Southampton Formula Student team donate chassis to Andover College
Students from the University of Southampton are helping inspire the next generation of motorsport engineers by passing on racing kit to Andover College.
The Southampton University Formula Student Team (SUFST) have donated their STAG IV chassis to be repurposed for learning in Motorsport and Motor Vehicle Courses at the Hampshire college.
STAG IV was designed and built by around 150 students over the 2016-17 academic year and boasts the team’s first carbon fibre aerodynamic package, with a stiffer spaceframe chassis combined with composite panels.
The car competed at two competitions over the summer of 2017, finishing with a 25th overall place out of over 80 competitors at Formula Student UK a 31st place finish at Formula Student Czech.
Andover College plan to use the vehicle for general learning such as alignment, tracking and car setup, with the possibility of also encouraging in-depth studies for Extended Project Qualifications.
Balraj Basra, SUFST Team Leader, says: “Formula Student is as an educational experience, applying learning to a practical project. Donating this vehicle to Andover College means it will only go further in achieving this goal, inspiring students of the college to pursue careers along this route, and give an insight onto the projects available at university and in the wider workplace as well.”
Tim Richman, Andover College Curriculum Leader for Motor Vehicles, says: “We are very grateful for the donation of the chassis. It will help our motorsport students learn about chassis design and set up and we can use it with our flat patch for the learners to discover the difference in weight transfer when alignment and ride height is changed.
“We are also looking to collaborate with our Electrical Installation learners and begin to design and build the chassis as an electric vehicle.”
Formula Student challenges students to design, build and race single-seater cars across a series of events. SUFST clinched fourth place in the Formula Student UK 2020 competition thanks to an innovative carbon fibre skin deployed ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The team eclipsed their previous best in the international contest by over a dozen places by securing a highest ever points total of 783.7 out of 1,000. The engineering competition, which is hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, was run entirely online this summer and included a simulated race streamed on the Assetto Corsa software.
This year, the team will be completing the manufacture of STAG VII, which was started before the pandemic.
“Our new model includes a first Carbon Fibre Monocoque which we are all excited to see in action,” Balraj says. “The car is semi completed, and by working with the University we hope to be able to finish this over the next few months in a safe manner. The car will then be tested before hopefully competing in competitions in Summer 2021.
“Alongside this the team is looking forward to the future of mobility, by putting in motion a plan to switch to an electric powertrain for the car that will follow this season.”