The University of Birmingham Racing (UBR) team has celebrated their 20th anniversary in style by winning a total of three trophies at the 2017 UK Formula Student Competition, which was held at the Silverstone Circuit between 20th and 30th July.
The University of Birmingham Racing team (UBRacing) has celebrated their 20th anniversary in style by winning a total of three trophies at the 2017 UK Formula Student Competition, which was held at the Silverstone Circuit between 20th and 23rd July.
UBRacing competed against a total of 75 university teams from both home and abroad to win the Endurance competition for the first time in the team’s history. The team also clinched the top spot for Overall Dynamic Performance and ranked second in the overall competition.
40 undergraduate students from across different years and disciplines took part in the event. Students were supported by staff from the Department of Mechanical Engineering (within the School of Engineering) as well as numerous alumni, family members and sponsors.
Many members of the team have already graduated and gone on to secure high level jobs in the automotive industry. Third year students are looking forward to prestigious Year in Industry placements at companies such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Xtrac and Sahara Force India F1.
The team had the opportunity to meet with and discuss technical issues with professionals from the F1 world, including James Allison, Technical Director of the Mercedes F1 team. Events such as the UK Formula Student Competition are a way of providing students with more experience of industry.
The competition also marked the end of the 40 year carer of team founder and technician, Carl Hingley, who was sent into retirement in style with three pieces of silverware. In 2015, Carl received a BME for services to Mechanical Engineering and was recognised with a special Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the recent EPS Societies’ Awards.
Reflecting on UBRacing's performance at the 2017 UK Formula Student Competition, Dr Richard Hood, Lecturer in Advanced Manufacturing Technology, said:
“I’m proud of the professionalism shown by every member of the UBR team and the success they have enjoyed at this year’s 2017 UK Formula Student Competition. Their performance is fantastic way to mark the 20th anniversary of the UBR team at the University of Birmingham. The success the UBR team has enjoyed on the track is a reflection of the quality of the learning experience we are able to provide out students. Taking part in competitions such as Formula Student is a great way for our students to put their learning into practice gain valuable industry experience that will help launch their careers.”
Formula Student (FS) is Europe's most established educational motorsport competition. Backed by industry and high-profile engineers such Patron, Ross Brawn OBE, the competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering.
UBRacing recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special event held at the University of Birmingham in June 2017. The team is an entirely student-run project with the aim of designing, funding and building a single-seat racing car from scratch to compete in the Formula Student competition each year.
