Kingston University’s Motor Racing team is competing in an international competition for the first time in its history in July.
Kingston Racing members are engineering, design and business students, and they are going to Formula Student Netherlandswhich is Europe’s educational engineering competition.
They are planning to put a mark down for the University and show that they can compete at a high level.
The competition is structured into three static events and five dynamic events which test the team’s technical analysis, engineering design and manufacturing skills.
Marc Jonker, 25, mechanical engineering student and team leader of Kingston Racing said: “We are not going to compete to winit – at the end of a day you have to compare it to Formula One – you have teams with different budgets and diff erent experiences.
“We have to create a base for the team to follow year after year, so we need to create a good foundation.“As we are effectively a new team, our aim is to compete and finish all the dynamic events.”
Thirty engineering students, two graphic design students and five MA business students are working towards a business presentation, cost presentation for the car and design report, as well as building a reliable car ready for acceleration, sprint, endurance, skip pad and fuel efficiency.
Currently, Kingston Racing is still in the building phase, and the car should be ready to be tested in May.
The aim is to have a good reliable car, compete, and get average – good scores across all the areas.
“The Formula Student Netherlands out-weighs everything we’ve done previously. It’s all coming together now,” said Jonker.
Kingston Racing has a policy that anyone can join at any level of their course, which is what sets them apart from most formula students.
Jonker said: “I chose my university based on whether I could join the Formula Student team in foundation or first-year.
“It was absolutely vital for me, so I think it is vital for all engineering students.
“It allows you to put your theory that you learn in the classrooms into practice, and you actually design something. You make it, you build it, it’s tested, and then it’s raced. It’s definitely an experience you don’t get through normal classes.
“Our team is very new, and there’s a lot of people who are doing Formula student for the first time, so we are trying to build up their experience,” said Jonker.
Caitlin Hamill 
Josh Smith