Please introduce your university and team!
Brunel University London has had a team competing in Formula Student since the beginning in 1999. As Brunel has one of the most well respected powertrain research facilities in the country we have always built combustion cars and for some time now this has been petrol (though watch this space!).
The team is made up of around 25 students mainly in mechanical engineering, but also some from other engineering disciplines as well as business and marketing. The team has a team principal, with managers of different engineering and non-engineering areas, such as aerodynamics and marketing.
How close are you to finishing your car?
There’s still plenty to do but build is moving on apace, designs are finished; and we’re getting close to being able to begin assembly.
How does your team organise your workload?
We have a great team principal that keeps everyone on track with weekly meetings as well as an incredibly active WhatsApp group. We also have a group of volunteers, managed by our more experienced members, who help with tasks and organising events.
What is new and exciting for your team in 2018?
The Brunel team for 2018 has little prior experience within the Formula Student competition. This brings some challenges but also fresh ideas. We’re also entering into the 2nd year of an excellent partnership with Bosch UK which allows a one stop shop for all electronics. The car is very much an evolution of 2017’s successful entry, with a larger focus on aerodynamic improvements.
What have been your biggest challenges this year and how have you overcome these?
A lack of experienced team members with the competition however, the help of colleagues on placement and alumni has been invaluable. The partnership with Bosch UK also means we’ll be well prepared come race weekend.
What are your objectives for this year’s competition?
Following on from last year’s 11th place finish, this year’s objectives are to achieve a top 5 UK team finish and a top 10 overall finish at Silverstone.
We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, what are you celebrating in 2018?
Hopefully, we will be celebrating achieving our objectives successfully! However, 2019 will be our 20th anniversary competing in Formula Student, so watch this space for something special!
What made you join Formula Student?
There are so many reasons why we joined Formula Student, some of us for the prestige, some for the experience, some inspired by past members of the team. But whatever our reason for joining was, we’ll leave with far much more.
What’s your proudest moment at Formula Student?
Team Principal: My proudest moment so far was at a bitterly cold test day in January. This was the first time we’d had to dismantle the car to fix a problem away from the workshop. As a group of inexperienced individuals, we banded together to resolve the issue. It was a great demonstration of teamwork which put our knowledge and skills to the test in a physically and mentally stressful environment. This collaboration really gave the team confidence in themselves and each other for the coming year. I am very proud to be part of this team and I cannot wait for competition!
What do Brunel Racing bring to the competition?
Unfathomable determination to achieve our goals in a motivating atmosphere.
What advice would you give for fellow teams?
Don’t over complicate things, it’s best to keep things simple and build a car early to get plenty of testing rather than attempt overcomplicate the design and build.
How can we keep up to date with you?
We’re really active on various social media, follow us!
Twitter: @brunelracing
Facebook: brunelracing
Instagram: @brunelracing
And our website is www.brunelracing.com
About Bosch UK
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