During the past weekend, Road Arrow put the first testing of this year’s C vehicle into action. The scorching asphalt in the hangar of Dexpress and ZF melted the Formula Student tires.
The preparations for the season are slowly coming to an end, and the excitement before the upcoming competitions remains high. The first testing of the C vehicle lasted two days. Six drivers tested the vehicle with the support and assistance of over 20 members of the Road Arrow team. Before each drive, a briefing was conducted with the drivers about how they should drive, what to pay attention to, and what the focus of the testing was. Upon entering the vehicle, they received commands, instructions, and guidelines on how to perform the tasks. On Saturday, the priority was to fine-tune the vehicle as all parts were new, especially the brakes.
“Driving this year’s C formula is phenomenal, it has exceeded all my expectations. The experience is positive, the vehicle behaves exceptionally well, and the faster you drive, the more it cooperates with the driver.” The drivers were honored to have the opportunity to test such a vehicle, and their excitement is clearly noticeable. “Considering that we have driven it so far without any significant adjustments, the basic feeling is good, which delights me and opens up space for great progress in terms of feeling, handling, and overall performance. The brakes impressed me the most as they are very precise.”
Through conversations with older drivers and their experiences, it can be understood that progress has been made. The vehicle’s reliability is at a high level, which demonstrates the improvement in every aspect.
The engineers who have worked on this vehicle for months are exhausted but excited and full of hope for the upcoming competitions. A lot of effort and time, especially in optimizing all vehicle parameters and ensuring reliability, have been invested in the design and production of this year’s vehicle.
“We alone know how many nights we spent working until the early morning hours and how much blood, sweat, and stress were invested in this vehicle. If we add the restrictions caused by the current global situation, it was not easy at all.” Some of the sub-team members proudly shared. Some of them consider the most demanding part of the production to be preparing the molds for composite part lamination because the quality of the mold directly affects the quality of the obtained part. Some molds took up to 3 weeks to prepare to ensure a quality surface for lamination.
We have just finished another challenging and exciting weekend full of lessons. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, and the team members don’t rest a day as they diligently prepare for further testing.
