A JET-HEELED science teacher is bracing himself for a 3,000-mile dash across the Australian outback after being made an MBE.

Dr Andrew Spiers, who is director of science and technology at Ardingly College, was included on the New Year’s Honours list for services to education after leading a team of school pupils in the construction of a solar-powered racing car.

The eco-car has been designed for next year’s instalment of the World Solar Challenge, a long-distance race across some of the wildest terrain in Australia.

The project has caught the eye of Prince Albert of Monaco, with the multi-millionaire philanthropist reaching into his pocket to part-fund the venture.

Dr Spiers and his young mechanics are aiming to score a UK first by lasting the course entirely on solar power.

“We’re learning together, which is part of the fun,” said Dr Spiers.

“With an uncluttered brain, they come up with the most wonderful ideas that you think are totally crazy at first.

“We are hoping they will go off to university with the desire to make a difference.”

Dr Spiers said his engineering team - which is more than 30 per cent girls - was bucking the trend.

He said: “There’s such a shortage of female engineers, but we are putting them on the world stage.”

He admitted his science career had not got off to the smoothest of starts.

“I used to take apart my father’s watches,” he said.

“I could never put them back together again, so it was a case of unfinished business for me.”

The car will hit a maximum speed of 70 miles an hour.

But Dr Spiers said the journey from Darwin to Adelaide was not to be taken lightly.

“It’s not for the faint-hearted,” he said.

“There are a lot of things wanting to kill you out there.”

He said he had not opened the envelope containing his MBE for several days because he thought it was a tax demand.

He added: “It turns out some of my ex-students put me forward for it, so it’s quite humbling.”