EAT your heart out Lewis Hamilton… the new kids on the block showed they meant business when they lined up for the annual wheelchair Grand Prix at Victoria Education Centre in Poole.

Two hour-long races were run for the disabled students at the same time, one for self-propelled and electric wheelchairs and the other for those needing assistance.

All were organised into teams – including Jordan, Ferrari and Red Bull – and had to pull in for two timed pitstops during the event.

Organiser Martin Cook from the education centre’s PE team said planning for the event had started around Christmas. “They had to do pre-race times to get their grid position. We work out how many predicted laps they will do in the time the race runs for and the winner is the one that comes closest to the estimated laps,” he said.

Co-organiser and classroom assistant Karen Allcroft explained that the youngsters had to sign a pre-race contract agreeing to abide by the rules or risk being disqualified.

“They love it and talk about it for so long beforehand. We’ve had some prangs, but nothing serious because they are so good. Absolutely anyone can win. Even if they are the slowest, they still have a chance – it makes it fairer for everybody.”

A “safety car” is occasionally used to slow down the racers and sort out bunching and the event even has its own VIP area. A fire engine, a Rolls-Royce and sports cars including a Porsche and a Ferrari were on display before the racing began.

The afternoon passed with no crashes or disqualifications, and the top three in each race were presented with a victory laurel wreath and a trophy provided by local law company Coles Miller.

The self-propelled race was won by Charles McKechnie, with Akira Jackson in second and Jamie Gilbert in third. The other race was won by Abbie Graham, with Jacob Glen-Davies second and William Sabine third.

The Grand Prix marked the start of the centre’s sports week, with other events including a swimming gala; displays of free running, skateboarding and BMX; and a scavenger hunt.