Taking their dreams higher, the PES Institute of Technology’s race car team proudly showed off their fifth model, which won the best engineering design award at the Student Formula, 2014 — a national-level competition — held this month.
This combustion model car, which goes up to 110 kmph, is so far the lightest race car produced by Team Haya, and weighs 280 kg.
The 19-member Team Haya comprises of 17 students from the mechanical stream and two from the electrical stream. Captain of the team, Rajkiran, who graduated this year, said many engineering students had joined the team during their second year and had been exposed to hands-on training. “We also learn many techniques as we work alongside seniors and later team members graduate to building a car in their final year,” he said.
The team produces a model every year. This model has been built with a KTM 390 engine, team members said. It took 18 months for the car to be conceptualised and built.
The team, backed by 12 sponsors, competed in the Supra SAE India, held by the Society of Automotive Engineers, at the Madras Motorsport Race Track in Sriperambadur on July 17.
After competing against 175 teams in the virtual phase of the event, the team raced through to the final event, and secured the first prize in engineering design among the 100 other qualifying teams. The team won a trophy and cash prize of Rs. 30,000.
