About Upracing
We are UPRacing, a Formula Student team of students from the University of Portsmouth.
Upracing Description
We compete in the global motorsport series Formula Student where we pitch our engineering and business skill against other keen national and international Universities.
The team consists of volunteer students from the University of Portsmouth studying a wide range of degrees, such as Mechanical, Computer and Electronic Engineering; Computer Aided Product Design and Computer Games Enterprise. Formula Student is an extra-curricular activity for our team members; however we can propose exciting final year projects on key systems.
UPRacing started as Formula Student Portsmouth in 2007. We competed in the Class 2 static competition at Silverstone and placed 6th in our class, a very respectable entry to the competition.
Two years later we fielded a full car in the Class 1 static & dynamic competition; however an engine failure meant we were not able to prove ourselves on the tarmac.
The team carried on working hard designing, manufacturing and assembling our own cars to face other highly competitive race teams. On the way we have met huge obstacles such as losing workshop facilities and failures with crucial components on the car.
We continued to challenge ourselves and others in the UK until 2012 where we entered Formula Student Spain. The team enjoyed a fantastic event at Circuit de Catalunya and we have returned each year since.
Each subsequent year we entered the Class 1 events at both Silverstone and Barcelona; climbing the rankings and taking in heaps of knowledge, which we applied to each new revision of our prototype.
The 2016 season was very important and successful for UPRacing because we managed to achieve the full distance in the Endurance for the first time since we entered the competition.
Reviews
We’ve recently been testing a new throttle body mechanism designed to make idle adjustments easier, whilst being lighter. Using a Newton Spring Gauge we were able to test the throttle system to its limits causing the steel wire cable to slip. However, the new 3D printed parts held up well to the applied forces, which is very encouraging to see.
After a good days work, yesterday, the team headed to the local ice-skating rink to unwind, or not, in some cases 😆. It was fantastic to see the team in high spirits with everyone able to sharpen their skating skills, minus a few slips and trips.
Another greatly productive day for the team. We’ve recently 3D printed a new throttle cable bracket to allow for greater adjustability. Additionally, new air intake gaskets were laser cut, allowing the Maintenance and Manufacture team to clean out the intake and fit the new gaskets with fresh Hylomar sealant. Furthermore, the design team were hard at work producing their respective parts. Exciting times ahead!
#MondayMemories
An excellent time was had at the Formula Student ‘Learn to Win’ event in Coventry with IMechE Formula Student. The team attended a variety of lectures and talks covering all areas of the competition. We now feel more prepared for Silverstone and valuable knowledge will be passed on to the rest of the team.
Today one of the more obscure tasks was to create a 3D model of one of our drivers ears, Alex Rivett. Putty was inserted into his ear to form a mould. From this, we will be able to make our own custom earpiece for Alex and other drivers to wear when driving the car.
This afternoon members of Maintenance and Manufacture were given a basic car and lab induction led by our Technical Liaison Greg Wallis. Each area of the car was explained and examined, helping to get our new members up to speed.
UPRacing attended the Advanced Engineering Show at the NEC in Birmingham today. Fantastic to see such a diverse range of engineering applications under one roof. It was also great to chat with our current sponsors Formaplex and discuss our plans for the UPR-11 car. We hope to attend the show again next year!
Yesterday the design team ran the first CAD tutorial of the year. Each member was asked to draw up detailed parts, with the advice and support of our design leads. This gave new members the opportunity to learn the basics based around our design software and processes such as Solid Modelling. The event ran smoothly and it was great to see everyone learning some new skills, and/or building on past experience.
We would also like to thank PTC for sponsoring us this year. We greatly look forward to using their software to develop our UPR-11 car.
Their website can be found here: https://www.ptc.com/en/
It's back again! After a successful first full team meeting earlier this week, yesterday the team got stuck in to the first team build of the year, the scavenger hunt. Once more, it was a huge success, with team members working together effectively to travel around Portsmouth, collecting points by visiting various land marks. The winning team can be seen holding their invaluable wooden spoon trophies. A great way to start the year!
A very belated thank you to Bremtec for sending us these magnificent carbon brake discs and pads. We've officially turned to the dark side of the braking force! We are incredibly excited to fit them to the UPR-11 car and use them in anger. They are a hugely beneficial addition to the project and we are enormously grateful for receiving them.
For a vast variety of braking products their website can be found here: http://bremtec.com.au/
Having spent hours reviewing and interviewing every applicant, the recruitment process has finally come to an end. We look forward to welcoming the new members and we can't wait to kick-off with the new team next week. The exciting journey to UPR-11 has begun!
Applications are out!
All respondents may edit their submission until the deadline.
Please take your time, read all questions carefully and most importantly - answer fully!
... Good luck!
See More
Thank you all for attending the UPRacing meet & greet recruitment event. It was amazing to meet you all and what a fantastic turn out it was!
So, hopefully you all managed to submit your details to receive an online application form. Tomorrow morning we will be sending these out to your email address along with all the details you need.
If by tomorrow evening you have not received your application please email the UPRacing email below.
... If you couldn’t make tonights event please also get in contact.
UPRacing email: upracing.fs@gmail.com
Thank you all and we look forward to seeing you soon,
Liam & Harrison
Team & Vice Team Lead
See More
REMINDER
The annual UPRacing recruitment event will be held this WEDNESDAY 26th, 1700-1900, PORTLAND BUILDING ATRIUM, within the University of Portsmouth, Technology Faculty!
A relaxed evening of meet and greets with historical displays and compelling anecdotes. Light refreshments provided - see you all there!
Students and prospective members,
Thank you all for your interest in becoming part of the UPRacing family.
We will be holding an Information and Recruitment Event next Wednesday 26th September, 5pm-7pm, Portland Building Atrium. We will be showcasing some... of the teams history so please come along and find out about what we do - it will most definitely be interesting.
All welcome.
See More