Southampton Formula Student racers smash season record in Czech competition
Engineering students from the University of Southampton have eclipsed a team points record with a top ten finish in the Formula Student Czech Republic competition.
Southampton University Formula Student Team (SUFST) surpassed their season’s best total for the fourth year in a row in the contest at the Autodrom Most circuit.
Formula Student is an international engineering competition that challenges students to design, build and race single-seater cars across a series of events, with 57 teams entering this year’s Czech race across combustion, electric and driverless categories.
SUFST accrued 676.5 of 1,000 points to be ranked the top UK team - and 10th overall – at Formula Student Czech Republic, which took place between Monday 12th and Saturday 17th August.
The total score combined the performances of eight challenges and included a fourth place skid pad finish, sixth place design score and seventh place endurance ranking for the STAG VI racer.
“We already knew the team had produced its best ever car, but it was brilliant to finally prove that by breaking almost every single team record,” SUFST team leader Jake Kneller says.
We set our fastest ever times in every single event, our best ever overall position and almost doubled our previous best points score.
The Czech success followed hasty remedial work by the team after technical difficulties during August’s Formula Student Germany in Hockenheim.
SUFST progressed through all presentation events on the Thursday, before setting competitive acceleration and skid pad times plus quick sprint laps on the Friday.
On Saturday, endurance drivers Rory Gills and Titas Buĉelis completed a testing 22 laps of the circuit in a time of 28m 01s, representing the team’s first endurance finish of 2019 and the second achievement of its kind in SUFST’s history.
The University of Southampton first entered the Formula Student competition in 2012.
Earlier this summer the team finished 19th out of dozens of competitors at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ UK Formula Student competition at Silverstone.
“I honestly believe SUFST are one of the most dedicated teams out there and this – combined with our ever improving knowledge transfer - will take the team a long way in the next few years,” Jake says.
“I’d like to thank all the previous alumni of SUFST who are just as responsible for our achievements this year, by teaching us everything we know about race cars and providing an incredible starting point for the year. To next year’s team, I wish them the best of luck and look forward to seeing their innovations on track next summer!”