Dubai: It’s yet another feather in the cap of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus (BPDC) as ‘Team Al Fursan’ heads to Formula Student Netherlands 2022 competition (FSN). ‘Team Al Fursan’ of BITS Dubai Motorsports Club, in association with M.A.H.Y Khoory & Co. LLC, is the only team to have been selected for Formula Student Netherlands 2022 from the Middle East and North Africa region and will compete with 18 teams from some of the best universities all over the world.
FSN is the Dutch edition of the world’s largest student engineering competition, which challenges students to understand, design and develop a formula-style racing car. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the event is scheduled from July 11 to 14 at Assen TT Circuit, known for its high-speed corners, long straights and world-class events such as MotoGP and DTM.
‘Driver Ergonomics’
The 14-member team comprising engineering students from multidisciplinary groups of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus came together in the fall of 2021 with the sole purpose of designing a car focused on ‘Driver Ergonomics’. The car was hence designed specifically, considering the health, comfort and safety of a driver, drawing upon biology, psychology, engineering and design that created vehicle environments in which drivers had a lower chance of injury. The team has built a Formula Student car in BITS Pilani Dubai campus, adhering to the rules and regulations of the Formula Student Rule book.
Passion, enterprise and teamwork
Commenting on this milestone, Dr Srinivasan Madapusi, director of BPDC, said: “One of the biggest factors that sets BPDC apart is the career-focused style of education, with competitions like FSN our students get so much real-world work experience in the field before graduation. This is an excellent example of translation of learning in the classroom to a high performance application environment accompanied by highly efficient use of resources. It also underscores the passion, enterprise and teamwork displayed by our students. The Formula Student Netherlands is one of the biggest competitions of its kind in the world. I am proud that BPDC students are representing not just the UAE, but the entire Middle East and Africa region. We at BPDC are grateful for all the support from the faculty and sponsors who have made this commendable achievement possible.”
Al Fursan team head Shobal Philip Roy said: “It took us nine months to plan, execute and complete the car. It’s great being part of such a passionate and dedicated group. The entire team is eager to learn, adapt and execute things that are new to them under difficult circumstances. I appreciate my team for their constant support and cooperation throughout all stages of development. We thank all the sponsors that supported us with monetary and technical help. We hope they extend their support in the coming years as well”
Rigorous support
The team is supported both technically and financially by various sponsors, namely: M.A.H.Y Khoory and Co. LLC, the title sponsors, NRT Performance, Titan Performance, Al Shirawi Equipment Co. LLC, Calicut Paragon Group, Society Motors, Rapid 3D, and the parent institution BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.
The students are rigorously supported by Dr Srinivasan Madapusi, the director of BPDC, and faculty in-charge Dr Priyank Upadhaya and various other faculty and staff members of BPDC.
