Warwick engineers race to success

A group of Warwick Engineering students have been named the joint winners of an international engineering event in Indiana.

The nine-strong team of fourth-year Masters students, supported by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), finished third in an eventful race at the world-famous Indianapolis circuit.

The podium finish was only a part of the greater effort. There were also second and fourth place finishes in other sections of the competition, from an engineering analysis of all of the design decisions made, to a review of how well the group had circulated green technology to the wider public.

The consistent high ranking resulted in the group’s claiming a joint overall first place at the Indianapolis Electric Vehicle Grand Prix (EVGP).

The EVGP is an annual international event held by Purdue University which has recently been publicly supported by US President Barack Obama. This year’s race saw 20 different karts, ranging in terms of technology and driver experience, battle it out on an internationally renowned circuit.

The WMG team secured pole position after two flying qualifying laps from the driver, Tom Oliphant, who boasts 11 years of racing experience. The race itself was hampered by yellow flags and an incident involving a car refusing to yield its position saw it and the Warwick group’s kart crash into a barrier.

A team effort, led by Chief Mechanic Ben Cowling, ensured that the kart was patched up and able to re-enter the race. Subsequently, Oliphant climbed the field to finish third, one of only 9 karts which managed to cross the finish line.

Speaking to the _Boar_, Oliphant expressed the team’s pleasure with the overall joint first-place: “We have proven that this is a truly international competition and that European teams can compete beside the USA teams with more experience.”

Regarding the project as a whole, Oliphant said, “The development of electric karts is relatively important, though the CO2 savings are minimal, to get electric motors in motor racing you have to start from the grass roots.

“Hopefully this will pave the way forward for other classes of racing. Electric vehicles on the whole will be the future of the car industry.”

He also added: “As a team we would like to thank our sponsors, Mouser Electronics, Multisol Group, Johnson Controls, and the IMRC, as well as acknowledging the WMG for all their help. Especially the technicians (Darren Grant and Darren Stewardson), and the school of engineering as a whole.”