Young Engineers from Europe and the World Present Their Race Cars in Mičevec
Two Croatian Teams Among 90 from 24 Countries, with Autonomous Vehicle Category Premiering This Year
Two Croatian Teams Among 90 from 24 Countries, with Autonomous Vehicle Category Premiering This Year
Young engineers from across Europe and other parts of the world have gathered in Mičevec these days to showcase the race cars they have fully designed and built themselves. Days of testing and final preparations lie ahead, followed by the actual race where teams will pit their knowledge and speed against each other.
Only a few days remain until the start of the student race car competition. Teams from around the world are arriving at the track, including two Croatian representatives from Rijeka and Split.
The Rijeka team achieved a notable result last season. "Last year, we went purely experimental to see where we stood with the battery, given that this is our first electric car. This year, we celebrated an overall ninth place, which is a great success for us. Today, we are here at Alpe Adria exclusively as an alumni team, meaning we do not participate in static disciplines but only in dynamic ones," said Mateo Tihi, a member of the Rijeka team.
Building a race car takes between two and three years. The Split team has around fifty members, so it is crucial that people are ready when the vehicle is ready for the big competition.
"This year, our goal was to bring in a lot of new members so they can see how the competition works, because it wouldn't make sense if, next time we compete, the people with experience aren't here and the new ones don't know what they're doing and have to start from scratch. So this was an introduction of new members into the whole process," said Hrvoje Dražić, team leader of Split.
The competition is extremely tough again this year, with 90 teams from 24 countries, all hoping for the best possible result. "I expect we will win very good places this year because we made the biggest leap among teams by going to four-wheel drive, we have air cooling, and we made a lightweight chassis," said Tim Vogrinc, team leader of Maribor.
This year, the competition also brings an important novelty. "This year, the novelties are definitely autonomous vehicles, a new category we introduced to not only stay in line with the automotive industry trends but also to help the industry find a path to quality young specialists who will develop future solutions," said Tibor Kezelj, president of the Organizing Committee of Formula Student Alpe Adria.
Doors open for visitors on Thursday, and until Sunday, Mičevec will be a meeting point of speed, knowledge, and innovation.
