This year, the events are divided into two sections - static and dynamic. Static events include an engineering design, cost and manufacturing comparison, technical inspections by various judges and business competitions. Dynamic events include a skidpad, autocross, an acceleration competition, an endurance competition and a comparable fuel economy competition.

For Formula Student UK 2022, five teams have joined the event from Bangladesh from various local institutions and universities with their top of the line in-house creations. We got to talk to the teams participating to know about their insights for the competition, which is hosted by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Keep reading to find out more about the current progress of the race cars and the teams representing Bangladesh on a global scale.

Kilo Flight

Kilo Flight is getting ready to participate in the upcoming events of Formula Student Germany for the first time from Bangladesh and Formula Student UK. They hope to make the best use of their experience gained from FSUK 2020 and 2021 in both FSG and FSUK 2022 with combustion vehicles. They have built racing cars with innovative technologies and enhanced performance, called the 'Kilo Flight ALPHA'.

Currently, the team is busy with the upgrade of the vehicle from real-time data as the event of Germany and the UK is getting closer. Right now they are also looking for sponsors and patrons to successfully attend the events and for further progress. They hope to triumph with support from dedicated fans across the country.

Automaestro

Automaestro is nearly halfway done in terms of project plans and is determined for Formula-S UK 2022. They are using experience gained from the International Gokart-Championship India 2020, where they came in 9th overall. They also won the Innovation Presentation Champion for JFRC and Automotive Styling Champion titles. The team has a strong structural distribution for both technical and project management skill development for students. They have completed the design and development of the car, working hard to design the most reliable car possible.

Currently, they are working on sponsorship management and component collection from India. Some work has been postponed due to exams but full manufacturing will resume from April. They hope that factors such as lack of sourcing of proper graded materials, advanced manufacturing facilities and funding don't hold them back. According to them, the opportunity to turn dreams into reality and fly the Bangladesh flag high at Silverstone has greatly motivated them.

Team Swapnojon

Team Swapnojon is an enthusiastic bunch of petrolheads and is currently in the R&D phase waiting for the approval of the structural equivalency spreadsheet. They have first participated in HVC '17 winning two awards and experienced Formula Bharat 2021, where they received notable mentions for formula student debut and engineering design (innovative use of materials). They are ordering and waiting for the car parts from neighbouring countries while seeking funding from their university. Currently, they are doing lots of simulations and testing to prepare for the event but are yet to fabricate the car.

According to them, winning the competition is their target since the international competitors have resources and funds that local teams do not have. However, Team Swapnojon wants to set a new benchmark for Bangladesh and prove themselves against all odds. They consider themselves hardworking, passionate and dedicated - pushing to the limit where they can triumph over more experienced and well-facilitated teams.

Formula IUT

Formula IUT is an energetic new team that started this December 2021 and have been potentially enthusiastic to reach the target in this Formula-S 2022. They are the only team participating in concept class this year but their goal is to advance into the process in future.

Formula IUT thrives to not only win but also to learn from the competition. Since they are a new team, they aim to keep learning to achieve greater heights in the upcoming competitions. They feel that strength is in teamwork even though it is difficult to maintain workflow due to the uncertain Covid-19 times. According to them, the pressure to represent Bangladesh and their institution for the first time on this international platform is pushing them forward.

Circuit Maesters

Circuit Maesters 2022 is an exciting team mentored by former members and leader of Team Primus - the first Bangladeshi team in Formula-S UK (2019). They have already built a combustion engine Formula-S car and are waiting for a shipment for the project completion. As they wait, they are building a dataset to train an AI model.

Circuit Maesters is confident due to their strength as a team that can take risks on such a calibre while being optimistic of the outcome. According to them, they are ahead of their scheduled plan and are currently in need of sponsors since there is some ongoing financial struggle to maintain the project. They feel both scared and excited as they are the only team from Bangladesh building an autonomous electric car and participating in the AI class.

All the teams are working hard and preparing for Formula-S UK 2022. They all have a similar goal of setting a new benchmark and making Bangladesh proud at Silverstone. However, they are all facing similar challenges of not getting enough funds. With little to no access to proper facilities and parts that take too long to arrive, maintaining such strenuous projects become a hard stuck barrier for most local engineering students.

Nonetheless, these teams are still determined to win it big, even versus more well-equipped and experienced international competitors. Stay tuned for more news from Formula Student UK 2022 as these five teams make our country proud on the grand stage