Stuttgart team takes Formula Student title

The event, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), saw 156 teams from 34 countries take part, with over 2,000 students directly involved. Teams were charged with designing and building a single-seat racecar, with the project forming a part of many teams’ engineering course work.

Despite a shift for many teams towards electric vehicles, it was Stuttgart’s combustion engine team, Rennteam Stuttgart, which took top honours. The team accrued a total of 851.1 points, finishing more than 100 points clear of runners up Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The University of Bath was the highest placed team from the UK, coming in fourth with a score of 707.8 points.

“It’s been great to see an internal combustion car win again,” Andrew Deakin, chairman of Formula Student, said in response to the Stuttgart win.

“It brings to a close what has been an excellent event with the highest number of cars completing scrutineering and getting through all the dynamic events. The competition continues to improve every year and I look forward to welcoming all the teams back in 2017.”

Teams are judged across a number of criteria, including design, cost, acceleration, endurance and efficiency, as well as on presentation skills, and the car’s performance in dynamic race events. Rennteam Stuttgart dominated both the endurance category and the race events, ultimately giving the team a comfortable margin of victory.

“It feels amazing to have won this year’s Formula Student. We have worked really hard and are delighted to have come first,” said Joscha Haupt, Stuttgart’s team leader.

“It’s very tough to compete against all the strong electric teams but we enjoy the challenge of competing with a combustion engine. The team changes every year and the car was fantastic. We want to make sure that we continue to improve so we can come back even stronger next year.”

Full results for 2016 can be seen here. The event will return in 2017 for its 20^th year.