Team Spark, a group of students from the University of Iceland’s Faculties of Engineering unveiled their race car TS16 yesterday, 7 April at the University Centre. The team is planning to compete with the racer this summer in Formula Student; the international educational motorsport competition held at the Silverstone racetrack in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the team will take part in a similar competition in Italy for the first time.
Team Spark is the University of Iceland‘s racing team that designs and builds an electric racer as a part of their studies in engineering. The University of Iceland has entered a team in Formula Student at Silverstone since 2011. This event is the largest international competition for engineering students. Over a hundred teams from universities all over the world compete both on and off the tracks.
There are two categories in Formula Student. The teams in category one are judged both by the design of individual parts of the racer and how it performs on the racetrack. In category two, on the other hand, the design and plans are introduced without participating in an actual race. Team Spark will compete in category one as it has the last two previous years.
The design of TS16 is based on the design of last year’s race car TS15 which came close to securing a seat in the actual race. This year‘s team is determined to succeed this summer and have already taken TS16 for a test drive in order to improve it before the race in England. From there the team continues to Varano de’ Melegari near Parma in Italy where they will participate in Formula SAE Italy for the first time.
Over forty students in engineering at the University of Iceland have worked with dedication on the racer since last autumn, but the emphasis is on electrical and environmentally friendly design as in previous years.
Sigríður Borghildur Jónsdóttir, Team Spark's leader, says that the team is very much looking forward to the competition this summer. “It is satisfying to witness such hard work come together and both the members of the team and its backers deserve credit as the project is solely financed with donations,” says Jónsdóttir.
Asked about new features in the racer she said that the team had developed spoilers for the first time. “The process exceeded our expectations and it is really incredible to have succeeded in the first attempt.”
Jónsdóttir said that the aim of the project is not only to build a race car. Members of the team gain valuable experience and opportunity for practical training, an advantage that will last a lifetime. “Students get the opportunity to put the academic knowledge they possess into practice,” says Jónsdóttir.
After the unveiling members of Team Spark explained the design briefly and showed a video of the test drive. Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Örn Ingvi Jónsson, Product Manager at Össur and the representative of the Team Spark sponsors, and Hilmar Bragi Janusson, Dean of the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, also addressed the ceremony.