April Newsletter

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NE WSLE T TER OBR.BROOKES.AC.UK

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APRIL 2014

‘CARLY’ IS COMING

ISIS XIV LAUNCH NIGHT CAR BUILD UPDATE BUMPER SPONSORSHIP NEWS

The latest updates from behind the scenes at OBR


OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

ROLL-OUT

Mark the date for the 2014 ISIS XIV car launch! – June 2nd @ 17:00

Oxford Brookes University will be the host of the official launch party for ISIS XIV, or ‘Carly’ as she has become known. The event will take place on the Wheatley Campus in the R Building, and will feature an introductary presentation and design presentation by the design team. This will then be followed by the unveiling of the car, and then guests will be able to get a closer look at the car, meet the team and enjoy a range of light refreshments. The event should be a great chance for you to get to know the team members, get a closer look at the fine details, and see the

car, parts and systems that you helped us put together on the car ready for action. You may bring as many people with you as you like should you wish to attend, however we ask that you please let us know how many of you are coming using the following email address. This is so that we can gain an understanding of expected numbers. The team have been pushing extremely hard to make sure that the car will be completed for the event, as we have been using it as our first major deadline, allowing a month of testing before Silverstone.

Lilley Mitchell from BBC Radio Oxford makes a pit-stop to talk about Formula Student

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OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

BUILD UPDATE

With exams creeping up, the team stays late to ‘make car exist’

After completing the monocoque at the end of March, the team have since been working hard to complete the rest of the components and systems ready to make sure we can make the launch event on time on the 2nd of June. With the chassis sat in the Auto-Lab the rest of the team can jump in and begin to start the fit and finish of the car, with the first parts the front and main roll-hoops. After that the driver controls assembly went in, with the steering column and the brake and throttle pedals getting bolted through the chassis, with extra

mounts to accommodate the smaller drivers added for comfort. The fuel system has been taking shape steadily, with the team currently planning to revert to the slightly taller, side-mounted 2012 fuel tank to allow for more space in the engine bay while the 2014 fuel tank molds wait on the low priority CNC machining list. Our off-shelf parts have also been steadily streaming in, with the new chain, sprocket, 570cc engine kit & shifter system arriving.

The wiring-loom build is progressing well, with the front & sensor legs getting closer

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OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

BUILD UPDATE - GALLERY

Brake light

Front roll hoop

Wishbone tabs

Old 510 vs new 570cc pistons

Throttle Bodies

Impact Attenuator

Rocker post bearing holders OBR.BROOKES.AC.UK


OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

SPONSORSHIP NEWS This month we would like to express a special thankyou to the following companies: MAHLE Powertrain UK have joined the team in a 3 year partnership focusing on improving engine development and completing the V-Twin project, more details included later in the newsletter!

items such as cable ties, fixtures, edging strip & grommets. Most importantly however they have agreed to supply all of the moulded boots for the wiring loom.

V-Twin project will see a big boost

A big box of bits courtesy of HT

A big thanks goes out to the team at Primary Designs for completing the manufacture of our new exhaust pipe. Sadly we won’t be able to show off the beautiful workmanship as it will soon be hidden underneath the layer of thermal coating.

Oxford Industrial Finishers took the roll hoop under their wing over the easter holiday and powder-coated for us for free. It’s now got a fantastic and hard-wearing finish that should keep it looking good.

Powder coating on the main hoop Primary’s lovely exhaust pipe HellermannTyton have joined us as a partner, providing the team with much needed consumeables and fit + fixture

NGK have joined us as a silver sponsor after sending us a box full of electronic hardware that should see the engine boys through to the end of the year.

OBR.BROOKES.AC.UK


OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER Thanks once again to RS Components for the constant supply of components and materials for the car, we are looking forward to their support during the final build stages where quick response is key.

NGK donated their best plugs & more Thanks to TE Connectivity for the supply of our Deutsch Autosport connectors for the wiring loom. We are hoping for a reduction in weight and an increase to reliability using their lightweight AS & ASU connector range

Deutsch connectors ready to go

Yet another delivery from RS! Finally a massive thankyou to Paul Hamlin and his technicians at Banbury & Bicester College for their help with this year’s wings and wing molds. Just after this newsletter is released we should be receiving the final wing profiles back from their Autoclave. Banbury & Bicester College (formerly OCVC) has been absolutely crucial to the success of the car this year and we would like to express our most sincere thanks to all of the staff and students there who have helped us out throughout this year.

One of the final wing profile faces, cured with the help and expertise of OCVC

OBR.BROOKES.AC.UK


OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

MAHLE POWERTRAIN

The agreement with MAHLE could be just what OBR’s V-Twin project needed With MAHLE signing up to support Oxford Brookes racing for the next 3 years, exciting times are ahead for the OBR team members and Alumni alike.

final few percent of the manufacturing stages to go, and a significant boost coming to the team from this new sponsorship agreement.

Unfortunately with a project that relies so heavily on company support and donations, spending a lot of time waiting for higher priority customers to come and go is just part of FS, however this may all be about to change, as MAHLE join the team as a powertrain partner for 2015-17.

MAHLE are specialists at manufacturing new engines and prototype components extremely quickly, and that suits exactly what the team are looking for to see the VTwin through it’s final build stages.

It’s great to see MAHLE taking an interest in the V-Twin project. It was an ambitious task to say the least, and it’s important to mention that OBR is the only team in the Formula Student competition to design and manfacture our own engine without underlying support from an engine manufacturer. However against all the odds we are well on the way to a running engine, with just the

But it doesn’t stop there, MAHLE are also able to offer the team state of the art facilities and experience in calibration and testing equipment. With their support once the engine runs, we should be able to make significant development in a short timeframe, and hopefully bring success at the Formula Student competitions. Soon, with the lift that MAHLE can bring we will be able to hear the sound of OBR’s VTwin blasting through the grandstands. But for now, it’s just a matter of time.

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OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

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OXFORD BROOKES RACING – APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER

OXFORD BROOKES RACING OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY WHEATLEY CAMPUS WHEATLEY OXFORD OX33 1HX

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