Mixed Fortunes For Cardiff Racing In The Formula Student 2019 Season
Cardiff Racing competed in Formula Student at Silverstone over the weekend of 19-21 July in the car they launched only last month.
Silverstone yields some positive results
Overall the team came 18th out of a total of 81 teams and were pleased with the car’s performance. A spokesperson for the team said:
We’re happy with our statics results, coming 12th in Design and 16th in Business! Dynamics also went well, and we were fourth in Acceleration. Unfortunately, due to an unscheduled mass reduction during the Skid-Pad, we had to remove our front wing. However, spirits are high, the car is proving reliable, and we’re looking forward to endurance
Dramatically, the car hit a cone during the Skid-Pad challenge resulting in the team having to remove the front wing.
A car named Cristal
The car named Cristal is a play on CR15tal (the latest model number) and because crystal is the 15th wedding anniversary gift, so the team felt the name worked well. CR15 or Cristal has a full aluminium monocoque chassis; previous cars have had the half space frame and half honeycomb design. Interestingly, an earlier version of the aluminium monocoque chassis was first used in the 1962 Lotus 25 Formula 1 race car.
This year the team had aimed to build the car as small and light as possible, thereby pushing its limits.
We achieved a weight of 205 kilos full wet which is good for the type of engine we use. We have designed a side diffuser to increase the car’s downforce. The aid of new dampers with more adjustability will also help the setup
Lee Trehearne, Cardiff University’s automotive engineer
The team put in a lot of hours to work on the car, with one student saying he had put in an extra 15-20 hours a week, with weekends on top to ensure the car was ready.
Success and setbacks in the Netherlands
Cardiff Racing also competed in the Netherlands earlier in July with mixed fortunes. Although they were the top UK team in the static competition, the team subsequently had a few problems with the car’s reliability and competition timings, areas they then worked on before competing at Silverstone.
This year’s drivers in both competitions were Ben Chappell, Louis Crozier, Matt Haines and Guglielmo Sonnino Sorisio. Ben Mason was head of chassis, Ben Chappell head of aerodynamics and Louis Crozier head of suspension.
Axminster continues to support Cardiff Racing with the loan of iKX3 CNC milling machine. Plus, the Cardiff store has given the team a benchtop pillar drill. To quote one of the team:
"Axminster have been the best help, we wouldn't have been able to achieve what we have without them
