Engineering and Design news
Student engineers set sights on Silverstone race
Posted on behalf of: Department of Engineering and Design
Last updated: Monday, 11 June 2012
Mobil 1 Team Sussex's car
The students of Mobil 1 Team Sussex will this week launch the top-spec racing car they hope will speed them into the world’s top 20 at the 2012 international Formula Student competition at Silverstone in July.
Formula Student challenges university students to design, build, develop, market and compete as a team with a small single-seater racing car.
Mobil 1 Team Sussex comprises 19 engineering students, four product designers, two business students and two media students – more than twice the number of Sussex students who took part last year.
The project is sponsored this year by West Sussex-based engineering company Ricardo – a great boost as Sussex has one of the smallest budgets of all the teams in the contest.
After finishing 34th in 2011, the team has spent this extra sponsorship money on lightweight wheels that will make the car faster – which they hope will lead to a top 20 finish.
The car will be launched at an event in the ACCA Creativity Zone on campus on Wednesday (13 June). Among those watching the unveiling will be the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, and world land-speed record breaker and patron of Mobil 1 Team Sussex, Richard Noble OBE.
The students will race the car against more than 100 other entries at the Silverstone motor-racing circuit in Northamptonshire from 12 to 15 July.
For more information and to keep up to date with the team’s progress, check out the Mobil 1 Team Sussex website, or follow them on Facebook or on Twitter at @Mobil1Sussex.