A group of students from the Faculty of Technology (FT), in Limeira, is looking for sponsorship to build a Formula 1600 car. The project was created by Telecommunications Engineering student, Thiago de Almeida. He already has experience as a kart driver and intends to represent the University in the F1600 competitions held at the Autódromo de Interlagos. The races are organized by the Automobile Sports League (LDA) of São Paulo and take place between February and December 2020.
The project has already been sent to some companies. To build the car, the expectation is that 75 thousand reais will be spent. The students' objective is, in addition to competing, to apply the knowledge acquired in theory. “It’s an experience project for students. We also want to add research related to materials that can be tested in extreme uses”, highlighted Thiago.
The team was called Unicamp Racing Team. According to the creator, the theoretical part of the construction has already been completed. The vehicle must comply with the standards required by the League and a maintenance and continuous improvement plan. The students have the support of the FT management and were given permission to use the University's name in competitions.
The F1600 car can reach more than 200 kilometers per hour. According to the students, the 1600 LDA category was chosen because of its low production costs and high security. Most of the components are ready-made, leaving the students to assemble and develop aerodynamics, injection programming, sensors and telecommunications.
The team members are mostly students from engineering courses at Unicamp, but there are students from other related areas. The 1600 car is built on a tubular steel chassis, called Mangusto R5 and approved by the São Paulo Automobile Federation (FASP). By regulation, cars must weigh at least 590 kg with the driver.
