Work begins on next UCD racing car

11 December 2001: Work is progressing well on the design of UCDR-2, the latest version of a racing car built by a group of engineering students at UCD, according to Dr William Smith, Department of Mechanical Engineering. This year's team comprises 24 new final-year undergraduates, and two postgraduates who were undergraduate members of last year's team. Support and encouragement are also being provided by the four postgraduates who were responsible for UCDR-1.

This year's car will be an evolution of last year's, and will retain key features including the radically inclined engine (left). The principal goals are to produce a car which is lighter – yet more spacious – than UCDR-1, and to incorporate refinements and improvements based on our experience at the competition and in testing.

Significant changes for the new car include the design and construction of a completely new space-frame, a revised braking system, improved engine intake and exhaust systems, modified suspension geometry, and a significantly lighter final-drive arrangement. We are also looking at replacing some "off-the-shelf" components (such as wheel hubs and brake discs) with custom-designed units manufactured in our own workshops. Establishing this capability provides us with much greater design freedom, and allows us to shave precious grams where it really counts.

Having succeeded against all odds last year in going from zero to complete car in only ten months – and winning an award at the competition – this year the group are setting sights even higher. “Although our team is still very inexperienced, and has relatively modest resources at its disposal, we are hoping to offer some real competition to the more established teams in the competition next July,” says Dr Smith.

“In only our second year of participation there's a limit to what we can realistically expect to achieve, but enthusiasm, ambition, and hard work count for something, and we are certainly well endowed with all three. Taking on the best European and American universities at their own game is quite a challenge, but that challenge is part of the competition's appeal.”

The team received a significant boost to morale last month, with the news that Jordan Grand Prix wished to reaffirm its support for UCD Racing programme, and would be renewing its sponsorship of the team at a level significantly above that offered in 2001. The 2002 deal includes a visit by the team to the Jordan headquarters in Silverstone next summer, during which they will present the results of their work to the engineering staff.

Last year's car has been featured at a number of events since its return from Birmingham in July.