FSG 2011 - Day 5

Today we finished up testing with mock endurance and autocross runs followed by some last minute launch control tuning and acceleration practice. The car is running well and is ready for competition.

The team will be taking Monday off to relax before competition starts on Tuesday. The event schedule for FSG can be found here:

http://www.formulastudent.de/events/event-2011/schedule/

There will be a live feed of the endurance race available online; we'll post a link when we have more information.

FSG 2011 - Days 3 & 4

On Friday testing continued at the airfield with no issues. Drivers practiced on autocross, endurance and skidpad.

Today, Saturday, we tested at Opel's main proving grounds. Our autocross/endurance drivers performed a mock endurance which ended in a small failure. Several teeth were ripped off of the sprocket, possibly due to the sprocket having been bent during shipping. After a few hours of work a new sprocket and chain were on, with time to spare for some skidpad practice. This year the skidpad event at FSG will take place on a watered down surface, guaranteeing wet conditions. Luckily, the testing area provided by Opel had a built in irrigation system and could be flooded on demand, which we took full advantage of to better prepare our skidpad drivers.

The team is headed out for dinner, after which the car will be set up for tomorrow, our final day of testing.

FSG 2011 - End of Day 2

The rest of the day's testing went well and the car suffered no failures. The team went out for dinner in Frankfurt to unwind and are getting ready for another day of testing tomorrow.

FSG 2011 - Day 2 Morning

This morning we transported the car to one of RheinMain's testing spaces: a retired airfield which now functions as a testing ground for Opel. Opel has been kind enough to allow us to use a small section of the runway to shake down our car. We've been running fairly successfully all morning and will post another update later in the day.

(Unfortunately we are not allowed to take any photos on the test track as there are prototype vehicles performing tests.)

FSG 2011 - End of Day 1

After the engine team finished their checklists the motor was fired up successfully. Suspension setup remains the last task to be completed before the team heads back to the hotel. Attached are a couple photos of the unpacking of the car.

MRacing Arrives in Germany for FSG 2011!

The team arrived in Germany today to begin preparation for the Formula Student Germany event next week.

After a long redeye from Detroit to Frankfurt, the team picked up rental vans and dropped of our gear at our first hotel in nearby Russelsheim. HS RheinMain, a local university, has been very gracious by sharing their testing and workshop space with us for the next few days as we prepare for competition. With our luggage dropped off at the hotel, we walked down the street to unpack our crates in the HS RheinMain shop. Unfortunately one of our three crates was lightly damaged during shipping and it appears we've lost some hand tools as a result.

Otherwise everything has gone smoothly so far. The team ate lunch at a nearby hotel-restaurant and is currently performing "bolt checks" to make sure the car is ready to run for testing tomorrow. If time/noise-restrictions permit, we plan to run the motor tonight to make sure all engine systems are functioning properly.

This blog will be continually updated (at least once a day, if not more) from now till the end of FSG 2011, so check back for updates on the team's activity! Photos coming soon.