Off the back of the most successful year in UBRacing’s history, the Team has been working on a number of exciting developments to continue improving and ensure success in the 2016 Formula Student season. With the design of the car completed in December, the manufacturing process is now well underway, and every member of the Team is continuing to work hard as the car comes together. The manufacture of our composite chassis is now complete and finished parts are beginning to populate the lab, waiting for their first assembly. The Team has also secured one of the coveted awards offered by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to all Formula Student teams for the second year running.
We have now completed our new carbon fibre folded monocoque which is one of the driving factors of this year’s design. This drastic change implemented in the chassis department will help improve handling thanks to a reduction in weight and improvement in structural rigidity. The monocoque will be joined to the steel space frame at the rear of the car to form the skeleton of our 19th car, UBR19. The engine, the pulsating heart of the single seater, is currently being calibrated on our dynamometer cell by our Powertrain team. It’s been an exciting second term for all our designers who have enjoyed the feeling of receiving finished components, the result of hard work and many a sleepless night spent on CAD.
You can have a look at some of the aluminum fish inserts that will go to reinforce our aerodynamics package, which will certainly give the Team an edge this year, downforce aiding the performance of the car in cornering.
It is an honour to win a Formula Student award granted by the IMechE for the second year in a row. The support we have received from the Institution is a great source of recognition and motivation for our Team to continue working hard to achieve another great result at the 2016 competition in Silverstone. The work ethic within the Team, our constant determination to innovate and drive build on our heritage were key factors in securing this accolade, showing once again that Formula Student is one of the most exciting and rewarding projects an engineer can get involved with while at university.
In February, we had the opportunity to meet MP Mark Garnier as part of his visit to the University. Mark showed great enthusiasm and interest our achievements and our plans for future success, sharing with us his own experience as a racing driver.
We are now stocking up on energy for the demanding months ahead. Keep an eye on our website www.ubracing.co.uk and follow UBRacing on Twitter @UBRacing and Facebook to make sure you don’t miss any of the updates on the way to the 2016 Formula Student event! #UBRoadToSilverstone
As well as gearing up for competition we are also counting down to the annual EPS Societies’ Awards and hope to maintain our strong reputation. If you are or have been part of UBRacing, or have enjoyed reading about our activities this year please nominate us!
With best wishes,
Francesca Cardilli
Team Principal 2015-16