An unusual venue for a racing car launch: the Racetech Racing Team from TU Bergakademie Freiberg unveiled its new electric racing car at the Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg. The students will be competing in this racing car this summer at the Hockenheimring and the Transpolis circuit in Lyon. The RT16 is an electric vehicle with all-wheel drive and was developed by the students last year. As the club has been in existence for 20 years, the team surprised everyone with a race car in a retro look, reminiscent of its predecessor, the RT02, from the 2007/08 season.
Around thirty students from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg volunteer their free time to help develop the racing car: “Our goal for this Formula Student season is to achieve a high level of reliability and maintainability in the car,” says student Helena Omonsky from the Racetech Racing Team.
The bodywork of the current racing car, constructed using lightweight monocoque technology, is made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and has been designed by the students themselves for the second time: “We have learnt from the last production run and optimised our processes.” The team has also invested in a new inverter for the electric drive. The new inverter is more compact, lighter and can handle higher switching frequencies, resulting in higher revs. The students have also completely redesigned the chassis layout since the last chassis design in 2020. “This is due to the new Goodyear tyres, which have a higher sidewall. And instead of a heave-roll spring-damper system, there is now also space for independent suspension,” says Omonsky.
First race in August
With the RT16, the team plans to compete in Hockenheim (11 to 16 August) and Lyon (26 to 31 August) and demonstrate the new vehicle’s performance in various Formula Student disciplines.
Formula Student is an international student competition. Unlike in Formula 1, it is not necessarily the fastest car that wins here. In Formula Student, the overall package is decisive. In addition to performance on the track (dynamic disciplines), cost planning, business model and design also play a decisive role.
