ABOUT
WHO ARE WE?
Established in 2002 by then undergraduate student Richard Elliot, Cardiff Racing has a rich history as a part of Formula Student. Fielding our first car in 2004, the team was quick to achieve, placing 2nd in the UK competition in our second year of competing. From here we continued to progress steadily, with the highlight being the 2017 season. The car from this year – CR13 – placed 1st in FSUK, making us the first UK team to win the UK event. This achievement is a testament to the hard work put in by the team over the years and has provided inspiration and motivation for the current team as we work to build this year's car.
Looking to the future, Cardiff Racing is branching out from combustion vehicles. Current third- and fourth-year students are undertaking research projects to supply Cardiff Racing with an electric solution to ease the transition into an electric powertrain car in the near future. We also have a driverless team, who are developing the necessary systems to enable a driverless entry. We will soon be looking to secure the funding to build a full-scale autonomous prototype.
WHAT DO WE DO?
The ultimate aim of building a car is to compete in Formula Student. Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Formula Student is Europe’s most established educational engineering competition, with the focus of inspiring students through motorsport. The event is run over several days, with teams taking part in two different categories of events: static and dynamic.
The static events involve testing the car’s braking and noise levels, as well as a tilt test and technical and safety scrutineering. This part of the event also includes a business presentation, which covers the design, cost and sustainability of the car. Dynamic events test the car’s speed, handling and fuel economy, with the main event being the endurance run. Each event is weighted differently, and the winner is the team with the highest overall score.
By taking part in Formula Student, we put ourselves to the test against some of the greatest student engineers from across the world. This competitiveness challenges us to continually work to better our performance and build the best car possible.