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NIT-K student team’s car for ’Formula Student China - 2014’


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 27, 2014:   NIT.K - National Institute of Technology - Karnataka is a compulsive participator in the Formula car racing, this  year its entry has advanced and developed. After four years a fresh batch of students have now come up with a finer model to contest in the Formula Student China - 2014, to be held at Xianyang from October 14.

 

NITK


The Formula race (FS)  car developed by NIT-K students is the only car from India to participate in the China event. A team of 25 students have designed and developed the car at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.

The car has been shipped to China, whereas the students team will fly out on October 10 to participate in the much awaited race. The team representing ’ NIT-K Racing’  which has the credit of developing the lightest Indian FS car, with its predecessors winning the best Asian team at FS Hungary 2012 and renowned as the fastest growing Indian team, is bursting with confidence.

This car made of steel, uses Honda CBR 600cc superbike engine and can produce up to 60 horse power.

  Making a difference from previous years, carbon fibre reinforced plastic has been used instead of aluminium to optimize the system which has made the car light. Speaking to media, team captain Vivek Muralidharan, a final year mechanical engineering student, said the team has moved ahead this year by performing wind tunnel testing of the car at Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.  It is the only Student Formula car in India to undergo wind tunnel testing and the team captain expressed confidence of performing better this season.

“We worked for about two months with the car on the drawing board and another two months to manufacture it. In preparation, the team took part in a first domestic event, where our strong technical basis helped us bag the innovation award with a cash prize of Rs 30,000, for our cooling system that is based on a published research paper. The car can travel up to a maximum speed of 110 km/hr in accordance with safety norms,” he said.

Though the team has received financial help from the sponsors, it has been looking forward for additional funds as the logistic cost is yet to be met.