UCLan team wins Dynamic Event at Formula Student Race
Engineering students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) are celebrating after a car they rebuilt in a matter of weeks won an event at a national race.
The nine strong team of second year students won the Dynamic Event at the annual Formula Student Race at Silverstone, run by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMeche) with more than 35 student race teams from across the country in attendance.
Known as the testing ground for the next generation of cutting-edge engineers, Formula Student invites student teams to design, build, test, and race a small-scale formula style racing car.
"To essentially have the best dynamic car, having only built it two weeks prior, and put UCLan up there on the main stage with the best teams in the UK is something everyone who worked on the car should be proud of. "
— Second year motorsport engineering student Jack Smith
The Dynamic Event focuses on the car’s performance including acceleration, handling, sprint and endurance, with the UCLan race team coming top overall.
Second year motorsport engineering student Jack Smith was part of the student race team who took the vehicle to Formula Student. He said: “When we received the award at the ceremony, we just couldn't believe it.
"To essentially have the best dynamic car, having only built it two weeks prior, and put UCLan up there on the main stage with the best teams in the UK is something everyone who worked on the car should be proud of. It makes me excited for the next race and I've even already begun working on parts to improve the car!”
Fellow team member Dominik Luczak said: “This competition provides a great deal of hands-on experiences.
"We get to implement things that we learn as part of our courses, including CAD software, simulation software, project management techniques, design principles and mathematical principles. "
— Second year UCLan engineering student Dominik Luczak
“We get to implement things that we learn as part of our courses, including CAD software, simulation software, project management techniques, design principles and mathematical principles. This gives us the opportunity to see why certain ideas work in the virtual world of CAD but when manufactured and tested they fail to perform their task, which in turn shows the importance of different engineering principles and why we learn them.”
The team also won a prize for Most Entertaining Driver and the fastest hot lap in a bonus event.
Senior engineering lecturer Dr Graham Calderbank worked with the students on the project. He added: “This is a really major event and a fantastic achievement for the students. It is the best overall placing we’ve had and something I imagine the students will remember for a long time.”
