‘NITK Racing’, the young and enthusiastic formula car team from NITK, Surathkal, is all set to be part of the Formula Student India - Design Challenge, to be held between January 23 and 28 at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.
NITK Racing, comprising 30 members, has carved a niche for itself. The team captain Bhavesh Lalwani, an eighth semester Mechanical Engineering student at NITK, told Deccan Herald that right from the stage of designing till driving everything is done by the students themselves and the experiences gained during the journey from the workshop to the race track is worth cherishing.
The making
Students from Mechanical, Chemical, IT, Electronics, Metallurgy, Material Science and other departments of engineering constitute the team. Several MTech students are also a part of it. As the final year students pass out, new members from the first year are added to the team and the cycle goes on. There are five sub-teams: Engine, Electronics, Suspension, Chassis and Marketing. Four drivers are must for a team and they are trained at Kari Motor Speedway in Tamil Nadu.
The team members said they work on the project after the class hours --- between 5 pm and 2 am --- and passion overrides their tiredness. It takes about one year to design a formula car, they added.
Achievements
The team has taken part in various events, including Supra SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) India event held in Chennai, Formula Student Event held in China and Formula Student held in Hungary.
The design and innovation by NITK Racing was adjudged the best and was awarded the first place in the category at Supra SAE India 14 at Madras Motor Race Track held in Chennai last year. The intake resonator made out of carbon fibre and the 3D printed mould were considered the two unique designs at the event. The team had also cleared the technical inspection in its very first attempt. Generally it takes two to four years for any team to clear this stage.
Guidance
The project cost is about Rs 10 lakh and a major part of the expenses is taken care of by the sponsors. The NITK has been providing its workshop and other facilities on the campus for free. NITK Mechanical Engineering Department Head Prof K V Gangadharan and Faculty Advisor M R Ramesh have been guiding the students, Bhavesh and his teammates said.
The amount towards the rest of the expenditure are shared by the team members and every member contributes around Rs 10,000. Also, the alumni come to the rescue of the team, they added.
Bhavesh said Daimler India Commercial Vehicles is the main sponsor this year. Bosch, Net App and Syndicate Bank are the other sponsors. The team is looking for the title sponsor of the formula car NR XV, he added.
NITK Racing, comprising 30 members, has carved a niche for itself. The team captain Bhavesh Lalwani, an eighth semester Mechanical Engineering student at NITK, told Deccan Herald that right from the stage of designing till driving everything is done by the students themselves and the experiences gained during the journey from the workshop to the race track is worth cherishing.
The making
Students from Mechanical, Chemical, IT, Electronics, Metallurgy, Material Science and other departments of engineering constitute the team. Several MTech students are also a part of it. As the final year students pass out, new members from the first year are added to the team and the cycle goes on. There are five sub-teams: Engine, Electronics, Suspension, Chassis and Marketing. Four drivers are must for a team and they are trained at Kari Motor Speedway in Tamil Nadu.
The team members said they work on the project after the class hours --- between 5 pm and 2 am --- and passion overrides their tiredness. It takes about one year to design a formula car, they added.
Achievements
The team has taken part in various events, including Supra SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) India event held in Chennai, Formula Student Event held in China and Formula Student held in Hungary.
The design and innovation by NITK Racing was adjudged the best and was awarded the first place in the category at Supra SAE India 14 at Madras Motor Race Track held in Chennai last year. The intake resonator made out of carbon fibre and the 3D printed mould were considered the two unique designs at the event. The team had also cleared the technical inspection in its very first attempt. Generally it takes two to four years for any team to clear this stage.
Guidance
The project cost is about Rs 10 lakh and a major part of the expenses is taken care of by the sponsors. The NITK has been providing its workshop and other facilities on the campus for free. NITK Mechanical Engineering Department Head Prof K V Gangadharan and Faculty Advisor M R Ramesh have been guiding the students, Bhavesh and his teammates said.
The amount towards the rest of the expenditure are shared by the team members and every member contributes around Rs 10,000. Also, the alumni come to the rescue of the team, they added.
Bhavesh said Daimler India Commercial Vehicles is the main sponsor this year. Bosch, Net App and Syndicate Bank are the other sponsors. The team is looking for the title sponsor of the formula car NR XV, he added.