Huddersfield Formula Student car tops British entries
Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:55:00 BST
Team HARE comes 15th overall to lead British universities
The Huddersfield Formula Student team is this year’s top British entry in the international competition at Silverstone.
This year’s competition, run annually by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), welcomed 90 entries and the University’s Team HARE (pictured at Siverstone) topped the British contingent coming 15th overall.
The competition, held at the Silverstone Racing Circuit in Northamptonshire, requires teams to design and build a single-seater racing car from scratch and is described by the IMechE as the “testing ground for the next generation of young engineers”.
The vehicles are judged on cost, presentation and design, before taking on the technical challenge categories of acceleration, sprint, handling, efficiency and, probably the hardest and most demanding for all the vehicles, the endurance test.
Level pegging in most areas, Team HARE’s car (pictured with team leaders (l-r) Karina Zarla (Manager - Suspension and Sponsorship/Promotion), Luke Barron (Overall Team Leader and Powertrain), Stuart Hague (Manager - Chassis and Submissions) and Christian Young (Manager - Drivetrain and Finances), simply known as HARE 13, stormed through on endurance and reliability.
In temperatures reaching over 33 degrees, many cars were found wanting in the searing heat at the Silverstone track.
Huddersfield clocked 120.5 points in the endurance test and took 12th place in the test leaving many teams behind, some trailing by 100 and more points in the test.
Engineering tutor John Baron, who is responsible for co-ordinating the student team, was delighted with the performance and the overall position.
“All the teams have to produce a new car to enter the Formula Student,” said Mr Baron. “The team looked at our previous cars and took from them the things that worked well, re-designed the things that didn’t work so well, lost around 20 kgs of weight and came up with a new design that proved to be a winner.”
Team HARE are now able to use the HARE 13 in the up-coming competitions in Hungary and Spain – the rules state that the vehicle can be used for a year from its first competition.
However, this also gives some of the German and Austria universities an advantage over their British counterparts, as Mr Baron explains: “A car can be used for twelve months. The German competition is next month so the teams that enter that competition first have had chance to perfect their cars and eliminate any problems by the time they bring their vehicle to Silverstone eleven months later.
“Obviously the rules can’t be changed, but it would be nice if there was a prize given to the highest-ranked vehicle which was entering its first event. This would certainly be an incentive for teams from Britain, Ireland and France.”
HARE 13 is pictured with the University's locomotive that recently won the IMechE Railway Challenge.
The Formula Student team members at the University of Huddersfield include those who are studying on the five-year MEng Engineering courses and BEng and BSc Engineering courses. All the team undertakes the Formula Student competition over and above their studies and many, who have graduated this year, are foregoing the opportunity to start their career to be with the team in Hungary and Spain in August.
“The team spirit has been tremendous all year,” added Mr Baron. “We currently have a really good cohort of students in the fourth year of the MEng Engineering programme and they will form the backbone of next year’s Team HARE.”
