RGU Racing aiming for pole position at Formula Student

3rd January 2019

Alex Lynn

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A team of students from Robert Gordon University (RGU) have begun preparations which will hopefully see them race a car which they have designed and built at Silverstone. The creation of the new ‘RGU Racing’ student association, made up of 20 engineering and business students will join teams from across the globe in Formula Student, a testing ground for the next generation of engineers and racing enthusiasts.

RGU Racing is being championed by applications supervisor from RGU’s School of Engineering, Scott Murison, who is working closely with the students on the design stage, which will see them submit plans to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in summer 2019.

If all goes to plan, the team will then take their designs into the workshop to build their car with the ultimate goal of racing at the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, in 2021.

The team is headed up by third year mechanical engineering student, Michael Dow, who recently travelled to Coventry for the Learn to Win event, where he and some of the team were able to meet with other crews as they prepare for their inaugural challenge.

Dow stated: “Our experience of joining Formula Student differs from most recent teams as our university has never had a team before. We decided we wanted to form a team and got this put into motion as quickly as we could. We knew it would be an opportunity to apply what we were learning in class to a field in which most of us want to move into in the future.

“We are a diverse university based in Aberdeen but also internationally and so, as a result, have many different backgrounds involved in our team. As a first time entry we are focused on achieving a respectable overall performance, and are looking to really establish RGU Racing within the Formula Student circuit.”

Scott Murison added: “The IMechE Formula Student event is a great opportunity to hone the students’ developing engineering skills and to experience a large engineering project. The events themselves also provide the opportunity to meet likeminded people from other environments that may enhance their own career aspirations and opportunities.

“RGU also has the opportunity to develop some of its own teaching material within the school from exposure to the competition. It really is quite an exciting time for us all.”