17 November 2010
DRIVE team to take to the track at Knockhill
The University of Dundee's Formula Student motor racing team, DRIVE, will be putting their engineering, manufacturing and racing skills to the test when they take to the track against other student teams from across Scotland next week.
The DRIVE (Dundee University Race Innovation and Vehicle Engineering) teamwill go up against other Formula Student teams from across Scotland in a live race at Knockhill Racing Circuit on Wednesday, 24th November.
The Formula Student Scotland Track Day Event has been organised at Knockhill, who are the sponsors of all Scottish teams this season. This means that they will provide the use of their testing facilities free of charge to the teams, who will all come together for the event next week.
Each team, representing the Universities of Heriot Watt, Dundee, Strathclyde, and Aberdeen, will begin the day by making a five-minute presentation setting out the details of their car, design plans, and aspirations for the coming season.
Live car demonstrations will then take place on the Knockhill track itself, while testing facilities will be provided as required. The day gives teams the chance to have a close look at their rivals and test their cars out against each other in a time-trial environment.
Dr Alan Slade, of the University’s Mechanical Engineering department and DRIVE’s Academic Co-ordinator, said the Track Day represented a great chance for the students to test their creation on a real race track.
'This is a good opportunity for the team to get some valuable practice in, and it’s great that Knockhill are sponsoring all the Scottish teams by giving free track time,' he said.
'This will actually be the last time this car is raced, although it will still be used for practice and testing. We are carrying on with the process of getting a new car finished for next year. This will be finished in time for the culmination of the project - the yearly race at Silverstone. We’ll also be taking part in other races and events between now and then.
'The team are practicing and fine-tuning the car all the time, and we’re hoping to make a big jump in performance this year. The car that we will be racing at Knockhill is 140 kilos lighter than the first version, and we’re hoping to shed a further 10 -15 kilos for next year's car.
'The cars are definitely getting better every year. We have invested in a state of-the-art engine for the 2011 car, and we will be using more lightweight materials in the car, and the team is learning from experience.'
Formula Student promotes careers and excellence in engineering by providing the students with a real-life exercise in design and manufacture and the business elements of automotive engineering.
It gives practical experience of working as a team, under pressure and to tight timescales. It demands total commitment, lots of late nights, and many frustrations and challenges along the way, but the net result is the development of highly talented young engineers.
DRIVE has been set up to further the reputation of the University, and to provide its students with a unique opportunity to experience a "real world" challenge and develop the skills learnt in the lecture theatre.
The project is run by students who dedicate time outside their courses to design, build, test and finally race the Formula-style car. The ultimate aim of DRIVE is to prepare students for the challenges and problems that the real world may throw at them and to produce better educated and well rounded engineering graduates.
In their first competition at Silverstone in 2009, the DRIVE team came 40th out of 82 teams. They moved up a place earlier this year, and are hoping the new car will see them break the top 20 in 2011.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
