Canadore College Hosts Canada’s First-Ever STEM Racing National Championships
Canadore College welcomed some of Canada’s brightest young innovators this past weekend as the STEM Racing 2026 Canadian National Championships made a historic debut at the Panthers Sportsplex. The inaugural national finals brought together high school teams from across the country to race miniature compressed-air-powered cars designed and built by the students.
The competition showcased not only their engineering talent but also their strengths in marketing and business strategy. “STEM Racing isn't just about being the fastest on the track,” said Kyle Boyko, President of Inspire Tech Canada. “The primary goal of STEM Racing is to provide a holistic engineering experience. It mimics the professional world by requiring students to manage a project from a blank sheet of paper to a functional, high-performance machine. It forces students to use math, physics, and digital literacy simultaneously. You aren’t just solving for X on a whiteboard; you’re calculating the drag coefficient to see if your car will actually move.”
Previously known internationally as F1 in Schools, STEM Racing is widely regarded as the world’s premier competition to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Delivered in more than 80 countries, the program engages secondary school students in a multidisciplinary challenge to form teams, design and manufacture miniature compressed-air-powered cars, and compete in races. In parallel, participants develop and present comprehensive marketing, branding, and business strategies, reflecting real-world industry practices.
The 2026 Championships will mark the first time the global competition is hosted in Canada. This milestone event is being made possible through the support of Canadore College, in partnership with InspireTech Canada, a Parry Sound-based not-for-profit organization committed to advancing youth engagement in STEM fields.
“We competed last year at Charlotte, North Carolina, and we were able to win the Canadian National Championship title,” said Arun Rajakumar, a student racer from Scarborough. “To be able to learn from that and apply everything we’ve learned has been such an amazing experience.”
Canadore College is well known for its STEM learning opportunities and hands-on experiences. “This competition extends far beyond racing—it emphasizes design, manufacturing, problem-solving, and teamwork,” said Dr. Sandra Efu, President and CEO of Canadore College. “Participants are applying real-world engineering and business skills in a manner that reflects the future of innovation in Canada, and Canadore is proud to support and celebrate their achievements.”
Team Ignite from SATEC at W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute in Scarborough and Team Northern Rapids from Strathcona-Tweedsmuir in Alberta claimed top honours at the North Bay competition and will advance to the World Championships this September at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, where they will compete against teams from 75 countries.
