Press releases
Thousands of the world’s best young engineers are heading to Silverstone on 8-12 July to compete at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Formula Student competition.
Formula Student is the world’s largest student motorsport event and challenges student engineers to design, build and race a single seat racing car in one year. There will be 135 teams in total, with 49 from the UK and teams from as far afield as Australia, Turkey and Ukraine. For a full list of competitors: Formula Student 2015 Teams.
Last year’s winners Delft University of Technology, from The Netherlands, will return to compete in July alongside the top UK car from Oxford Brookes University. The cars are judged on their speed, acceleration, handling and endurance in a series of time-trial races, while the teams are tested on their design, costing and business presentation skills.
In addition to the main competition, the full-scale model of the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car will also be on display on Saturday 11 July, and the prototype wheelchair being designed by a group of Institution members to help a disabled athlete reach the top of Kilimanjaro will also be on show. The Bosch Diesel EcoChallenge will also be taking place on Thursday 9 July ― in this competition Bosch and Ford challenge university teams to put forward a team of four to compete to be the most economical drivers, by going through a series of practical tests and a quiz.
Professor Richard Folkson, President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and former Chief Judge of Formula Student, said ahead of the competition:
“Formula Student is a hotbed of the best young engineering talent around the world. Apart from a number of former competitors joining Formula One teams, Formula Student is a hugely valuable experience for any young engineer.
“It gives students the hands-on experience, working in teams, of what is involved in developing a car from start to finish ― from financing, project planning and design, through to the final construction and maintenance of the vehicle.
“I’m looking forward to seeing all the innovations in this year’s cars, which could well be the innovations we end up seeing in our own family cars in a few years’ time.
“With a number of previous winners back to compete at this year’s competition, 2015 looks set to be a very tight contest.”
Formula Student Partners for 2015 are Robert Bosch UK, Mercedes Benz HPP, GKN and MathWorks.