The challenge: build a self-propelled vehicle, drive it to a ravine, lower a bridge, cross the gap, retract the bridge, drive to pick up a flag, then repeat the procedure on the return journey.

At Liscombe Park, the two teams must build a self-propelled vehicle that can drive a short – but not necessarily straight – distance to a ravine approximately 5 metres (16 feet) wide. The vehicle must lower the bridge, use it to cross the gap and, on the other side, raise the bridge back on to itself. The vehicle can carry the team or they can walk separately across the bridge. The vehicle then drives a short distance to pick up a flag, returns to the ravine to repeat the process, then races to the finish line. The teams may opt for totally different approaches – for instance, a light frame mounted on bicycles or a heavy-duty track on the back of a truck.

Click here for Robert's dramatic interpretation of a bridging machine.

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