PolSl Racing closes the season with impressive results!
This year, the PolSl Racing team took part in two rounds of competitions – Formula Student Romania and Formula Student Poland. These competitions require not only reliable preparation of the car, but also commitment, dedication, and extraordinary engineering and general knowledge. To be successful, you have to be prepared for any circumstance – and that is exactly what the team from the Silesian University of Technology achieved!
What is Formula Student?
Formula Student is an international competition where students from around the world have the opportunity to present racing cars that they have designed, constructed, and tested in just one year! Teams have the chance to compete in seven competitions, both static and dynamic. The static competitions are designed to showcase the teams’ thinking during the design and production of the car, as well as to test their business and marketing skills in the Business Plan Presentation competition, which adds the opportunity to showcase the participants’ soft skills to the entire competition. The dynamic competitions, on the other hand, focus on demonstrating the performance, durability, and maneuverability of the cars, as well as the skills of the drivers and the strategic abilities of the entire team.
PolSl Racing took 2nd place in the overall EV class classification in Romania and 4th in Poland, while also taking the highest position of all Polish teams. Many factors contributed to this success, but above all it was the ambition and hard work of the team throughout the year.
What determines the achievement of such results?
Formula Student Romania is a round that will remain in the memory of the team members for a long time. For the first time in the history of electric racing cars, PolSl Racing managed to complete all dynamic competitions, and at the same time, the team reached the peak of its capabilities and achieved great success. First place in the Acceleration and Autocross competitions was incredibly motivating for further action and showed the true potential of the team. In addition, the results from the static competitions showed that the team is heading in the right directiondue to the incredible progress made compared to previous seasons.
Starting this year, Formula Student Poland has been granted the status of an official round, recommended by Formula Student Germany, whose regulations govern most rounds in Europe. With this in mind, following its success in Romania, PolSl Racing began preparations with the same focus and determination. These efforts paid off. After incredibly demanding technical inspections carried out by judges from the automotive industry, the PolSl Racing team entered all competitions, while being one of the few to pass technical inspections after the longest dynamic competition – Endurance. This resulted in a 4th place finish in both this competition and the overall classification. In addition, an incredible achievement was winning 3rd place in the Efficiency competition, which gave them the title of the most electrically efficient car among Polish teams.
These successes fill the entire team with incredible pride and motivation to fight for more next year. This is also emphasized by team leader Dawid Domański: “It was a huge effort by the whole team. We worked day and night, often sacrificing our free time to refine every detail of our car. These results – second place in the overall classification in Romania, victories in the Autocross and Endurance competitions, as well as third place in Efficiency – are proof that determination, passion, and teamwork really do pay off. We are also pleased that we took fourth place at the competition in Poland and at the same time proved to be the best Polish team. This shows that we are heading in the right direction and that together we can achieve more and more”.
In the role of a driver – what emotions and challenges accompany driving a Formula Student car?
When talking about the car and the team, one question almost always comes up – what is it like to be the driver of such a vehicle?
“The drivers of our car take on a huge responsibility – the vehicle has been designed and built as a unique construction, into which the entire team has put thousands of hours of work. Driving in competitions requires exceptional concentration and high skills, because the car is characterized by high power and very low weight. That is why we organize tests on karting tracks during the winter. Candidates for drivers participate in them, and the most active members of our research club are invited to take part,” says Adrian Faber, deputy leader and one of the team’s drivers.
Being a driver is much more than just driving a race car – it requires not only excellent technical skills, but also concentration, quick decision-making, and full commitment to the entire team. This season, our drivers demonstrated remarkable skill and endurance in difficult conditions, making each competition incredibly exciting and satisfying.
What are the preparations for the Formula Student competition like?
The competition is the culmination of a whole year’s work. Preparing for it can be extremely labor-intensive, requiring a large part of one’s free time to be devoted to the team. It involves not only work on the vehicle, but also many logistical and organizational challenges. Each sub-team has its own distinct approach.
Szymon Stencel, representative of the Chassis sub-team, who this season is mainly responsible
for strength calculations, draws particular attention to several issues: “In order to properly prepare the car for the competition, it was necessary to compile and prepare complete technical documentation containing certificates and notes confirming the parameters of the materials we used. Our trip to the competition was preceded by a period of testing the car, thanks to which we were able to determine the wear period of individual vehicle components and the rate at which the subsystems enter their operating window. This was a crucial period, because on its basis we knew what to expect during driving abroad and what potential problems we would face. In addition, tests simulating participation in real competitions allowed us to validate the analyses and calculations made during the vehicle design phase..”
Mateusz Szulik, leader of the Electrical subteam, commented on the electrical aspects: “Preparations for the Formula Student competition were a complex and intensive process for the electrical team, requiring full commitment.
The design and assembly of printed circuits, which form the basis of the car’s electronic systems, required extraordinary precision and attention to detail. Equally important was the creation of the wiring harness – from design to manual production, each component had to meet the strict requirements of the regulations to ensure reliability during the competition. We devoted a large part of our work to testing components, which allowed us to ensure that all systems were working as intended. At the same time, we developed control software, focusing on optimizing the drive system and batteries, which are key to the car’s energy efficiency. Each iteration of testing and calibration was a step towards perfecting our design. Third place in the Efficiency competition in Poland was a huge success for us, motivating us to further improve the drive system and batteries. The electrical team remains fully motivated to continue developing and achieving further successes.”
Good preparation is the key to a successful competition. To be successful, you have to be ready for anything and not be caught off guard during inspections and the competitions themselves..
Season summary, new challenges for PolSl Racing
PolSl Racing has no intention of resting on its laurels and is already working on another concept for next year’s car. More on this topic in a statement by the scientific supervisor of SKN PolSl Racing, Professor Mirosław Szczepanik:
“SKN PolSl Racing is an incredible opportunity for our students to test themselves today, while still in college, as future engineers, and to demonstrate their creativity and put their ideas into practice. This is the essence of studying and memories that will last a lifetime. The Formula Student competition is a test of how well you have done your job. It is also an opportunity to prove yourself and demonstrate your ability to communicate your technical ideas and defend them in front of professionals from various engineering fields in the automotive industry. This season shows that the PolSl Racing Team is constantly developing, implementing, and striving for high standards. It’s amazing when you can see the smiling faces of the students and hear their cheers of joy when the car crosses the finish line after driving 22 km on the race track at maximum speed – then you forget about the hard work, the time spent, the preparations, the tiring journey that a group of 30 people has to make to get to the competition, etc. … Successes are uplifting for the whole team – they unleash new energy and new ideas to make the next season even better. Because it is possible – there is still so much that can be done. We already have plans to introduce a new hybrid monocoque-based load-bearing structure – we are currently working on and developing a suitable layered composite (we are implementing the project as part of a ministerial program – Student Research Clubs Create Innovations), developing even better solutions for suspension, a better aerodynamic package or drive train, better inverters, a lighter battery, an optimized BMS system, perhaps the introduction of 4-wheel drive, etc. … It’s amazing that there is still so much to do, optimize, and improve here – that’s the whole point of being a young engineer/scientist. I am proud of the team, and I am also pleased with the fact that we are acquiring new ministerial projects, projects within the Excellence Initiative – Research University program, and new sponsors, including TAURON Polska Energia. We would like to thank the authorities of the Silesian University of Technology for their support, in particular the Rector, Professor Marek Pawełczyk, who attaches great importance to this type of undertaking. Soon, new recruits will be joining us – I believe that this year we will attract new automotive enthusiasts. We cordially invite you to join us in building a new electric car in a great team atmosphere – let’s create and win together!
