Formula student at Hockenheimring

Once again the call "Gentlemen, start your engines" was heard from 2 to 7 August at the Hockenheimring in Baden Württemberg, for the Formula Student Germany was the guest for the sixth time at the motor sport spectacle in the Electoral Palatinate. The designers' competition, held annually since 2006, once again lured young engineering talents from around the world to compete with each other. The aim of the Formula Student is it to enable university teams to construct a competitive race car by themselves, for which they sometimes invest more than a year's work. The international team thereby had to struggle to acquire the budget required for the construction of their high-speed soapbox from sponsors. The young engineers tinker in the garages for countless hours until they complete their vehicle that can drive up to 200 km/h.

Such dedication and enthusiasm must naturally be supported and encouraged. Therefore, igus® backs many university teams with free products. Thus, installed in the race car are especially plain bearings in pedals, stabilizer bars and steering, and also occasionally energy chains® to protect the cables.

A racing team competes and eventually garners the most points for itself in total seven different disciplines in the categories of design, racing performance, financial planning and selling points. A jury composed of experts from the motorsport, automotive and supplier industries decides on the performance of the teams. Formula Student is organized by the VDI, the Association of German Engineers.
In addition to a lot of fun from tinkering on race cars and a lot of practical experience obtained by the participants in the Formula Student, it also offers good job prospects for the future.

True to the motto "Think Green", a distinction is made in the Formula Student since 2010 between the racing class of vehicles driven by combustion engine (Formula Student Combustion) and vehicles with an electric drive (Formula Student Electric). This year out of a total of 108 starters, 30 teams relied on electric engines. This included the FH Cologne, which is also pleased about the support from igus®.