Formula Student
As all Formula Student teams are comprised of university students, each year brings a fresh opportunity for new faces to join the competition, all of whom are eager to make their mark and contribute to their team’s car. These new members replace others that will have left naturally after graduating from their course and starting their careers.
However, this leads to the problem of knowledge transfer, where team members are either worn out from the season’s competition or simply graduate without passing on their experience to the rest of the team. Coupled with the loss of on-track experience and having an understanding of the latest rules, teams may repeat missteps during the manufacturing and testing of their car and won’t achieve consistent scoring between events.
This is equally important for teams who are making the leap from Class 2 to Class 1 or who are changing from a petrol to electric engine. Getting to grips with different regulations and the process of building your car brings its own engineering challenges.
Not to mention that team members also have a university course to study for!
Typically taking place at the end of October, Learn to Win is the first date in the diary that kickstarts the new Formula Student season and brings together the event organisers, head judges and teams to discuss the year ahead. This is especially important for new teams to get familiar with the rule and regulations and for returning teams to see how they can improve on last years’ performance. Through presentations, training and Q&A sessions, new and existing teams are given a chance to ask crucial questions and get advice from the judges and engineering specialists, often one-to-one, before the event in July.
Mark Hassall, Head Presentation Judge and previous University of Manchester FS competitor, agrees that it’s an excellent opportunity for teams.
“Learn To Win is now far more interactive, with loads of workshops sessions where teams can come to us and ask questions that we as the lead judges can answer as best and as honestly as we can. This is much better than us just standing there and telling teams what we think they need to hear… teams bring us the right questions and get the most advice and value out of joining.”
Previous events held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ London headquarters have seen dozens of university teams attend. While those from UK universities, make the majority of those attending, Learn to Win also welcomes international teams from across the world, including Iceland in 2016.
However, it’s not just technical and engineering expertise that sees the teams achieve top places at the competition, as teams are also scored on their financial acumen, business savvy and presentation skills. With this in mind, teams who attend Learn to Win often split up to take advantage of the dedicated session with business and media experts. With their advice, team members in charge of sponsorship efforts and project management will ensure that their car is ready in time to compete at Silverstone.
Head Design Judge Neill Anderson strongly supports this strategy. Having been involved in the Formula Student competition since 2001, he feels that the importance of Learn to Win cannot be understated:
“Learn to Win is the first brave step on the road to the new season that will help you consider all the important decisions and to recognise and review any concerns before Christmas – rather than the last few weeks before Silverstone! Getting off to a good start through Learn To Win means that they can design and create the best car they can within their resources and yet still exceed their own expectations and so make the most of the Formula Student season.”
This year's Learn to Win event will be taking place on 13 October 2017, with a new venue for 2018. Teams will be heading to the heart of British Manufacturing prowess at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. To get involved and book your team,
visit the website or call
0207 973 1260 for details.