Students to put racing car through paces in Int competition
2nd July 2003A brand new single seat racing car designed and built by students at the University of Bath takes to the track in the Formula Student competition at the weekend.
The car, dubbed BURT03 (Bath University Racing Team), has been designed and built by a team of 12 students on the University’s Automotive Engineering course and features a range of exciting and innovative technological developments.
The car will be put through its paces at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering’s annual Formula Student competition, which gets underway at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire on Sunday (6th July).
It will be the third time the University of Bath has entered a team in the competition, which attracts competitors from as far a field as the USA, Canada, India, South Africa Italy and Finland.
BURT03 has already landed one award before it had even left the drawing board – it won overall first prize in Class 3 at last year’s competition, which covers design, costs and marketing of the project.
The students have now built the car, which is powered by a 599cc turbocharged 97bhp engine, capable of propelling it from 0-60mph in well under four seconds.
They hope it will prove tough to beat at Bruntingthorpe, even though it will be up against teams with bigger budgets.
Each of the teams taking part must make a presentation covering three essential elements of their programme – its business, design and performance. The cars are also put through tests to assess a wide range of aspects of their performance, including acceleration, endurance, braking and noise levels.
One of the innovative features of BURT03 is an all-wheel drive system that transfers energy from the rear wheels to the front wheels when it senses that the rear wheels are spinning. In essence, this converts energy that would otherwise be wasted into additional power, and also provides more grip.
It also features a lightweight chassis and electronic gearshift, making acceleration incredibly fast.
If the competition goes well, the students hope to take the car to Australia towards the end of the year to take part in another competition there.
BURT03 is part of the coursework for the students on the Automotive Engineering course within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath. Each member of the team is responsible for developing an aspect of the car.
Phil Hiscutt, responsible for engine refinement and cooling, said: “Working on BURT03 has been a tremendous experience for all of us. As well as tackling some difficult technical issues, we’ve also had to develop a business plan, run the project within financial constraints and attract sponsors, while all the time working to some tight deadlines.
“It’s been an exciting part of a very strong course and I’m sure it will stand us all in good stead for our future careers,” he added.
The members of the BURT03 team are:
- James McMicking – Technical Director
- Gareth Dowd – Engine Design
- Phil Hiscutt – Engine Refinement & Cooling
- Steve Smith – Air Intake & Exhaust
- Ben Chapman – Final Drive
- Anthony Gammage – Transmission
- Oli Poyser – Steering & Uprights
- James Young – Wheels & Brakes
- Stuart Rowell – Chassis
- Rob D’Aubyn – Driver Environment
- Daren Stanley – Aerodynamics & Materials
- Amy Barker – Suspension Analysis
The BURT03 team are particularly grateful to the sponsors that have supported their efforts, including Castrol, KPMG, Perkins Engines Co Ltd, Greene Tweed and Parker.
The University of Bath was recently named the fifth best place in the country to study Mechanical Engineering in the 2003 Times Good University Guide.
The University of Bath was also named the fifth best University in the country in the same guide, only coming behind Oxford, Cambridge and two London universities.