Formula Student is an international engineering design competition in which engineering students are given a year to design and build a formula racing car that meets all the relevant requirements. The car has to make the grade not only in the various test drives on the race track but also “off-road” as it were in other areas such as in the Business Presentation or Cost Report categories. Each of the different areas is evaluated according to a point system and scores form part of an international ranking. The competition rules and all the requirements related to the car are documented in the current SAE Rule Book.
Since it was founded in 2003, “joanneum racing graz” has been among the largest student projects at FH JOANNEUM. The goal is successful participation in selected Formula Student competitions under the team name “joanneum weasels”.
Involving students from different year groups …
1st and 2nd semester students from the Master’s degree programme in Automotive Engineering are responsible for project management of “joanneum racing graz”. Many work packages are, however, also carried out by students from the Bachelor’s course. Other aspects are the focus of Bachelor’s or Master’s theses. Certain construction activities are carried out in relevant courses within the Automotive Engineering programme.
… and disciplines
Students from other degree programmes support the “joanneum racing graz” project in a range of areas such as electronics, manufacturing, design, PR, ergonomics etc. Led by Automotive Engineering students, fellow students from the Industrial Design, Information Design, Electronics & Technology Management, Production Technology & Organisation, Journalism & Public Relations, and Physiotherapy programmes are involved in the project.
Knowledge database for future teams
An Advisory Board takes care of pooling all the activities. The accumulated knowledge is saved in a knowledge database so that the teams, which due to the curriculum change every year, are always able to draw on the experience from previous years.
