Date:05/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090550310200.htm

Karnataka

‘Formula Manipal’ makes it to FSAE Italy 2008

Ganesh Prabhu

15-member team of students from Manipal Institute of Technology builds 600 cc race car

FSAE Italy 2008 will be held at Maranello from September 20 to 22
Team Manipal will be the only Asian team

Innovative: Formula Manipal team leader Kaushik Mani (centre) explaining the features of the race car to Chancellor of Manipal University T. Ramdas Pai (fourth from left) in Manipal on Thursday.

Manipal: It was a proud moment for “Formula Manipal,” the 15-member team of engineering students of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), when the 600 cc race car built by them was unveiled by Chancellor of Manipal University T. Ramdas Pai here on Thursday. The car and the team will participate in the FSAE Italy 2008 to be held at Ferrari race track at Maranello in Italy from September 20 to 22.

The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) is an international race car design competition, which is attended by over 150 universities from across the world. The objective of the competition is for students to design and fabricate a 600 cc concept race car worthy of mass-production by a hypothetical manufacturing firm. The teams are evaluated first on the car’s dynamic performance in several gruelling tests. They must also present a business strategy with cost analysis and marketing plans to “sell” the concept to a judging panel of hypothetical manufacturers.

Says team leader of Formula Manipal Kaushik Mani, “The event is a lookout for innovative designs and talented engineers. It is referred to as the Student Edition of Formula One. Formula Manipal will be the only Asian team to be competing at the FSAE this year.”

The team comprises students across various disciplines and batches of MIT. Says Mr. Mani, “Mechanical, electrical and electronics engineering students worked together as a team for over two years to achieve an optimal design of the car and successfully complete this project.”

Mani said two students Ankit Banka and Aayush Gupta were also trained to drive the car for two months in Coimbatore. The car has been manufactured at a cost of $ 15,000, he said.

The engine of the car is Honda CBR 600 F4i 2002 model. Intake of the engine has been redesigned.