25 weeks ago, there was nothing.
Formula Student was a foreign idea and the idea of undertaking such a project was overwhelming. Yet these feelings still linger and every meeting ends with the pressure to gain more knowledge and to meet deadlines. Looking back, it really is crazy how much has happened ever since the first unofficial meeting in the middle of August. I fondly remember having that meeting in a burrito bar near college, oblivious to the amount of work ahead of me. I’d admit that I had very little general knowledge on cars and engines. When looking for a Faculty Advisor for the team, many professors were cautious and brushed the idea away. Eventually, a professor who didn’t know me and didn’t know what Formula Student was, agreed to be our Faculty Advisor, there was hope, and it felt great.
We visited the DIT and Edinburgh University Formula Student teams in search for advice and to see a complete race car. Knowing that one day our team will build the first race car in Trinity College Dublin, made these visits really exciting. Many people don’t have time to realize the process behind product development. From extracting the idea from discussion and the conceptual phase, to designing, building and testing it. Depending on the product, many hours could be spent doing the tiniest of things. You’re probably reading this on a laptop or a smartphone. How many meetings, deadlines and hours have been exhausted to create these devices? Countless.
25 weeks later, the team is comprised of 32 extremely motivated and talented individuals. Each person having a specific role, a role that didn’t exist not too long ago. Students designing components they would of never imagined. Carrying out calculations that put theory into practice, uncovering applications for onerous formulas and practices. The beauty of this competition is that we get to put material we learn from lectures and labs into something millions of people drive everyday.
With only 9 weeks until the term ends, we’re racing to get the design finished in time. A lot of time has been spent learning, collecting resources and formulating some sort of a plan of attack. Amongst the 32, only our Chief Engineer has experience with Formula Student, and even that is limited. It is kinda funny that the whole team is operating with leaders who have never led and engineering students who have engineered something besides cardboard bridges. Yet that’s the magic of it, we are willing to learn and evolve, towards a common goal. This team is already a success, we have succeeded in starting something not easy not effortless, now the challenge is to make it to our first checkpoint in July.
With Silverstone within reach, we are all proud to be a part of a team who have risen from nothing.
Arnie Sasnauskas
Team Captain