newsletter July 2019
Are you ready for competitions?
Travel Letter Driverless Text: Toralf Frich Photos: Revolve NTNU
The Driverless Team just attended their first competition; Formula Student East, located at the autonomous test track (Zala zone) in Hungary.
week, the week before FSG, we will be driving autonomously every day. The software developers are working hard to make the car robust enough to handle all kinds of tracks.
After a successful first part of the summer with multiple test days, we were ready to show our innovation on the big stage. Our first competition.
Throughout the summer, the team’s spirit has remained high. We knew when we started that the path to an autonomous car is not easy, and we are excited about being able to drive a lot on the test track. We hope that we will be able to show our work to everyone at FSG, and we are confident that we will!
As most of the team had never attended a competition before, we were unsure of what was waiting for us. We fought hard to get the car through technical inspection, however, after having to deal with many small problems, we realised there was not enough time to finish. Despite this, it was motivating to see the other teams drive, and even though it had been a tough week, we all agreed that it had been a good time! We learned a lot from our first competition, and are now ready to go to Hockenheim for the main event; Formula Student Germany (FSG). This is what we have worked for the entire year, and we are determined to do the best we can. Currently, we are staying with KA-Raceing (a German formula student team), and it is an awesome experience that we are lucky to have. They have greeted us with our own pit, access to offices and they have a test track only 50 m from their workshop! Last week we increased our focus on getting the car through technical inspection. And this
Best, Toralf Frich
Travel Letter Electrical Vehicle Text: Erik Brettingen Johansen Photos: Revolve NTNU
At the time of writing, we in the Electrical Team are in the middle of our first competition of the season, FSAustria! It all takes place in the middle of the famous Red Bull Ring Formula 1 track in Spielberg, Austria. The competition will only last for four days and there are 22 other teams in the electrical class to compete against. The first days were all about setting up the camp, getting the cars approved for driving, and competing in the static events. These include a Business Plan Presentation where we have to convince judges acting like investors to invest in our product; Cost & Manufacturing Event where we have to give a detailed overview and understanding of the cost of making our car in real life; and the Engineering Design event where we have to defend all our design solutions to judges that are professional engineers from the automotive industry. We are currently top 5 in Business Plan Presentation and Cost & Manufacturing, while we made it all the way to the Engineering Design final. It remains to see how Nova will perform on all the Dynamic events, as we are still waiting to compete in Autocross and Endurance. Information about the final results will be announced after the competition is over. After FSA, we will meet up with the Driverless team and compete side by side in Germany for our final and biggest competition of the season.
Apart from the changing weather, we do have a lot of fun here in Austria. The culture between the Formula Student Teams is nothing but amazing. At the end we are all students with similar interests. If you lack a tool or a spare part, you can always ask another team for help. When the evening comes, the camp site turns into a social venue where music is playing and you can freely walk around to any other team for friendly conversations. Thanks for now Erik - Marketing Manager
A special thanks to Trondheim Maskinutleie for lending us generators during the testing period helping to make our racecars better prepared for the competitions. Trondheim Maskinutleie has a wide range of lifts, construction machinery, concrete equipment and tools for rental.
Four Questions for Four Drivers The Questions Questions: Rafi Khajeh Photos: Revolve NTNU
1. Do you have any past experience in driving? 2. What’s your favorite part of racing cars and why? 3. How are you training for the competitions? 4. Three things that people may not know about you?
Roberts Racko
Age: 26 Study: Subsea Technology 1. Started with go-karting when I was five years old at Latvian Gokart Champion 2003. The past three years I have been one of the drivers for Revolve NTNU in Formula Student. 2. The sound and smell of combustion cars, the electric car does not smell so nice , though. I also like sliding and tire smoke. 3. Physical training and a lot of simulator seat time, plus previous POV videos. Approximately 10-20 hours a week (depends on other things). 4. Prefer going sideways more than in straight line. Always enter the racecar from the left side, right foot first. Prefer driving in rain more than in dry conditions.
Vemund Vestreng
Age: 22 Study: Mechanical Engineering
1. None, but I’ve watched Top Gear a lot. 2. The engine, it would be exhausting trying to accelerate 0-100kph in two seconds with pedals. 3. Driving simulator and physical workout, combined with the training acquired by driving a Peugeot van back and forth to Germany a couple of times. 4. I failed my first attempt at getting my drivers license. I’m driving commando. I love my fans.
Asier Beascoechea
Age: 24 Study: Mechanical Engineering
1. I had a simulator at home since I was a child and I jumped into real cars as soon as I could. Was a driver for other Formula Student teams for the past three years. 2. Definitely the steering wheel. Straight drag races are boring. 3. Specific shoulder, core and arm exercises for driving single-seaters. Simulator with Formula Student tracks to get used to the track. Taking a lot of cones with the actual car to make sure I reach the limits. 4. I’m from the Basque Country, in the north of Spain, not from Norway. I have a formula student car tattoo on my left arm. My favorite thing to do apart from driving racecars is surfing.
Mathias Lien
Age: 21 Study: Mechanical Engineering
1. Being a car enthusiast, I very much like driving in general and racing of all kinds. I have always enjoyed go-karts, and try driving as often as I can. 2. When it comes to driving I have always been very competitive. I like going fast and I enjoy competition. 3. My preparations to be a Formula Student driver has mainly consisted of go-kart driving, simulator driving and working out on a regular basis. With great supervision and advice from experienced drivers and members of my team. 4. I’m a keen guitarist and have been playing for almost 10 years also I can’t burp.
Want more frequent updates? For more updates you can follow us on social media. Interested in Formula Student Germany? It is in the period 5-11. august and we are exited to show you what it is all about. We keep you updated on what is happening. At other times we also generally post cool pictures related to building and driving a racecar. That is all from production and testing to driving.
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