Silverstone success for LU Motorsport

LOUGHBOROUGH’S Formula Student team, LU Motorsport, secured fourth place at the Silverstone race circuit this summer, setting a new record for the team.

Formula Student is an international competition run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, where up to 100 student teams from across the world compete against one another by designing and building their own race cars.

They then travel to various countries, racing at some of the most renowned circuits. The teams are judged on a number of aspects, including design, cost and their business plan. In addition, the car’s endurance, efficiency and performance on the skid pad are assessed too.

For students at Loughborough, the competition has been a year-round, extra-curricular activity since 2003 for more than 35 dedicated individuals each year who study various disciplines.

It also provides them with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge from their degree into a real-world engineering project.

They work together to create the car in their own time, with senior team members leading on areas such as suspension, aerodynamics, manufacturing, electronics and powertrain.

Prior to the start of the season, the 2019 car was unveiled at a launch event held in the Desmond Penrose Atrium and was attended by staff, students, alumni and sponsors.

It was described as an ‘evolution’ to the 2018 car, with improved driver controls and aerodynamic package, tyre temperature testing, as well as suspension adjustability and robustness.

The team were announced as the second highest-scoring UK university at Silverstone, with Loughborough’s Monty JeacockFewtrell also winning the Top Driver’s Award for the second year in a row.

The team travelled to Austria next, where they were named best UK team and ranked 20th place overall, as well as achieving their fastest ever skid pad time. Due to an electrical technicality, they had to retire from the competition early, meaning they were unable to compete in Germany for their third and final race.

Talking about their performance, Loughborough Formula Student Team Leader Josh Harris commented: “The team has done an amazing job this year, achieving the best result LU Motorsport has ever had at Formula Student UK.

“It’s been a great experience leading the team this year alongside Monty and I look forward to building on this during the 2019/2020 season.”

Scot Layton, Academic Lead for Formula Student at Loughborough, added: “2019 has been a great year for Formula Student at Loughborough. We have seen some significant highlights throughout the season.”