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The Sussex Racing team

Sussex Racing, the University of Sussex’s Formula Student team, has received £3,000 through one of six grants awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), recognising their innovation and ambition ahead of the 2026 Formula Student competition. 

Each year, students from universities across the globe design, build, and race single-seater cars at Silverstone, the iconic home of the British Grand Prix. This year, Sussex Racing was selected for funding to enhance their car and strengthen their chances at the 2026 event, which will take place from 15 to 19 July.  

For the first time, the team is developing a hybrid race car, introducing new technical challenges. Led by Engineering students, the team comprises Sussex students from a range of disciplines, including business, computer science, and psychology, all of whom work on the project alongside their studies. 

Will Bushby, Team Lead, said: “Switching to a hybrid vehicle has been a major change for the team this year. I am extremely proud of the team for all their effort and believe that by winning this award it shows just how hard they are working and how confident others are when they see the current progress.

"This award will allow us to upgrade our Electric Control Unit (ECU) to be able to develop advanced hybrid deployment strategies whilst also feeding the data into one shared data logger, without this upgrade we would of had to use one ECU per system (Engine and Motor) which would severely limit our capabilities. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the IMechE and I am so grateful to them for their support.” 

The University of Sussex has a strong history with Formula Student, having last received IMechE funding in 2018. The team’s most successful year to date was 2021, when they finished 15th overall and achieved 2nd place in the business project ranking. 

Izzie Alderton, Sponsors & Corporate Lead, said: “We are really proud to have been selected after eight years especially on a commercial side as it allows us to increase our awareness and scope.” 

In addition to receiving funding from the IMechE, the team will now benefit from expert guidance provided by industry mentors. Lee Wall (Ford) and Julie Cheung (BAE Systems) will meet with the students, offering advice on operations and budgeting. Both mentors, who served on the funding panel, will also act as judges in the Formula Student competition.

Yusif A, Electrical & LV Hybrid System Lead, commented on the hybrid transition: “This funding allows us to source a cutting-edge ECU, acting as one united brain for the entire car. Bridging the gap between our combustion and electrical systems is critical for a hybrid, and this upgrade gives us the exact precision and control we need to push our limits at the competition this summer.” 

Dan Everett, Chief Engineer, added: “It was a really proud moment to hear we won the IMechE financial award. I get to see the work the team puts in daily to bring Sussex's first hybrid car into reality, and now knowing the IMechE sees that same effort and has gifted this award to help us reach our full potential makes the hard work even more rewarding. This award will allow us to have a fully integrated control system for the electric motor and unlocks performance we thought wouldn't be possible this year. I can only thank the team and IMechE and can't wait to see the finished car race at Silverstone.” 

Formula Student is one of the world’s leading student motorsport competitions, drawing over 100 university teams each July. Teams are judged by industry experts on their car’s design, build, and business case, offering a unique platform for students to showcase their engineering talent and for companies to connect with future innovators. 

Learn more about Formula Student at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers website.