Engineering students compete in Montmeló with their own single-seater race car

Up to 1,750 students from all around the world worked throughout the year on the design and construction of single-seater racing cars that performed on the famous Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. Formula Student Spain was held in Montmeló to allow students to practice all the knowledge they have acquired at university while simulating a real situation. Students had to work as if they were part of a real company, looking for suppliers and sponsors, planning costs as well as designing and constructing the cars. The Minister of Business and Knowledge of Catalonia, Jordi Baiget, described the event as a much-needed activity to enhance interaction between industry and university.

Students from Germany with their own single-seater car in Montmeló (by L.Busquets)
Students from Germany with their own single-seater car in Montmeló (by L.Busquets) / ACN

ACN

August 29, 2016 11:22 AM

Barcelona (CNA).- Up to 1,750 students from all around the world worked throughout the year on the design and construction of single-seater racing cars that performed on the famous Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. Formula Student Spain was held in Montmeló to allow students to practice all the knowledge they have acquired at university simulating a real situation. Students had to work as if they were part of a real company, looking for suppliers and sponsors, planning costs as well as designing and constructing the cars. The Minister of Business and Knowledge of Catalonia, Jordi Baiget, described the event as a much-needed activity to enhance interaction between industry and university.

 


 

 

Baiget said that the car industry is one of the most important industries in Catalonia, offering a lot of quality jobs. That’s why he pointed out that Formula Student Spain is an “ideal” event that allows students to work alongside real car companies. According to him, it is very important to promote these kinds of events. In this edition, the sixth, all the Catalan universities took part in Formula Student.

The coordinator of the UPC EcoRacing team, Guillem Penalva, said that the experience gained in these kinds of events is very important for engineering students. “You put into practice all your theoretical knowledge and you do it with cars that you have designed”, he pointed out. According to him, this kind of experience is positively considered when applying for a job.

“In this competition, we do engineering tests during which you have to justify why you are using a certain type of motor or wheel. You also have to explain where are you investing the money”, he explained. All these are issues that workers in this sector will later have to face “in their day-to-day business”.