NEWSLETTER JULY 2015
TBR HEAD TO
Newsletter “Winning every Class 2 event has never been done before at Formula Student and we’re incredibly proud of this achievement”
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July 2015
“TBR16 have spent the last few months working hard preparing for the Formula Student Class 2 competition. Class 2 consists of the three static events (identical to the Class 1 event), where teams are judged on their car design, cost & sustainability analysis and the quality of a business pitch. The team arrived at Silverstone early Thursday morning and setup for the design event, where 5 judges began their lengthy questioning of the present team members, looking for well-reasoned design decisions throughout. This was immediately
followed by the cost & sustainability event, where judges were presented with the powertrain selection process, considering the CO2 production associated with the powertrain options. A project management presentation was also given and questions were asked about the cost breakdown of the chosen chassis option. Finally the business presentation was delivered in a formal investment pitch style scenario. The feedback from the judges was very positive for all the events, with areas for improvement taken note of.
The results of each event were released one by one on Saturday, with each result revealing another win for TBR16! Winning every class 2 event has never been done before at Formula Student and we’re incredibly proud of this achievement, along with our overall 1st place. We’re excited for the next year, working hard to ensure we are in the best position to secure the overall class 1 win at FSUK16.” Noel Moorhouse Project Manager, TBR16
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July 2015
Thursday sees the beginning of the FSUK competition, with a mixture of Scrutineering and Static Events being carried out over the Thursday and Friday period. The team was fortunate enough to have the Business, Design and Costing events all on Thursday, meaning that by 4pm, the team could focus solely on the Dynamic Events for the rest of the week. The Static events proved to be less successful in 2015 than previous years, with the team struggling for points, particularly in the Costing event. Despite
improving the quality of static presentations from 2014, the competition had also improved massively, meaning the team finished 12th in Design, 22nd in Business and 54th in Costing. The rest of Thursday was used to complete the majority of checks on the car, including Scrutineering and the Tilt Test. The Scrutineering procedure ensures that the car complies 100% with the rules for the competition, as well as checking that the driver kit is of the highest safety level. The tilt test is then also used to confirm that fuel
does not leak from the car. This helps follow a logical progression within the scutineering process, whereby the car is checked to be legal within the rules, then checked that it does not leak fuel, before having the noise level checked to be under 110 dBC and finally the brakes checked to make sure all four wheels are able to be locked. Thursday finished with the team having received 4 of the 6 safety stickers, leaving just the Noise Test and the Brake Test to be completed.
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“A real problem that many of the other teams seemed convinced we would be unable to fix”
“A combination of an aggressive setup on the rear dampers and a narrow safety margin on the front lower wishbone resulted in buckling of the rearward linkage in that component. This led to the whole front left corner of the car facing in the wrong direction. This was a real problem that many of the other teams seemed convinced we would be unable to fix, as the car was wheeled back to the pits on a trolley. Fortunately the team had been working on upgrading the wishbones to a stronger, lighter set made from carbon tubes. The final components had just been completed in Bath on the Thursday and were rushed up to Silverstone for assembly on the car.” Josh Gillman Suspension Design, TBR15 teambathracing.com
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June 2015
Friday began with much difficulty for TBR15, with the Noise Test proving a particular challenge. The 2015 rules see a change in weighting of the noise level from dBA to dBC, meaning all the cars are required to be quieter than their 2014 predecessors. Despite the addition of a turbocharger, the team struggled to pass the Noise Test, taking several attempts to come under the maximum noise level. This was eventually achieved through the modification of the silencer exit point, to reduce reverberation from the rear wing endplates. After receiving the Noise Test sticker, the team moved onto the Brake
Test, where the car suffered a rather severe wishbone failure during one of the runs. Thankfully, a spare set of full carbon wishbones were rushed to the track, and by late afternoon, the car was completely fixed. Unfortauntely, the failure meant that TBR15 had to be-scrutineered, and this meant providing the judges with extra data sheets to prove the new wishbones would out perform the previously used steel ones. After a lengthy discussion in the scrutineering zone, the car was given the all clear, and the team attempt to pass the Brake Test once again.
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Formula Student really begins to get going on Saturday, with the first of the Dynamic events. This is a particularly challenging day for the team, with the Acceleration and Skid Pad events in the morning, followed by the Sprint in the afternoon. As well as this, the team had to complete the Brake Test that had destroyed the car the previous day. A slightly less aggressive setup allowed TBR15 to pass on just the third attempt, bringing a huge round of applause from the crowd, not just TBR members.
The car was then tested in the straight-line Acceleration event, with Will Charles setting a competitive banker-time. This was then repeated for the Skid Pad event, where Will set further good times without driving too close to the edge. Some setup changes were made to the car, so that our 2nd driver Mark Tranter, was then able to drive the car right on the limit, without fear of spinning. He was able to improve on both the banker times set by Will, resulting in a respectable 13th in Skid Pad and 18th in Acceleration.
“A manic day on Saturday included Acceleration, Skid Pad and Sprint events. Different settings are required for each event, so slick changes were critical to achieve optimum vehicle setup and improve performance. A locked differential was used for Skid Pad, with a stiff rear antiroll bar, which was reversed for the Sprint event. For the Acceleration, the rear wing was put into low-drag mode, with rear tyre pressures and dampers softened. Further testing before Austria and Spain is being used to identify additional changes that may be of benefit, helping to reduce event times.� Michael Graham Car Setup, TBR15 teambathracing.com
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Saturday afternoon saw the running of the Sprint Event, where the team knew the car would run well. Unfortunately, the setup of the car proved to be less than optimum, meaning the team finished in 12th - much lower than expected, with some incredibly quick times being set by the big European teams. It was clear than some major chassis and powertrain changes would be required overnight to become competitive in the endurance event on Sunday afternoon.
July 2015
Newsletter “Race cars are often either too aggressive or simply too slow, but the team managed to find the perfect balance for our new car.”
“Driving TBR15 has been overwhelming from lap one to the finish line. Race cars are often either too aggressive or simply too slow, but the team managed to find the perfect balance for our new car. High-speed corners in particular feel incredible, as you really get to notice the effect of those massive wings! All in all, the car and the event have been amazing. I am confident that with TBR's team-spirit and technical skills, we'll be even better in Austria and Spain.” Max Teichert Endurance Driver, TBR15
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July 2015
The Endurance Event at Formula Student is where the majority of points are on offer, with 400/1000 up for grabs. As one of the faster cars from the Sprint on Saturday afternoon, TBR were given a late slot to compete in the Endurance - something that did not please the team with heavy rain forecast for some point in the afternoon.
Unlike many other Formula Student events, the UK edition does not offer the fastest teams the opportunity to complete their endurance run earlier in the day if rain is forecast for the afternoon, which can have severe consequences on the overall result. As TBR15 entered the track in the early afternoon, the sun was no longer shining and dark clouds began looming over the circuit. 12 competitive laps by our first driver, Kevin Johnson (including overtaking our rivals Oxford Brookes on track) ensured that at the halfway mark, the team was in an extremely strong position. After the driver
change, Max Teichert went out and set a blistering pace, picking up the fastest lap of the day and a final endurance time 2.5 minutes faster than the next best team! More importantly, as Max pulled in to complete the Endurance Event, the heavens opened and torrential rain fell causing the event to be red flagged. When the track was re-opened, all teams were on wet tyres and thus, could not come near to our time. As a result, Team Bath Racing ended the weekend as the top UK team and finished 4th overall, just 2.4 points behind 3rd place, equalling Bath’s best ever finish.
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July 2015
“Incredibly proud of what we managed to achieve this weekend. To prove we had the pace to run with the best teams in the world, despite being a ’rookie’ team, was really satisfying. To also win the main event on Sunday (the 22km Endurance) was something I never could have imagined doing before the event. We have now equalled Bath’s highest result at any event, with 4th overall out of 100 teams. Our motivation is now very high going into Austria and Spain, where we hope to go one better and stand on the podium.” Tom Peirson-Smith Project Manager, TBR15
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