Read on for insights from Benjamin Jenkins and Sam Cohen, the team's Project Manager & Electronics Lead and Vehicle Dynamics Lead respectively, about their upcoming challenger TBR21.
Kindly remind us of your university and team!
Benjamin Jenkins (BJ) and Sam Cohen (SC): We are Team Bath Racing, the University of Bath’s combustion Formula Student team. The core team consists of 25 final year engineering students from the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Departments at Bath. We have been competing in Formula Student since 2000 and have enjoyed numerous successes throughout our history, most recently our Overall Victory at FSUK’s Virtual Static Events competition in 2020.
The last time we properly caught up with Team Bath Racing was in 2018; what’s been happening since then?
BJ and SC: Since 2018, TBR has been attempting to return to the international successes of 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, TBR19 was not able to do this back in 2019 and COVID prematurely ended TBR20’s efforts last year. However, TBR21, having had success at FSUK’s Virtual Statics Competition and FS Online in 2020, are hoping to carry this success through to the 2021 season. The team have been working hard since our formation in February 2020 and are on track to have a new car for this year’s competitions. We are currently ramping up our car build and hope to publicly launch the new car at the end of May.
What would you say to yourself back when you started your time with Team Bath Racing?
BJ and SC: The reward is worth the work. FS is an excellent example of the more you put in, the more you get out. If the whole team works together at their best, then the rewards will come. Even when it is hard work and the long days are tiring, the key is to remember what your goal is and continue to push for it.
Being part of an FS team also provides the rare opportunity to see your designs and hard work become a reality whilst still at university.
How has COVID been affecting the team and how have you been overcoming any related issues?
BJ and SC: The story of TBR over the last year unfortunately cannot be told without mentioning COVID. When TBR21 was formed in February 2020, we had a few short weeks together designing face-to-face before the first lockdown kicked in. Sadly, this lockdown put an end to our predecessors, TBR20, as they were unable to finish their car build. Despite this, TBR21 kept designing our new car ready for FSUK’s 2020 Static Events Competition and the FS Online Competition. Following those two competitions, the next challenge was getting back into our buildroom at the start of this academic year. After a delay we were able to do so and made good progress up to Christmas 2020. The latest lockdown period prevented us getting back into our buildroom after Christmas, but we were still able to get parts made and delivered in our absence. Since being allowed back in at the start of March, we have been working flat out to begin building our car ready for the 2021 competitions.
Tell us more about your Concept Class team:
BJ and SC: The Concept Class competition is used as part of the 3rd year engineering curriculum through the Group Design and Business Project which occurs in Semester 2 at the University of Bath. A new team is formed every February, and they spend the whole semester designing a new car from scratch. With limited help allowed from the Formula Student Class team, the team of around 25 engineers start from a clean slate and look to learn from previous years and implement new technology to produce a competition winning design. This presents a very steep but exciting learning curve to follow. This brings its own challenges but also the freedom to design the car they want within the FS Rules. The Concept Class team will then compete with their finished design at FSUK alongside the Formula Student Class team, before spending the summer refining their design from the feedback they have received and lessons they have learnt ready to build the car in their final year.
Team Bath Racing pipping all the other teams to win the overall Statics at FS2020 was a big memory for me; what’s been your best moment/s in the competition so far?
BJ: As the Project Manager, its hard to say that that has not been my best moment in TBR so far. COVID brought so many additional challenges to the project, not least trying to design a complete car in such a short time scale with everyone in different places, including outside the UK. It was a huge effort from everyone in the team to manage these additional challenges and produce a coherent design. We knew when we entered the competition that we were competing directly against more experience Formula Student class teams, so we had no expectations. Receiving feedback from the Judges was more important to us so we could prepare to build our car for this year.
To then reach two of the three event finals alone was an astounding achievement for us, so to then be announced as Overall Champions was incredible. It was an amazing reward for all the hard work that everyone in the team had put in over the previous months and made the whole process worthwhile. It was just a shame that we were not able to celebrate in person as a team at that time.
What made you and/or some of your team members join Formula Student?
BJ and SC: The challenges FS brings and the opportunities for applying engineering knowledge. There are very few other projects like FS for students in a university environment. Whether you have an interest in pursuing a career in F1 and automotive or not, a part of the project will benefit you in the future.
Also, every year, TBR tries to involve students from all years at university. This gives students outside the team the opportunity to see a racecar being build and then driven around a track from their start of their time at university. This attracts many students who ultimately join the team later in their studies.
FS also provides the chance to learn practical skills not covered in course curriculums. Building the car as a team means there are plenty of opportunities to learn practical skills like carbon fibre layup and metal machining which you would normally not get the chance to do. You get the satisfaction of seeing parts you have personally designed and/or made being used on a racecar.
What would you say to anyone just starting FS for the first time this year?
BJ and SC: Do not be afraid of failure. FS is a learning experience that prepares you for your career, and failure is a powerful learning tool. The engineering scope within the FS rulebook is large compared to other motorsport, this is why we see such a range of cars at FS events. Therefore, use that scope to innovate and bring new ideas and technologies to your car. You do not know if it is worth it until you have tested it. Also, the workload is high and it is hard work, but remember why you are doing it and what the success feels like.
As one of the longest-running UK teams, what do you think Team Bath Racing in particular brings to the competition?
BJ and SC: We have been around for so long and have been so successful in the past that we can be viewed as a target for other teams. Teams measures their performance against us, but this is probably the same for all the other successful teams.
From the team itself, particularly in Concept Class, we bring a relatively unique approach with the car being designed entirely from scratch every year. This allows new ideas and technologies to be investigated and ultimately some of these eventually appear on the Formula Student Class car. It is that philosophy that has allowed TBR to be so successful at Concept Class, particularly design, and has translated to our successes in Formula Student. However, we do receive a lot of support from both the University of Bath and our sponsors. Without this, we would not be able to implement these ideals and technologies. This support is critical, and it helps us compete with some of the highly resourced European teams.
Who or what inspires you and the team?
BJ and SC: TBR has been very successful in the past and it is these past successes that drive the team. Every year we want to add to this rich history of success. Additionally, this year TBR21 are aiming to translate our success from last year’s virtual events to competitions this year.
Who in the team deserves some recognition for their work?
BJ and SC: Everyone in the team has worked hard over the past year to put us in the position we are. It would not be fair to single out individuals in this group of highly motivated engineers. However special thanks has to go out to those team members who have taken on extra tasks and those who have consistently been in the buildroom progressing the car’s build.
Anyone you would like to thank?
BJ and SC: A huge thank you has to go to our Academic Supervisors, Dr Kevin Robinson and Dr Geraint ‘Speed’ Owen for their tireless support of TBR for many years and especially over the past 12 months. Additionally, this year more than ever, we owe a huge debt of thanks to numerous members of the University of Bath’s Mechanical Engineering Department who have supported us through COVID, including arranging the team’s access to lab facilities and support with manufacture.
Finally, a thank you to all our sponsors who have either continued to support us or have just begun to support us even in these difficult times. Without this support, we would not be able to build the car we have designed.
We wish the theam the very best as they prepare for their 2021 campaign; to read about their latest updates feel free to follow them on their social media channels and website.
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