Events
Bosch UK’s sponsored teams were all in attendance: Team Bath Racing Electric, Oxford Brookes Racing, Oxford University Racing, Coventry University Phoenix Racing and Formula Trinity Dublin, who were joined by Leeds Formula Racing Team, Team Bath Racing (IC), LJMU e-Racing and Team SURTES at Bosch UK’s Denham campus in North West London. With nearly 100 people putting both their cars and their presentation skills to the test, the stage was set for a busy day.
All teams were greeted onsite by Markus Follmann, Bosch UK’s HR Director for UK and Ireland, who was keen to reiterate the importance of the competition to the company. “Formula Student remains a key part of our recruitment strategy and we are pleased and proud to welcome so many student competitors to our campus” said Markus.
“While Bosch operates in many consumer divisions, including home, IoT and connected environments, Automotive remains a key element of our business” he continued. “Around 60% of our employees are working on mobility projects with electric cars, automated driving systems and other things. This is a testament to the engineering heritage that our founder Robert Bosch built the company upon.”
“If he were here, what would Robert Bosch have thought of this test day?” asked Markus thoughtfully. “Given that he was an engineer, he probably wouldn’t be in his office on a day like this, instead he would be with you, working in the garages and getting underneath the cars to get them ready”
Aside from the chance to prepare for the main competition at Silverstone, the visit to the company’s Denham campus provided students with a chance to get a wider understanding of the many industries that the company operates in. From home appliances and automotive services to 3D printing, tool manufacture and charging solutions, the fully featured Innovation Hub provided a great backdrop to some of the conversations and initial interviews for Bosch UK’s graduate placements across the day.
Moving over to the test area itself and while cost, design and business presentations were ongoing throughout the day, teams from Coventry, Bath (both IC and Electric), Surrey, Leeds and Oxford Brookes universities readied their 2019 cars to go out on the test track while others took the opportunity to benchmark their processes and pick up ideas to enhance their cars and avoid common issues with design, manufacture and installation of specific components.
It wasn’t just all work and no play; Bosch UK had arranged for a shaded chill out zone, Mario Kart station and a full sized Force India Grand Prix simulator for students to enjoy during the quieter moments; the simulator in particular attracting plenty of healthy competition throughout the day.
While some cars weren’t able to completely assemble and pass scrutineering, Team Bath Racing’s IC car was the first out on the track, followed by Leeds Formula Racing Team’s petrol car. They were followed by Surrey’s electric car, who after several hours of diagnosing a fault with their battery pack, were able to fly the flag for EVs with a very quick and quiet car. For all other cars on site, the event was an additional chance to get some tips to pass scrutineering, diagnose and fix lingering issues and put the finishing touches on their entries for this year.
After a hot and busy day of testing, Bosch UK finished their test day by organising a barbecue for all participants. While not all cars were able to get on track, there were more cars out than 2018’s test day at MIRA and all who attended came away with plenty of food for thought to enhance their static and dynamic event preparation.
With the last full week ahead of this year’s competition, Bosch UK looks forward to welcoming these and all teams back to Silverstone for the July competition and wishes everyone taking part the best of luck.
View all the event photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fsuk/albums/72157709529887466