Published November 1, 2021
Additional Pitsco dragster article:
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Since its founding in
1998, the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) in
Philadelphia has earned a fair amount of publicity
for the spectacular opportunities it offers to
inner-city students. Sneak a peek during the
school’s Build A Dream summer program, and
you are likely to see students learning about
engines, designing cars, and racing go-karts as
part of a simulated racing team.
Though the school has been in operation
for 23 years, the leadership team still seeks
ways to grow and enhance its offerings.
Recently, the UYRS worked with Pitsco
Education to level up an aspect of the
program. Several new tools have helped bring
a new hands-on engineering dimension to
the student experience.
PAST SUCCESS
The UYRS was started by Anthony Martin Sr,
a sports marketing expert and motorsports
enthusiast. Martin wanted to help open the
door to career opportunities in motorsports
for students of color who traditionally had
little access to them.
And it has worked! Students have
gone through the academy and landed careers in STEM, from working on racing
cars to engineering roles. When a former
student finds career success related to their
experiences in the program, they are often
invited back to speak to the current batch of
students. In fact, this is crucial to the program
design, as Martin explains:
“The students don’t pay anything for the
program. If they did, they’d be spending
thousands of dollars a year because of
the associated costs. So, the one thing we
emphasize is that you must come back and
participate in helping kids who were in the
same place that you were at one point!”
Some well-known names have contributed
to the Build A Dream program as well. For
example, champion NASCAR driver Kyle Larson
has spoken with students and promoted the
program. Experiences such as these add value
to the technical knowledge, giving students
personal contact with the world of racing that
make it feel more accessible to them.
RACING TOWARD THE FUTURE
In 2021, the program began to incorporate
several hands-on products from Pitsco
Education’s CO2 dragster line into the
curriculum. For the first time, students actually
created 3-D prototypes using balsa dragster
blanks and tested them in a Pitsco wind
tunnel, working to minimize wind resistance
while maximizing downforce. In this way,
students learned physical principles. Painting
the cars brings in an aesthetic aspect as well.
“After doing all that, they raced them [on
Pitsco’s elevated racetrack], putting into action
what they’ve been working on for the last four
weeks,” said Martin. “It is very, very powerful.”
When he first approached Pitsco, Martin
was curious but not sold on the value of the
dragster line for the program. Would it really
add to the student experience? But, as he
collaborated with Pitsco, the vision began
to expand. “It turned out to be fantastic. It
changed the program for me.”
The Urban Youth Racing School, which
also includes courses targeting other STEM
fields such as naval technology and drones,
has made an enormous legacy in the
Philadelphia region. No other program in the
nation combines community outreach and a
motorsports emphasis in the same way. Long
propelled by word of mouth, the UYRS is now
receiving national attention.
And the program is only growing more
ambitious. Details are still under wraps, but the
school has plans for a significant expansion that
will benefit not just students but everyone in
the Philadelphia inner city. Pitsco is thrilled
to be riding along with this
unique and growing
program.