NTHU Racing is a student team comprised mainly of students of the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering. After building their own racing car, they participated in the Student Formula Japan competition held in September 2016. Eager to achieve better results, they have recently completed an upgraded version of their race car. Dubbed “NTHU II” and weighing a mere 225 kg (125 kg less than the previous generation), the car can accelerate from 0-100 km in a mere 4.2 seconds—nearly twice as fast as its predecessor. Brimming over with confidence, they are currently preparing for the next round of Student Formula Japan to be held in September this year.

 

Team captain Wu Chung-Hsin said that in order to make the car faster, they put a lot of effort into reducing the weight of the frame and components. They achieved this mainly by reducing the vehicle’s total length from 3 meters to 2 meters and designing a suspension system using lightweight, high strength titanium alloy. Leaving no detail aside, they even managed to reduce the weight of the brake pedal and driver’s seat.

 

Such good results were gained by the concerted efforts of the entire team, which spend many a night burning the midnight oil. Even during winter vacation, they spent nearly every day working on the design of NTHU II. Team member Chen Xian-Ying said that even after Wu fell ill due to excessive pressure coupled with lack of sleep, he kept coming to the workshop as usual, and that his dedication to the project really helped to boost the team’s morale. According to Wu, a firm believer in the power of synergy, a good car comes from a good team.

 

NTHU Racing has already caught the attention of a number of industry players, several of which have become sponsors. For instance, the Wel & Cut Company, a major manufacturer of arc cutting and welding equipment, has provided welding equipment and free welding courses worth NT$100,000. Deputy general manager Tseng Min-chi personally took the team on a tour of the factory and explained the production process; and when the team encountered difficulties while welding the frame, Tseng came up to NTHU from Kaohsiung to help them complete the welding.

 

One major difficulty the team encountered was with the custom-made drive shaft, since every manufacturer they could find required an order of at least 100 pieces. As the deadline for completing the car drew near, and nobody seemed to know how to proceed, the father of one of the team members suggested that they contact the Taiway manufacturing company. As it turned out, Taiway was able to manufacture the custom-made drive shaft, and they were willing to do it free of charge! This was a watershed moment for the entire team.

 

Once the new race car was nearly ready, they recruited three drivers, each of whom is in top physical condition and has nerves of steel. Furthermore, during the three months leading up to the contest, each driver will undergo intensive training sessions two or three times per week.

 

The team’s mentor is Professor Lin Chao-An, who will accompany the team to Japan in September. Lin complimented the members of NTHU Racing for their ability to solve problems independently, only seeking outside assistance as a last resort, adding that in the process they have gained a lot of valuable experience.

 

Team member Lin Zhan-Jun said that last year was the first time they participated in the competition, and that although they were the top team from Taiwan, they came in 65 ^th amongst the 92 teams from around the world, indicating lots of room for improvement. Aware that they will have difficulty finding more support if they don’t do better this year, the team’s goal is to break into the top 30. In addition to fine tuning their racing strategy, the team is currently working on raising funds for shipping their car to Japan.

 

Formed in 2015 by students of the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, this year NTHU Racing has been joined by students from various other departments, including the Department of Engineering and System Science, the Department of Physics, the , the Department of Industrial Engineering, and the Department of Computer Science.