- Largest student racing series in Europe: design competition for young talents
- Opel as partner: Of five universities near German sites
- Team vehicles: Opel provides the students with five Insignia Sports Tourers
"Opel has been supporting the Formula Student university teams for many years. We accompany the entire development process ‘live’ and experience how differently the teams approach problem solutions and bring about innovations. In turn, the young talents, get an insight into engineering at Opel, "said Christian Müller, Managing Director Engineering, at the handover of the Insignia Sports Tourers to the teams.
The aim of Formula Student is to create a prototype. The single-seater must meet strict requirements. In addition, the teams should calculate the cost of their design and present a business plan - as usual with any new model in the auto industry. Only when these tests are mastered, does it goes on the racetrack. Points are awarded for performance on the skid pad, acceleration, sprint and endurance races. Energy efficiency also plays a key role. The decisions are taken by a jury of experts from the motorsport, automotive and supplier industries.
Formula Student is held since 1981. In Germany, the competition initiated by the Association of German Engineers (VDI) celebrated its premiere in 2006 as Formula Student Germany. The technical regulations allow three different drive categories: in addition to a classic combustion engine, electric motors are also permitted. Since 2017, even autonomous racers start in their own class. The Opel-backed teams compete in all categories. In future there will be increased focus on battery electric drive and the integration of new technologies for fully autonomous operation.
The Opel teams in Formula Student:
Germany:
TU DART Racing (TU Darmstadt) www.dart-racing.de
Scuderia Mensa (Rhein-Main University) www.scuderia-mensa.de
KaRaT Racing (TU Kaiserslautern) www.karat-racing.de/
THM Motorsport (TH Mittelhessen Gießen) www.thm.de/motorsport/racing/
KA-RaceIng (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT) www.ka-raceing.de