Students aim for careers in motorsport

Students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath are aiming to launch careers in motor sport by winning this year's Formula Student competition.

The eyes of the motor racing world may be on Melbourne this weekend for the start of the 2003 Formula 1 Championship, but 13 students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath are focusing on their bid to launch their own careers in motor sport by winning this year's Formula Student competition.

BURT03 is the result of an 18-month project to design and construct a single-seater racing car that will be tested against universities from all over the UK, as well as Europe, South Africa and the USA, at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, near Leicester, in June.

The Formula Student competition challenges university teams to design and build a small single seater-racing car to a predetermined set of rules.

The teams must produce the best car they can, assuming a production run of 100 cars.

The vehicles are then judged for innovation and design against a set of criteria and an overall winner is declared.

BURT03 was placed 1st in the Design Class competition last year and is currently under construction for this year's Class 1 Dynamic competition.

Its design attracted particular interest for its innovative transmission system and gasoline direct injection and forced induction systems.

The team is investigating possible development of the car for traditional Autocross and Hillclimbing and plan to compete in the 2003 Class 1 Australian Formula Student competition later in the year.

The team has also been developing an all wheel drive system with technical help from Parker-Hannifin.

The system maintains a conventional mechanical chain drive to the rear wheels while utilising a unique hydraulic transmission to the front of the car.

The aim of the system is to improve the acceleration and handling of BURT03, both critical factors in the Formula Student dynamic events.

This system is a first for the Formula and promises to be a very exciting development within the competition, and possibly beyond.

Unlike the multi-million-pound budgets of the Formula 1 racing teams, BURT03 will be produced for around GBP 10,000 - a tall order for a machine capable of speeds up to 160km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100km/h in well under 4s.

The Formula Student competition includes three essential elements - business, design and performance.

Each team has to create a fictional company to manufacture the proposed car for the non-professional weekend racer at the rate of four a day.

Every aspect of the business must be considered, including financial accounting, factory layout, legal and safety aspects, human resources and operations, supply chain management and a marketing and business strategy.

Also included in the business plan is sponsorship and BURT has attracted financial support from several major companies including Castrol, KPMG and Perkins.

The design element is judged on a range of criteria, including cost, performance, reliability, adjustability and driveability.

The rules state: "The car that illustrates the best use of engineering to meet the design goals and the best understanding of the design by the team members will win the design event".

The final proof of any car is performance and the design of BURT03 will be put to the test on the track this summer.

Construction of the car began last month and is due to be completed by the end of April in time for extensive testing before the big day in June.

All 13 members of the BURT03 team are studying automotive engineering at the University.

Ten of the 13 completed a year in industry either before or during their university course, two at the Castrol International Engineering Centre and two at Lotus Engineering.

The team includes one woman, Amy Barker, who races her own kart with great success in regional and national competitions.

Each member of the team is responsible for developing an aspect of the car in one of four areas - engine, transmission, suspension and body - under the leadership of technical director, James McMicking.

"Formula Student provides a platform from which undergraduate engineers can gain real, hands-on experience in a pressured and challenging environment", says McMicking.

"Our team works closely with the motor sport industry, using cutting edge technology and innovation, providing a learning experience second to none".

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