of competition which was held at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, before going on to win the second round in Silverstone. They were also nominated for the ‘Women in Motorsport’ prize for designing the fastest model F1 car in Wales.

A lot of thought and preparation has gone into their work. The girls had to prepare an engineering portfolio, give an oral presentation, partake in a scrutiny test, as well as find funding sponsors. The gas powered model car was then raced on 20 meter track against other competitors.

They succeeded to take Team ‘Falcon Force’ to Malaysia, where they will be competing against 50 other teams from around the world.

Councillor Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Education, said: - “The girls have done outstandingly well to win a place in Malaysia and to represent Wales there.

“I’m sure everybody at Ysgol Brynrefail are proud of their achievement and we wish them all the very best of luck.

“We often hear that not enough of our young people take an interest in science and design. The achievements of the team from Ysgol Brynrefail shows that we have the talent and that our youngsters can compete with the very best from around the world.

“Thanks to them for their hard work and to Ysgol Brynrefail for supporting the pupils with their efforts.”

The team’s success underlines the work being undertaken to highlight the importance of possible career opportunities in STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – for both girls and boys from primary school age upwards.

You can follow the team’s progress on Twitter: @falconforce2017.