Bath Students Win ‘Best UK Car’ at  Formula Studentchallenging the best young engineering minds in the world

Young engineers from Bath University have won the title of ‘Best British Race Car’ at Europe’s biggest student motorsport competition, Formula Student (FS), which took place at Silverstone (13-15 July). Australia’s RMIT University were crowned overall winners of the international event which challenges students to design, build and compete in a Formula 1 style single-seater race car from scratch.

Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the event saw a record 110 teams from Iran to India take part. Bath’s Yamaha R6-powered car weighed just 196.5lbs and competed in a series of dynamic events: sprint, skid pad, endurance and acceleration (where they came 2nd) and ranked 6th overall – the top UK team. Students were also tested on design, presentation and cost assessment elements, which they presented to a group of judges drawn from industry and motorsport.

Oliver Taylor, aged 22 and studying a Masters in Automotive Engineering was FS team leader for Bath. He said the 10-strong team of engineering students were thrilled with scoring highest UK team. ‘’The competition is the only one of its kind in the world where you can design and build a racing car from the drawing board.  The whole experience of FS teaches you how to develop your academic and practical skills together to make you a better engineer and our team is already looking forward to returning next year.”  Event Chief Judge, Jon Hilton, a former Technical Director for Renault F1, was inspired by the level of technical skills used in the event. He said: ‘’Everyone has been blown away by the standard of competition including the Sporting Director of Honda Racing F1, Gil de Ferran and we were all left massively impressed and in awe of the students’ commitment.”

‘’For some students, the next step from FS is working for a Formula 1 team – they are that good. It is clearly a future technology for race cars and it’s great that students are getting into this area. Currently, no Formula 1 team is running a hybrid car – my company (Flybrid Systems LLP) is developing a F1 hybrid system that we want to run next summer – which will be a new challenge,’’ he added.This year a Low Carbon demonstration was introduced to the event. It featured a hybrid car (Oxford Brookes University) and a car (University of Hertfordshire) powered by hydrogen sourced from farm manure. 

An alternative fuelled vehicle category could be permanent in the near future year, after rules and safety guidelines have been established.

RMIT University, from Victoria, Australia, had the best performing car, but the lowest fuel consumption. Its high performance and speed was due to it weighing just 150 pounds which was the lightest car in the competition.

Dynamic Event HighlightsClass 1Acceleration: University of Applied Sciences Graz (Austria)Best UK team: University of Bath (2nd)

Skid Pad: University of Applied Sciences Graz Best UK team: Loughborough University (6th)

Sprint: Ecole de Technologie SuperieureBest UK team: Oxford Brookes University (4th)

Endurance (22km track): RMIT UniversityBest UK team: University of Bath (2nd)

Class 1 (200)Overall winner: University of HertfordshireAcceleration: Cardiff UniversitySkip Pad: Cardiff UniversitySprint: Cardiff UniversityEndurance: University of Hertfordshire

• This is the first year FS has been held at Silverstone Racing Circuit, the home of British Racing Drivers Club. FS usually forms part of the students’ academic studies, and culminates in a competition where teams from all over the world come together to race and compete against each other. FS has been supported by xxxxx• The IMechE is the global voice for mechanical engineering and supports a vast range of engineering education initiatives across schools and universities. It has over 75,000 members in 120 countries and represents mechanical engineers involved in a diversity of fields such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries to name a few.  • Restrictions are placed on the car frame and engine so the students’ knowledge, creativity, and imagination are tested. FS is backed by the Government-supported Learning Grid initiative which recognises the project’s outstanding contribution to engineering education and the promotion of engineering careers to young people. www.learninggrid.co.uk