A student engineering competition in which teams design and race cars at the Silverstone track in the UK is to launch an AI competition this July.

Formula Student (FS), which is organized by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, will see more than 3000 participants from over 25 countries compete this year. The competition challenges university teams to design and build a single seater car which they then drive in a series of races over three days. 

The well-established event will this year launch an ‘AI competition’, where teams will program prototype autonomous and purpose-built vehicles to undertake a series of on- and off-track driving challenges.

Andrew Deakin, chairman of Formula Student, said, “This year we are really excited to have teams competing in the new FS-AI competition. Formula Student has always been proud of the work it does to prepare students for the real world of industry and FS-AI will help us achieve that in the ever expanding area of autonomous vehicles.”

After facing fierce competition last year from the winner, Australia’s Monash Motorsport, UK team Oxford Brookes University will be keen to clinch top spot. They will be joined by other long-standing and successful teams including Loughborough University, the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow.

Additionally, a team from Hong Kong will take part in UK Formula Student for the first time. HKU Racing from the University of Hong Kong will travel to compete in the Class 2 event, a testament to the diversity of teams competing at Silverstone.

Lucy Killington, project manager of Formula Student, said, “Formula Student remains one of the highlights of the Institution’s calendar. It is inspiring to watch the passion of young engineers applying their academic learning to real-world projects.

“We look forward to welcoming all teams at Silverstone to take part in this year’s competition and wish them the best of luck.”

Partners and sponsors of this year’s competition include Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, Robert Bosch, GKN, Mahle Powertrain and Direct Line Group.

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Ferrari Competizioni GT is leveraging cutting-edge Ansys simulation software to create next-generation vehicle designs that promise a substantial advantage on the track.

Through a new partnership agreement, Ferrari Competizioni GT engineers are advancing the aerodynamic performance of their elite race cars with Ansys’s industry-leading engineering simulation software.

Every two or three years, the Ferrari Competizioni GT engineering team pushes themselves to engineer an upgraded racing GT within a 12-month window. Production efficiency is the formula for their success and the team has historically used Ansys’s Fluent meshing to deliver turbulence models and solver technology to improve their cars’ performance.

Adoption of the new Mosaic-enabled Poly-Hexcore meshes accelerated the team’s simulation process. The team also adopted more automated workflows to cut hands-on development time, using parallelization to create high-quality mesh faster and solve in Ansys Fluent more efficiently — creating three times more simulations without additional development time or resources.

Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of GT racing car development at Ferrari Competizioni GT, said, “Mosaic-enabled meshing is making a considerable impact on our aerodynamics designs — letting us achieve improved accuracy using far less cells and solving in half the time.

“With Mosaic technology and the Fluent end-to-end workflow, our team runs three times as many simulations in the same amount of time and develops cars faster than we ever could before.”

Sandeep Sovani, director of Global Automotive Industry at Ansys, said, “Ferrari Competizioni GT cars represent the pinnacle of racing performance and we are proud to help them engineer new aerodynamic designs to obtain more victories on the track.

“Teams are always looking for performance advantages and Mosaic meshing accelerates all stages of the simulation workflow, answers design questions sooner to help maximise production efficiency and supports tight developmental timelines.”

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Volkswagen has presented the version of its ID R electric race car that will attempt to set a new lap record for electric vehicles on the 20.8km-long (12.4 mile) Nurburgring – Nordschleife in Germany.

The record attempt is the first test for the ID R on the Nürburgring – Nordschleife.

Last year the ID R broke the record for the 12.42-mile Pikes Peak Hill Climb by more than 15 seconds with a time of 7min 57.148s.

Sven Smeets, director of Volkswagen Motorsport, said,  “Once again the ID R will demonstrate the great potential of electric drive, combining emissions-free technology with true emotion. The Nürburgring –Nordschleife is the next step on the journey of the ID R, a car that provides a symbol of the future significance of electric drive in all of motorsport at Volkswagen.”

Volkswagen has further developed the ID R so that driver Romain Dumas can undercut the until-now best lap time of 6:45.90 minutes at Nurburgring – Nordschleife.

The 500kW (680ps) electric drive of the car, which is powered by two lithium-ion battery packs, has been adapted to the track characteristics of the Nordschleife.

In addition, the aerodynamics of the car have been designed to enable a higher top speed. François-Xavier Demaison, technical director of Volkswagen Motorsport, said, “Last year, the many-cornered hill-climb track and the thin air at Pikes Peak demanded maximum downforce. On the Nordschleife lap, the ID R will reach an average speed of more than 180km/h (112mph) – with a top speed on the straight of up to 270km/h. We have therefore developed a completely new aerodynamic package with DRS (Drag Reduction System), known from Formula 1, as well as optimized the energy management, which controls the power output of the two electric motors and energy recovery under braking.”

Driver Romain Dumas said, “I have already driven the Nordschleife with the ID R on the simulator countless times. But the true feeling from the incredibly high cornering speeds you only get when you’re on the actual track.

“The extent to which the ID R has been continuously developed compared to 2018 is impressive. I can’t wait to finally drive the ID R on the Nordschleife.”

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UK-based automotive manufacturer AP Racing has been involved in every Formula One championship since 1967. Focused primarily on manufacturing performance brake and clutch systems for road and race cars, its systems have been used in cars that have amassed 818 Formula 1 wins.

Always striving to push the boundaries for its customers, AP Racing first established its in-house 3D printing capabilities over 15 years ago. Initially focused on prototyping, the team soon expanded to tooling and final-production parts.

However, as briefs became more complex and the competition more aggressive, the company  needed a technology that could simultaneously produce highly detailed (0.014mm resolution), accurate, multi-color prototypes and advanced multi-material tools. The company bought a Stratasys J750 3D printer to reduce design cycles and alleviate certain design challenges.

Bringing ideas to life

Designing a brake or clutch system is highly complex, with parts exposed to dynamic loads with high initial peaks. When designing components such as calipers, the AP Racing team completes in-depth FEA (finite element analysis) plots for inspection. This analysis is essential to determine how the brakes and clutches will best operate within the car, and how load will be distributed through the component.

Engineers at AP Racing are using the full-color, multi-material 3D printer to produce highly detailed and complex 3D models of FEA stress plots that provide proof of concepts to its customers, resulting in new business wins.

“FEA plots are an essential part of our design process, and the resulting digital simulations are the color of the rainbow. However, they only offer us a view of one side of the component. When trying to win business and explain new designs to clients this can prove problematic,” explained John Schoon, senior design engineer, AP Racing.

“So, to secure the business of a prominent F1 client, our team decided to create a 3D printed model of the FEA plot for a clutch component. The J750 enabled us to produce a multi-material, multi-color 3D model of the entire FEA plot of a clutch basket. The resulting model was so accurate and so vivid in color definition, that the team instantly understood the design decisions and placed an order.”

This tactic was so successful, AP Racing now deploys 3D printed FEA models routinely to provide proof of concept to its current and future customers.

Beating the traditional

Another essential 3D printing application for AP Racing is prototyping brake calipers. Traditionally, these would be machined in aluminum. Not only is this method expensive, but the lead times are often extremely lengthy. Now, with its in-house J750, a prototype caliper can be produced in only 24 hours, a time-reduction that has dramatically improved the team’s responsiveness to its customers’ needs. However, in this case, it is not only the reduction in time that proved beneficial.

“In the case of a prototype brake caliper, absolute accuracy is essential, as we need to complete fitment checks for internal components such as seals, pistons, fixings and brake pads. Previously, we were limited in the functionality of 3D printed brake caliper prototypes,” explained Schoon.

“However, the J750 enables us to produce more accurate prototypes. The fact we can print in multiple materials at once has enabled us to create functioning threads on the caliper prototype, allowing for more accurate testing within the vehicles’ suspension and revealing any potential issues far earlier in the design process.”

Improved tooling performance

Beyond prototyping, AP Racing is using the Stratasys J750 for tooling applications. Every project it works on presents different, unique challenges, and requires complex, customized tooling. Almost every tool AP Racing creates is a one-off, and the team was previously reliant on external suppliers, which often resulted in high costs and lengthy lead times of several weeks.

Now, 3D printed tools can be produced at a fraction of the cost of those produced in aluminum and can be made in less than 24 hours.

In the case of laser etch fixtures, accurate positioning of a component is critical for repeatability. However, every single laser etch fixture is highly complex, so having customized fixtures is invaluable. Using traditional methods to manufacture fixtures resulted in extremely high costs for AP Racing.

Schoon’s team tested a 3D-printed customized netting-like application for these fixtures, with a simple plastic 3D printed model costing only £100 ($130). Some of these can locate 10 or more parts, ultimately speeding up production.

Schoon said, “Additive manufacturing offers us the freedom to design low-volume, customized tools that were previously unthought of.

“We can match different material requirements to ensure the tools perform to expectations. We can combine tough ABS with Agilus30 to create tools that are resilient yet coated with a rubber-like material to help prevent damage to a production part that may be painted.

“Given the extent to which this technology is now integrated within our processes and the quantifiable benefits that we are enjoying, I can certainly envisage a greater use of it in the future.”

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Lynk & Co Cyan Racing is documenting its bid to win the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) this season in a series of 12 videos running from April to December.

If the team succeeds it will become the first Chinese brand to win an FIA world title.

The first episode (above) premiered this week and covers the despair and then joy experienced by the team at WTCR Afriquia Race of Morocco.

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The DTM series conducted its final pre-season test at the Brandenburg circuit, located between Berlin and Dresden in Germany, last week.

Across the four-day session, all 18 DTM drivers from the series’ three manufacturer brands, Aston Martin, Audi and BMW, drove a total of 3,921 laps.

Audi finished the test with the fastest overall lap-time with Robin Frijns’ 1min 35.169s and was represented by nine cars: the test car from Audi Sport, two chassis apiece for the Abt Sportsline, Rosberg and Phoenix teams, and a sole Audi RS5 DTM for new customer operation WRT.

BMW finished the test with the sixth-fastest overall time, a 1min 35.884s for Joel Eriksson, running three BMW M4 DTM chassis for its six factory drivers.

Official Aston Martin team R-Motorsport ran two Aston Martin Vantage DTMs for its four drivers, setting a ninth-fastest time of 1min 36.345s with Jake Dennis behind the wheel.

Frijns’ best time of the week was more than two seconds faster than last year’s quickest qualifying lap indicating the potency of the new-for-2019 four-cylinder turbo-charged engines. The new units produce around 100hp more than last season’s naturally aspirated V8s, with a predicted output of around 610bhp. With a 45kg lowering of the minimum weight (down to 986kg), fans can look forward to the fastest DTM ever in 2019.

Team chiefs were satisfied after the four-day program, head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass said, “We’re generally very content and we’ve learned a lot. Obviously, the results should not be overrated. Experience has shown that no-one puts all their cards on the table in pre-season testing. Even so, it’s nice to see all your cars at the top of the time sheets.

“Due to the modified cars and the new turbo engines we had slightly more work than we normally do before a season, but we can still be happy on the whole. We’ll only know at Hockenheim where we truly stand.”

BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt said, “So much of these 2019 cars is completely new, and we’re gaining experience with every lap we get under our belts. The first two days didn’t go exactly as planned, but the entire team – including the drivers– rallied hard and refused to let it unsettle them.

‘We then completed a lot of laps on Wednesday and Thursday, and gained a better understanding of the car as a whole. In that sense, we’ve made big progress.

Dr Florian Kamelger, team principal of R-Motorsport Aston Martin, said, “During the four test days at the Lausitzring, the many long runs amounting to a total of 3,610km provided us with valuable insights for the further development of our Aston Martin Vantage DTM.

“As usual in such tests, we were able to identify and eliminate a few faults. We are very satisfied with the consistency in lap times we have achieved, bearing in mind that weren’t attempting to set fast times.”

The 2019 DTM series starts at Hockenheimring on Saturday May 4.

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Professional Motorsport World Expo-sponsored Scott Faulkner Rallying achieved a double victory at races in Wales last weekend.

Drivers Scott Faulkner and Gareth Parry both achieved wins at the 2019 RallyNuts Stages of fhe British Trial and Rally Drivers’ Association (BTRDA) Rally Series. The BRTDA Rally Series comprises of seven events staged through the UK between February and September.

The RallyNuts Stages were held on April 13, at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, Powys with 145 crews participating.

The Scott Faulkner Rallying team competes in a Mitsubishi Evo 9 prepared by its engineering partners C1-R in the Championship’s production class, more commonly known as Group N.

Group N cars are road cars with a roll cage, fire extinguisher and improved suspension to ensure better reliability on rougher gravel stages.

Drivers Scott Faulkner and Gareth Parry were looking to extend their existing lead and collect valuable points for the BTRDA and Pirelli Welsh Rally Championships over RallyNuts’ six stages through the Hafren, Sweetlamb and Abbeycwmhir forest complexes, all of which were new to them both.

“The stages look in great condition, very fast and flowing. They will favour smooth driving today” said Faulkner at the start of the event.

The Mitsubishi Evo 9 received maintenance and tweaks before the race, including a new clutch and some major repairs to the gearbox internals. These repairs ensured the team stood a fighting chance of setting some fast stage times on the mid-Wales event this weekend.

Faulkner and Parry set off third in Group N on the road behind rivals Pay Naylor and Russ Thompson and finished the last stage five seconds in the lead. The gap was even closer for the Pirelli Welsh victory, as the team took the win by one second, after an intense battle over the 45 mile event.

“That is a great result today” said Faulkner at the finish. “It’s been hard today, with the puncture we thought we’d thrown it all away but to take the win in both Group N and the Pirelli Welsh Championship by one second is fantastic! It looks like this season is going to be very close.”

The team’s sponsors include Professional Motorsport World Expo, C1-R Motorsport Services, Speedline Corse, AMS Arnside Motorsport, Gary Davies Accident Repairs and Fluid Power Aberystwyth.

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The new Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck has taken to the track in the 2019 ECB SuperUtes Series, an Australian racing series where modified production pickup trucks, or ‘utes’ as they are known locally, compete against each other wheel to wheel over eight weekends in a total of 24 races.

Racing under its Australian name Triton, and backed by Mitsubishi Motors Australia, Team Triton Racing has three new Series 6 L200 pickup trucks entered into the 2019 season, driven by Australians Elliot Barbour, Cameron Crick and Craig Dontas. Fellow Australian and double Dakar rally champion Toby Price will also drive for the team in select rounds of the championship.

Based on standard Mitsubishi L200 production vehicles, the SuperUte versions are powered by a tuned version of the stock 2.4-liter turbo-diesel engine, which retains its aluminum engine block and pistons but gains modifications such as uprated camshafts, a modified oil sump, larger injectors and larger fuel rails. The engine also receives a larger GTurbo high-flow turbocharger, a larger intercooler, an upgraded radiator for additional cooling and a Motec engine management system. A bespoke Torqit 3in exhaust system is fitted from the turbo backward, while the manifold is retained from the standard L200.

Producing 344hp and 677Nm of torque, the Mitsubishi L200 SuperUte can reach 0-62mph (100km/h) in under 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 150mph (240km/h).

The front suspension is upgraded with SupaShock springs and absorbers while the rear end is completely modified. The standard rear differential and rear leaf-spring suspension are removed and replaced with a SuperUtes control package, complete with a competition-spec differential and a fully adjustable horizontal SupaShock racing damper setup.

The standard gearbox is replaced with a Tremac 6060 6-speed H-Gate manual shift gearbox with set ratios with a specially fabricated heavy-duty lightweight clutch and flywheel from Australian Clutch. All vehicles have 20in PDW special SuperUtes Series alloy wheels and Yokohama R-spec 20in tires.

Other controlled elements include a Tilton pedal box and a Brembo brake system. All vehicles are fitted with a bespoke CAMS-approved (Confederation of Australian Motorsport Ltd) roll cage along with FIA-mandated safety harness, window net and other driver protection. The vehicle weight is also controlled and set at 1,800kg (3,970 lb) to ensure parity across the manufacturers entered for the series.

Driver Craig Dontas said, “The L200 SuperUte is a great racing truck to drive – it’s quick, responsive and handles really well. The ECB SuperUtes Series is a highly competitive and closely fought series of races, with the trucks locked in a close battle for position. With the new race tires, lower ride heights, louder exhausts and more performance for this year, the series should be better than ever.”

The first race of the season took place over the first weekend of March at the Adelaide Street Circuit in South Australia, where Mitsubishi Motors Team Triton finished in a competitive third place in all three races of the weekend. The SuperUtes season spans eight race weekends and concludes at the Newcastle Street Circuit in New South Wales on the weekend of November 22-24.

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