2 September 2011

DRIVE team set for weekend action

Picture shows the DRIVE team at Silverstone. Picture supplied by Donna Robbins of Hogghouse Productions.

The University of Dundee’s DRIVE Formula Student team is heading to the famous Prescott Hill Climb this weekend as guests of the Bugatti Owners Club.

The team has been invited to attend the two-day event, which is a round of the British Hill Climb Championships and Midland Hill Climb Championships, and will give demonstration runs up the hill on Saturday and Sunday. The 1127-yard course rises over 200 feet via short straights, fast and slow corners, and a breathtaking hairpin, with the fastest cars completing the course in an exciting 36 seconds.

Dr Alan Slade, the team’s academic coordinator, said, 'This is the third time we have been invited to attend an event at Prescott, and it is all good experience for the team to run the car at such a famous event.

'They get exposure to some very knowledgeable people who have been building and racing motorcycle-engined race cars for a long time, and the good thing is that they are very happy to talk to the team, answer their questions and give them lots of good advice. Every year we have taken a different car so it is interesting to see how much we improve year-on-year.'

The DRIVE team are based in the Mechanical Engineering building at the University of Dundee and can be contacted by telephone on 01382 384925 or by e-mail at DRIVE@dundee.ac.uk. Dr. Slade can be contacted on 01382 385160.

Notes to editors:

About the Bugatti Owners’ Club
The Club was established in 1929 with the express objective of promoting motor sport and the pastime of motoring; to hold and arrange races, matches, competitions and time trials. The Club welcomes all motoring enthusiasts.

The Bugatti Owners' Club (BOC) purchased the Prescott estate in 1937 and commenced converting the muddy, rutted drive into a speed hill climb ready for the opening rally in April 1938, when the current Club President, Earl Howe, opened proceedings by driving his type 57 Bugatti up the Hill. Today Prescott is the home of the Bugatti Owners Club. A wide variety of clubs events are held throughout the year at Prescott and other venues throughout the UK and overseas.

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