Welcome to KCL Racing, KCL’s official Formula Student team!
We are an enthusiastic group of both engineering and non-engineering students united by a shared passion for motorsports, automotive engineering, and a desire to compete. So Join us in Joining an International family of Formula Student Teams from Universities across the UK and the World, where motorsport fanatics and young engineers all have One Goal: TO GO RACING!
What is Formula Student?
In Formula Student, we have to build and race our own car. Last year we designed a concept car to take to compete at Silverstone, but this year we are building a fully functional car that we can take on track!
This will require us to first design a car, but then also allow us to get hands-on experience with building it. The team consists of people with a whole range of experience, with everyone helping each other out so that we can all learn. At the end of the year, we will be able to showcase all of the hard work that people have put into the car by taking it to Silverstone, the UK home of F1, and testing it out alongside cars from teams from all over the world.
What if I’m not an engineer?
We welcome anyone from any degree to join our team. If you have a desire to learn more about cars, then you are exactly the same as the rest of us. We will all be learning about designing and building a car, so if you have a passion for it you will fit in perfectly.
If design and building aren’t your thing there is space for you on our team too. Part of the competition is costing and creating a bill of materials, as well as creating a business plan to sell your car. But beyond the competition we need people to help with the running of our team. Roles would include keeping track of progress, social media, reaching out to sponsors, designing kit, hosting speakers, building relationships with other KCL Societies, planning socials, and much more. If there is something you believe you could bring to the team, please let us know!
What if I don’t want to be on the team?
This is what our social membership is for. Gain all the benefits of our competitive team, such as talks, tutorials on software, and our socials, but without the pressure of meeting deadlines for the car. If you join the team socially but then want to get involved with the competitive side, this year we have the option to upgrade your membership! So if you are unsure about wanting to fully join, then the social membership is the ideal way to see what we are all about.
What else can I expect?
For our competitive team, expect lots of hard work, but huge rewards in return. Not only will you develop both personally and professionally, but you will also get to put your degree into use in a real-world context to gain invaluable experience for your CV. If you wish to work in motorsport this is the society for you.
We will also be holding talks throughout the year to boost your knowledge around your degrees. Last year we had Karun Chandhok in to speak, and had MATLAB workshops, and this year we hope to have many more. You will also gain access to software not available in other parts of the engineering department.
New for this year, we are getting rid of our application process, so anyone is free to join our competitive teams, which many of our competitions don’t offer. All we ask is that you remain committed to our team so that you can be part of the team who gets to go to Silverstone.