A group of Hernando County students are preparing for the race of a lifetime, underwater, against some stiff competition.
The students from Springstead High and Central High have been working on their submarines for two years.
"I can't tell you how many times I have busted my knuckles trying to fit into the tight spaces wrenching things," said James Tracy who is one of the sub pilots.
Later this month they head up to Washington D.C. to race their submarines against a few high schools and 30 universities from around the world.
"Exploring the world of engineering and science and being able to take it and make it competitive," James said.
They've been out in the Gulf of Mexico a lot lately doing some trial runs and practicing.
"The hardest part of the subs wasn't actually working on the sub, it was getting used to being underwater and scuba diving," said student Erin Tracy.
Erin is going to pilot one of the subs during the races. She says steering is the tricky part.
"You just kind of have to get in your zone and focus on the steering, I think is the biggest part," she said. "Trying not to crash into the bottom."
The last group of students from Hernando that went to the races did very well. They got first place twice and third place overall. This new group plans to carry on the winning tradition.