Sunday 25th July saw UBR13 complete another successful test at Bruntingthorpe as the team continues its preparations for Formula Student Germany.

A successful endurance simulation was completed, with fuel economy data gathered in order to develop the engine mapping for Germany. The car ran with few issues, leaving us with just a few minor tweaks ready for the next test on Tuesday.

The test was also our first opportunity to try out our newly acquired protective tyre covers, kindly manufactured by Auto-Trim systems. Auto-Trim tyre covers are now available to all FS teams from £65+VAT per set.

Click here for the full testing gallery.

Photos from the weekend's action at Silverstone are now available on our Flickr page by clicking here:

UBRacing 2010 Formula Student UK Update:

Brake Test

Following on from the first competition update, the team worked late into Friday night to prepare the car for another attempt at brake test on Saturday morning. Having identified and rectified the cause of the brake test failure the car was once more wheeled to the brake test area. This time a broken linkage connecting the brake pedal to the master cylinder meant another failed attempt. After more repairs the car was able to complete brake test and move on to the dynamic events.

Dynamic Events (Saturday)

With brake test complete UBR 13 had obtained all the required tech stickers to be deemed safe and eligible for dynamic competition. Regrettably the difficulty in completing brake test meant that time had run out for competing in the acceleration and skidpad events. Missing acceleration was a particularly bitter pill as the team had high expectations for the event following promising figures from dyno-testing.

Saturday afternoon brought the autocross event and with it the first opportunity to show UBR 13's potential. Danny Fennell was first out in the car for his two sprint laps and posted a competitive 1:06 laptime on the second, despite driving conservatively to give the team a 'banker'. Jake Wallis was second out with the objective of showing what the car was capable of - a point he made by going 3 seconds quicker on his first lap than Danny had done at the same stage. Once again a failure took the team out of contention for a strong finish, this time the right rear wheel hub assembly bolts sheared during Jake's second lap, leaving the team in 25th position in autocross and with substantial work required to complete the endurance event on Sunday.

Dynamic Events (Sunday)

Following an overnight trip to Birmingham to repair and reassemble the hubs (all four were replaced as a precaution); UBR 13 was ready for start of endurance. Alex Coignac-Smith took the wheel for the first stint and after a few laps getting used to the balance he was able to lap competitively and looked set to give UBRacing a strong finish to the weekend. Sadly there was one remaining twist of fate to come; with a handful of laps before driver changeover Alex pulled the car off the track and stopped on the grass with no sound to be heard from the engine.

Results and Debrief

The endurance failure has been traced to a small leak in the rear brake system. A crush washer on a hydraulic fitting had begun to leak which, with time, led to a long brake pedal. Eventually the brake pedal hit the overtravel safety switch which shut down the car's electrics, as required by the rules. This problem has already been fixed, along with a complete replacement of crush washers throughout the hydraulic system as a precaution.

As a result of the numerous problems with the car over the weekend the team finished in 37th place overall, however the team is still immensely proud of and thankful for the hard work which took place all year by students, staff and sponsors.

The focus now shifts towards repairs and a rigorous testing programme. As FSUK clearly highlighted, a number of vehicle systems need a rethink, however with two weeks until UBRacing travel to the next competition, the expectation is that all of the problems can be solved to provide the best possible chance of a great result at Formula Student Germany.

UBRacing 2010 Formula Student UK Update:

Arrival at Formula Student UK

The UBRacing team arrived at Silverstone circuit to set up camp on Wednesday, with the car itself arriving Thursday morning. As in many previous years FSUK has seen the traditional 'four seasons in a day' with torrential rain and high winds greeting the competitors. Unperturbed UBRacing set about readying the car for scrutineering. UBR 13 passed tech and safety scrutineering at the first attempt on Friday morning with only very minor changes required to satisfy the scrutineers. The scrutineering events up to brake passed without issue; for those who aren't familiar with Formula Student competitions a brief description of these events is found below:

Tech & safety: The car is scoured by experienced scrutineers armed with the Formula SAE rule book to ensure both the rules compliance and general safety of the vehicle. If the scrutineers are unsatisfied, the team must return to the pits to rectify the issue before joining the rear of the queue to be tested again. Additionally each driver must perform 'driver egress' where they must leave the car from a fully harnessed position in under 5 seconds - marshals often say that if you can escape in 5 seconds in practice you will be out in 3 in a real emergency!
Tilt test: With a driver strapped in the car is tilted sideways to an angle of 45 degrees to check for any leaking fluids. Next the angle is increased to 60 degrees simulate hard cornering, this time the judges are looking for wheels lifting from the bed which would suggest the car may be unstable in a fast corner.
Noise test: In order to compete in Formula Student, cars must meet a strict 110 dB noise limit. This is measured from the side of the vehicle at a specific RPM for each configuration of engine.
Brake: One driver must take to the brake test arena and stop the car in a controlled manner. The test is passed if the driver is able to lock all four wheels simultaneously and come to a stop without veering to one side or otherwise losing control.

Finally with the all the necessary checks complete the team could run the car for brake test. Despite the heavens opening Mark Sawczyn, designer of the chassis and braking systems, took UBR 13 for its first powered run at Silverstone. Despite the very wet conditions, Mark performed the brake test but even after several attempts he could only lock three wheels - the left front clearly needing some attention before another attempt. Sadly with the day drawing to a close UBRacing had to wait until Saturday morning to try again.

Static Events

In parallel to Friday's pre-race checks, the team competed in the 3 static event presentations: Design, Cost and Business. Teams must bring their cars to design event so that the judges can study their design and ask questions to the relevant team members. UBRacing were commended on their overall concept, attention to detail and a number of unique features on their car. Cost event was attended by Gary Upton and first year team member Andy Mather; once again they put in a strong showing and came away confident of a good placing. Business presentation, the final static event, requires the team to pitch themselves and their car as a small business requiring investment to a 'Dragon's Den' style panel. Alex Hall, last year's team leader, took responsibility for the event and impressed the judges by improving and adapting last year's proposals to meet the recommendations they gave in 2009. With all three presentations complete, the team turned their focus back to the dynamic events whilst waiting for the static event scores with baited breath.

Today UBR 13 will once again attempt the brake test before moving to the dynamic events proper - Skidpan, Acceleration, Autocross (Sprint) and Endurance on Sunday. Check back later this weekend for another progress update and more photos.