Innovation in Formula Student

Since the inception of Oxford Brookes Racing in 1999, we have continuously strived to make significant progress in the student racing arena. Over the last 22 years, OBR has become the most successful Formula Student team in British history through a continuous drive for success, built by a generation of students with generous support from partners, including RS Components.

Watch Chief Engineer Scott Ley on the ambitions of our electric car:

OBR21, our first four-wheel-drive challenger, featured 4 in-hub motors across all wheels, along with 4 epicyclic gearboxes. Despite the implications of the third lockdown and subsequent reduced university access, the highly technical and mechanical nature of the car greatly increased the challenge we faced in piecing over 10,000 separate car parts together.

Watch Accumulator Designer Chaitanya Metha on the complexions of building innovation:

Our 2021 car is the foundation of the next decade of Oxford Brookes Racing cars, and so we found it imperative to learn as much as we could about our car and how it works, in order to leave future teams with a sufficient knowledge base to build from.

OBR Business Plan Lead James Wimberley notes “Just because the competition is now over does not mean the work stops, with the aim being to ensure a reliable running car is left to next year's team before the new academic year begins. We now know of the minor changes we have to make, and the steps we have to take, in order for OBR21 to be in a position where it can run reliably, at full power, and following the highest of electrical safety standards". Despite the advancements made, motorsport is always a work-in-progress industry, and we look forward to developing even further our advanced engineering model.