9 June 2006

NUS Race Car ranked Asia's best in FSAE race

NUS FSAE team: Roaring to a great finish

Centennial II, the locally designed, built and technologically improved NUS FSAE Race Car, was ranked No. 1 in Asia at the International Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) race. It was also ranked 9th in the world for overall design and awarded 27th place for overall ranking out of 140 teams. Held recently in Michigan, United States, the International FSAE race is touted as the toughest inter-varsity contest of its kind.

The NUS FSAE team was among 11 registered teams from Asia. The only one from Southeast Asia, it was also the only competitor from a country which does not manufacture cars nor has a culture in motor sports. Most Asian teams were from Japan and Korea and included competitors from Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Kokushikan University and Kumoh National Institute of Technology.

Among the other participants were internationally renowned institutions such as Cornell University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGill University, Purdue University, University of Western Australia and University of Toronto.   

The NUS FSAE race car project started in 2001 as a fun activity without any external technical assistance or sponsorship. Over the years, the various student teams have built new race cars with progressively improved designs and construction. The 2004 race car was our first car to participate in the annual international Formula SAE competition in the United States. However, the 2006 race car surpassed its predecessors because it was very well thought out and well integrated. Although the car had no special hi-tech features like those of the top teams, this latest NUS FSAE car was well designed overall, and the components dovetailed perfectly into each other, impressing the design judges.

The NUS FSAE team, comprising mainly Mechanical Engineering students, was able to come up with an impressive design of their race car, which is testament to the ‘design-centric' philosophy and curriculum of NUS' Mechanical Engineering Programme.

"Our students are endowed with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of engineering, which in turn equips them with the skills to turn those principles into reality," said Professor Lim Seh Chun, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department. "Their ability and achievements have now been recognised internationally at this annual event."