Engineering students at Hatfield’s University of Hertfordshire have unveiled a racing car they have designed to challenge the world.

The University of Hertfordshire enlisted racing driver and television presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson to launch its latest car, known as UH20.

The university has competed in the international Formula Student event since 1998, and claims to be the most successful in the race series ever.

At Wednesday’s launch, Vicki Butler-Henderson said: “The design and the hard work that has gone into developing the car is incredibly impressive and I’d love to return at some point in the future to give it a test run.

“It is fantastic to see the dedication of these young engineers and I have great admiration for them all.

“Motorsport is a hugely competitive industry, but these talented young people are already taking great strides towards become the next generation of world-class engineers. I wish them all the very best for their future careers.”

Final year student Tariq Willis said: “Our team members have been working tirelessly to produce an even more efficient and advanced design, to top previous cars, and we are delighted with the result, as this design does show great progress.

“We hope UH20 will lead us to victory this year, as we head out to compete internationally against other top Formula Student teams.”

The new car features improvements such as direct damping suspension, custom-designed brake callipers and better aerodynamics .

In coming months, it will be raced against other student-designed cars from across the world, in locations such as Silverstone and the Czech Republic.