Institution news
Seventeen Formula Student teams came to Learn to Win at One Birdcage Walk, including a team from the University of Iceland – the first ever international team to attend the event.
Learn to Win supports universities as they get ready for the Formula Student competition. The day of presentations, training and feedback is the only chance they have to ask crucial questions and get advice from the head judges, engineering specialists, Formula Student graduates and business experts, often one-to-one, before the event in July.
Thomas Simpson, Vehicle Dynamics Engineer at Team Bath Racing – the UK’s top-ranking Formula Student team in 2016 – said of the event: “Learn to Win is an indispensable resource for Formula Student teams. It’s not just about the access to judges and getting a first-hand experience of rule changes, Learn to Win provides teams with the opportunity to network and discuss ideas among themselves – as well as to exchange some healthy competitive banter.
“Kicking off the season’s calendar, Learn to Win marks the proverbial starting line from which the real Formula Student race begins; all teams should be working right from the event, embracing the advice of the judges. Team Bath Racing took away plenty from the experience; information that we have fed into our team’s plan and structure and this will allow us to prioritise ahead of FSUK 2017.
“We feel well prepared to defend our title as the top UK team and have our sights set on a top 3 world ranking at the end of the season. We hope the other teams are as excited as we are to settle things on the track.”
The University of Brighton will be taking part in Formula Student for the first time in 2017. After attending Learn to Win, Dr Daniel Coren, the University’s Formula Student Coordinator, said: “Learn to Win is now firmly established as a ’must-attend’ event for the University of Brighton. Our team has already felt the benefit from face to face interaction with the judges, advisors and software supplier support teams. See you next year!”
Audur Gudjonsdottir, of Icelandic team Spark, said: “It was very important for us to hear the judges’ perspective on all the different events - what they think is important and unimportant. Also, getting to hear the changes that will be made so early so that we can have time to prepare appropriately was incredibly beneficial.
“Most valuable was certainly the opportunity to speak with the experts one-on-one and hear what the other teams are doing. With correct preparation you can probably learn more there with them in a day than you can in a month at home.”
Neill Anderson, Head Design Judge, added: “Learn to Win provides a unique opportunity for prospective FS teams to gain an advantage by talking directly to judges to gain better understanding of specific areas of the competition, be it queries over rules, the judging process or document submissions.
“Although the ‘experts’ aren’t able to tell you how to design your car, they are able to highlight what judges expect of the students - and all of this before you commit to manufacture!”
Formula Student 2017 is predicted to have more entries than ever and Institution organisers still need more volunteers to help with the event at Silverstone.
More information
Registration opens on 9 January 2017. Teams can apply via our Formula Student pages. Formula Student 2017 will take place on 13-16 July 2017 (provisional dates). To view video interviews and resources, visit the Formula Student YouTube channel.