IMechE grant for Huddersfield’s Formula Student Team HARE
Professor Tony Unsworth (bottom left) meets with the University’s Team HARE to give the sum of £2,500 towards the cost of competing later this year in Formula Student 2014
Thu, 24 Apr 2014 16:00:00 BST
The Huddersfield team topped the British university entries in 2013 Formula Student competition
AS they prepare for another tough season in the international Formula Student contest – which requires them to design, build and test an advanced racing car – students at the University of Huddersfield, who were the best in Britain last year, have received backing from the world’s most eminent engineering organisation.
Pictured: Professor Unsworth is shown around Team HARE's workshop where the students explained the design of the car they will be using in the Formula Student competition over the summer.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), which was founded in 1847, has granted the University’s Team HARE the sum of £2,500 towards the cost of competing in 2014, after students made an application, drawing up a successful case for the award. A cheque for the money was presented in person by Professor Tony Unsworth, a leading engineer, academic and former Vice-President of the IMechE, which runs Formula Student in the UK.
The contest is widely acknowledged to be the most demanding of its kind and universities across the globe take up the annual challenge to design and build a single-seat racing car in order to compete in static and dynamic events.
Formula Student is a key part of the IMechE’s mission is to produce new generations of talented engineers and when Professor Unsworth came to Huddersfield he met the student team and discussed progress on the new car, which will compete at the Formula Student round that takes place at Silverstone on 10-13 July, moving on to events in Germany and Hungary during August.
Top of the British universities
Members of this year’s Team HARE are hoping to emulate or beat the 2013 performance, when Huddersfield was the top British university at the Silverstone round. Up against a total of 90 international entries, from countries such as the USA and India as well as European universities, Team HARE came in at a highly impressive 15th place overall.
Each round of the competition includes static events, such as presentations in which students describe the car and make a business case for the vehicle, justifying the level of investment in the project, which can amount to £40,000 or more.
In this video Professor Unsworth talks about the importance of the Formula Student competition to both the students and to employers.
Then it is on to track events that include tests of acceleration and handling, plus a sprint in which drivers aim for the quickest time over a circuit.
The University of Huddersfield has been taking part in Formula Student since 1998 and every year a new car has been developed, with special goals being set. This year, for example, the car’s dashboard, with its complex electronics, has been fully designed and constructed in-house for the first time. This was aided by the fact that Team HARE – more than 30 strong – has electronic engineering students in its ranks.
Overall, the team comprises 20 Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) students and 12 Master of Engineering (MEng) students, for whom Formula Student is a group project built into their course.
Employers have much to gain
Formula Student at the University of Huddersfield is co-ordinated by senior lecturer John Baron. He is in no doubt of the educational value of the annual challenge.
“The students learn how to manage a technical project and they have to compete against all the other universities. I am often impressed by how they cope with the competition, having to keep the car going when things go wrong. Last year in Hungary, there was a major suspension collapse and the team had four days to get it all repaired and be ready for the next event. They had to drive all the way from Hungary to Spain and fix a car on the way!”
Engineering employers too have much to gain from Formula Student, added Mr Baron.
“They get to recruit people who can cope with pressure – students who have been subjected to a lot of stress and got through it successfully.”
- Team HARE attracts significant levels of sponsorship, including backing from local companies including:
- Thomas Brown Engineering Ltd (Complex machining) based in Huddersfield
- Denso Marston (Radiator and Fuel tank manufacture) based in Shipley
- Tri-Cast (Carbon Fibre rods) based in Rochdale
- Water Jet UK (Water Jet Machining) based in Halifax
For a full comprehensive list of the team's current sponsors please click on the link. You can follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.
