Formula Student
The first striking thing about the University of Loughborough’s campus is just how many of the team’s previous cars are on show, with examples going back as far as 2011 sharing space with jet engines and aeroplanes. All share their distinctive colour scheme, together with some fluorescent trim that not all members of the team are set on.
The reason for the large number of cars is born from the decision to build a totally new car each year. “Because we compete at FS Czech, FS East and apply for FS Germany, we feel it’s better safe than sorry to have a new car that will be compliant with the latest rules rather than adapting an old design” explained Kieran Barker, the team’s Head of Powertrain. The practical upshot is that the team have a lot of work to do each year, though given their track record they are very used to this process and a new car to build means that new members of the team can get involved straight away.
Speaking of team members, this year will see quite a number of changes in the team roster as second year automotive engineering students come on board to replace those who have gone on placements this year. With around 7 working at notable organisations including Racing Point Force India F1, Williams Advanced Engineering, Mercedes AMG F1, Aston Martin Red Bull and ZF, those who return for the 2020 competition will come back with fresh skills to inject into that team. Meanwhile for 2018/2019, the strategy for the 20-strong teams centres around what Monty dubs “Resource Management”, ensuring that the team can build a car that performs just as well as this year and continue to make minor improvements across the board.
When it comes to improvements, car weight is first on the agenda this year. Through the design and production of an alternative frame, composite panels, lighter wheels and other changes, the team are aiming for a target of an 8kg reduction to their total mass. “We look at some of the top performing German teams and how they approach their designs for inspiration and a way to benchmark our own work” explained Monty.
As for other areas to improve upon this year, Kieran freely admits that the static competition has been their Achilles’ Heel for several years. While they have been improving in the Cost and Business presentations, the team’s new Head of Static Events, Kishan Patel, is all too aware of the effort needed to up their game. “Currently I’m busy working on jigs for the new car” he explained “so I can’t necessarily start on preparing for the static events until the essential work is done”. While there are friendly jokes about him juggling tasks and looking uneasy at the task ahead, it’s clear that Kishan at least knows what he’s getting in to and the hope is that these improvements will propel the team into the 600+ points tier.
As for the outcomes from the summer’s events, things were very positive in 2018. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved this year: securing tenth place at the UK event and also being the top ranked car with a Triumph engine” says Monty, who also picked up the award for Class 1 Top Individual Driver at the UK competition in the summer. Their favourite moment? Having had some “Aero troubles” during testing at FS East, managing to get the damage repaired in only three hours and then being able to complete the endurance was a massive highlight this year. “The crowd of other teams and spectators loved us, it was a great reaction after suffering that blow in testing” said Kieran. “Being able to get the car back on the track in such a short space of time and then ready for FS Czech was just amazing; the team really came together in a professional way - the competitive nature of the event brought out the best in us.”
“We also feel that we did well in the Acceleration event in UK” continued Monty. “despite having issues with our gear shifter that meant we weren’t as fast off the line in the top 6 run off that we would have liked, so next year we’re targeting a sub 4 second Acceleration run.” “Having sponsorship from Triumph makes a lot of difference and we’re now quite familiar with our engine to achieve this” adds Kieran. “We turbocharge ours and together with our custom package get the most performance ensuring we do not encounter engine knock”. Aside from their close relationship with engine manufacturer Triumph, the team are also looking forward to the first chance to work with E85 fuel this year. As a result of securing a third place win at a BP-lead design event, LUMotorsport will benefit from free lubricants, fuel and technical assistance for their 2019 competition entries and they hope that this additional support will translate into better performance on track. With these improvements, together with some earlier testing at nearby Bruntingthorpe and Tattershall, the team are looking to build on this year’s successes and retain their title of being the top Triumph-powered team in the UK.
A massive thanks to LUMotorsport for their time in being interviewed last week. A well organised team, they always put on a strong performance on track and are definitely a team to watch out for come Silverstone next summer. We look forward to seeing how they overcome their challenges this year and perform at the upcoming competitions in the UK and Europe. In the meantime, catch up with LUMotorsport on their website and social channels as they get their car ready!
Website: http://www.lumotorsport.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lumotorsport
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lumotorsport
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lumotorsport/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LUMotorsport