Driver Anna Dugard

Engineering students were lapping up the plaudits at the launch of their Formula Student racing car at the University of Sussex.

There’s been no time for a pit stop for any of the five drivers.  Driver and Product Design  student Anna Dugard (pictured) said: “It’s brilliant to be able to reveal the car to our families and sponsors.  There’s been a lot of hard work and sleepless nights, especially in the last couple of days!  I just want to get to Silverstone now to show the other teams what Sussex can do!”

This year's team members are: Mike Andrews, Adam Wilton, Mike Preston, Steve Landsdowne,  Stan Smith, Jack Bergquist, Angelos Masouras, Charidemos Levadiotis, Daniele de Anna, Mina Samaan, Martin Jones, Alejandro Balbastro, Paolo Corsini, Tom Williams, Chris Henderson, and Hannah Newey, Cho Daehyun who are all studying for degrees in engineering, and product design undergraduate Chris Davies and Anna Dugard.

Also attending the event was world land speed record breaker and team patron Richard Noble OBE and Adrian Newey, Technical Director of Red Bull Racing.

The students have been working at full speed since last summer on their 2009 entry.  Usually teams enter the non racing elements of the competition in their first year, but the Sussex ‘petrol heads’ worked right through the summer to enable them to get a race ready car by July 09.

The team were assisted by academics and technicians in the Engineering department including Head of Engineering Dr Rupert Young and Team Supervisor Dr (Z.) Jun Peng.  They received £6000 seed funding, a full time technician and an external advisor funded by the department.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Layzell said: “What this team has achieved is remarkable.  University of Sussex students enter Formula Student annually as part of the four year Engineering degree but this is by far the best car we’ve ever had.  We’re expecting great things at Silverstone!”

Features of Mobil 1 Team Sussex’s entry include a Yamaha 600cc four-cylinder injection engine, restricted airflow 20mm, Mobil 1 oil, DTA fast engine management system, electronic paddle shift mechanism – just like a McLaren - and a Mobil 1 branded carbon fibre shell.

Now the team is looking forward to seeing how their car fares on the track against cars from over 80 universities worldwide at the 2009 Formula Student competition, at Silverstone on Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 July 09.

This year the team's principal sponsor is Exxon Mobil who have contributed not only funding but unprecedented levels of training and support to the team throughout the build. 

Notes for editors:

Drivers: This year’s drivers are: Anna Dugard, Adam Wilton, Mike Andrews, Pierpaolo Corsini, Alejandro Balbastro.

Contact: Danielle Treanor danielle.treanor@sussex.ac.uk 0774 0099325 to arrange your visit.

Websites: Mobil 1 Team Sussex website http://www.teamsussex.eu/