ECU Racing takes the win in the UK

First published on ECU

Racers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) have outperformed 55 other Universities from across Europe to take the top spot at Formula Student 2024, in the UK.

The ECU Racing team finished 200 points ahead of their nearest competitor at the five-day event. In addition to the overall win, the team will also bring home the coveted Engineering Design trophy to add to its Sprint and Endurance wins from the on-track events.

Fifteen students from ECU travelled to take part in Formula Student 2024, which was hosted at Silverstone, home to the British Grand Prix.

The ECU Racing team achieved a score of 915 out of a potential 1,000 points, placing first in a number of divisions including Dynamics Overall, Endurance, Sustainable Fuel Award, Autocross. ECU first year student Sebastian Fiorenza was also awarded Driver of the Event.

"The students arrived in the UK three weeks ago and worked hard to deliver a fast reliable car to the competition. While in the UK the team visited advanced technology companies such as Fortescue WAE, Multimatics, and Aston Martin F1. The team learnt a lot from the visits and will be returning home with a lot of ideas for next year," said ECU Senior Lecturer Dr Kevin Hayward.

"Hundreds of volunteers from high performing engineering companies around the UK made the competition a great experience. ECU Students were presenting and explaining their work to judges with extensive engineering experience in design, manufacture, marketing, and management."

ECU Racing at the tail end of last year unveiled a lighter, quicker and more powerful car. Weighing in at a feather light 164 kilograms, it can reach 100km/h in under four seconds.

The car features an innovative rear suspension system that is entirely new to the competition. Combined with an efficient aerodynamics package and lightweight composite construction, the vehicle is especially nimble. A small efficient Yamaha engine, tuned by the students, meant that fuel use was low. This allowed the team not only to place highly in the acceleration event, but also claim the prize for the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the competition.