STUDENTS from Burnley have been tipped to claim victory in a competition to design and build ultra-energy-efficient vehicles and see how far they can travel on one litre of fuel.

Budding engineers from the University of Central Lancashire’s Burnley Campus are taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon which has been running for 30 years.

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The team have been tipped as the front runners in the competition by the organisers which will also include entries from Oxford University and Imperial College London.

The current record, which was set last year, stands at 3,771km.

Team member Shannon Hill said: “When I joined university, there were lots of opportunities that I could get involved with.

“Shell Eco-marathon really stood out to me because it was so different and it’s not like any of the other things I could have got involved with.

“But this is so future thinking, I was intrigued and immediately wanted to get involved.

“Currently there are about 12 people in our team and I’m the only girl.

“In total, of 100 people in my year in engineering, there are about five or six girls.

“On motorsports I’m currently the only girl.

“There could be more girls and gradually I think we’re getting more in engineering but engineering in general isn’t well-known to children at a young enough age.

“Whether it’s girls or boys, it’s not being presented in a way that really excites children.

“And that’s one of the things I really liked about Shell Eco-marathon, having previously participated in the event. As well as the race element, the energy lab – which is an experiential area at the event – is something which targeted younger children and let them have fun with science.

“I hope it inspires more kids to think about further education in engineering.”

The student mileage challenge will take place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from June 30 to July 3, 2016, and will form part of ‘Make the Future’ – a public festival aimed to raise awareness of the energy challenges we face around the world.

Erik Bonino, chairman of Shell UK, said: “For 30 years, Shell Eco-marathon has helped inspire the world’s brightest young minds to design and build new vehicle technologies.

“The project is about suppor- ting bright energy ideas.”