Every year, the UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers organises the Formula Student’s Race. This is the world’s largest and most widely recognised student motorsport event, with engineering students from across the world coming to compete with cars that they have built. This year, the race will be held between July 9 and 12 at the Silverstones Racing Circuit in Northamptonshire.
A team of students from the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Pakistan has qualified for this year’s race (they competed in the previous three years as well) , which will attract participation by 135 teams from 28 countries. NUST that’s entry is the NAS15, an upgraded version of its predecessors, the NAS14 (developed for the 2014 competition).
The NAS15 is named after Captain Nadeem Ahmed Shaheed, a well-known motorsports enthusiast. He was the faculty advisor for NUST’s Formula Racing Team. The car was unveiled at an event held at the Maritime Museum in Karachi on June 11 and which was attended by motorsport enthusiasts, media people and university alumni.
According to the team, the ,osteorthritis crucial design improvement of the NAS15 compared to the NAS14 is the fact that it is 70 kilos lighter, mainly because of the light-weight carbon fiber used to make the body. Being lighter in weight means that the NAS15 will be faster and according to test runs, the car can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in under four seconds. Other improvements include a compact chassis which increases the ‘down force’ generated by the engine as well as the vehicle’s road grip and stability , which is crucial when making sharp turns at high speeds.
After the Formula Student’s Race is over, the NUST team will travel to Germany to participate in the Formula Student Race held between July 28 and August 2 at the Hockenheimring Circut in Baden-Wurttenmberg.
By Jafer Khan