Commentary Box with Alistair Clarke

Joining us in the box this week is FSUK's Dynamic Event Captain and senior lecturer at Cardiff University, who shares his thoughts as we head into the 2018 season.

What common issues did you see with teams at Silverstone this year?

Lack of preparation – to turn up without a running car is disappointing to say the least, especially when the competition dates are published well in advance.  Additionally, it is still a very simple lack of attention to detail that causes teams problems – that fastener which isn’t properly torqued and comes loose, or that component which fails because of a designed-in stress concentration.  Teams often put failure down to “bad luck” but I’m a firm believer that you can do a lot to make your own luck in motorsport by preparing thoroughly.  Simple things like preparation check sheets are not rocket-science, but do mean that you can be sure that each time the car goes out, every fastener and other safety-critical item has been checked. 

What areas are still being overlooked?

There are two areas which I think teams miss, and these are linked.  The first is the value of testing.  A thorough testing programme ahead of the event where you put multiple endurance distances on the car will find many of the weaknesses in your car and allow you to fix them before the competition.  It will also develop driver skill and confidence, and will give the team chance to practice “competing” with the car.  Linked to this, I’m not sure how much vehicle set up work teams do.  You don't need flashy kit for this – some bits of wood, tape measures and lengths of string will allow you to set toe and camber, for instance.  FS cars are light enough that even cheap bathroom scales can be used to set corner weights.  Measure your tyre temperatures after a run – are they equal across the tread? Systematically try different damper settings, spring rates, cambers etc – but remember to regularly do baseline runs to remove any effects of drivers getting better or environmental conditions changing.  You can simulate many things on computer with vehicle dynamics simulations, and these can be very useful, but I strongly believe that there is no substitute for track time. 

What can teams expect at Learn to Win this year?

Advice from previous competitors, judges and event officials, in a stunning new venue.  The chance to get a “fresh pair of eyes” to look at your plans for the 2018 season.  And maybe the odd laugh or two along the way.

How important is Learn to Win for a team’s strategy?

Like many things in life, you get out of it what you put in to it!  Essentially, if a team attends Learn to Win with an open mind-set, ready to listen to other ideas and to discuss why they think their car design should take a particular direction, then Learn to Win can provide a marvellous kick-start to a team’s season. 

What are you excited about for Formula Student 2018?

I’m looking forward to seeing a celebration of this wonderful event’s history, together with hopefully a strong international field of cutting-edge race cars.  I’m also looking forward to seeing if teams take on board any of this advice!!! 

What should teams be doing in the run up to Christmas?

Audit your previous vehicle, and competitors. What worked? What didn’t work? Where could you reduce weight, improve performance or better spend your budget?  Spend time coming up with a realistic time and financial plan for the season, and stick to it rigidly.  Put in place design “gates” – hard deadlines by which the various car subsystems must be designed.  Work hard – time spent before Christmas to enable you to get a car ready early is work far more than time spent building your car two days before the event. 

Any other advice for teams this year?

Assign a role to everyone, particularly when testing your car.  Make sure people stick to their roles.  Take time to write check lists for trackside work and car preparation, and make sure you use them.  Test, test, test, and stay safe!