Surrey’s Formula Student society impresses at leading motorsports festival
Team SURTES, Surrey’s Formula Student society, enjoyed a successful return to the prestigious Institute of Mechanical Engineering's (iMechE) student motorsports competition. Having not competed dynamically for seven years, Team SURTES returned to the annual competition at Silverstone circuit in July and came 26th out of 64 racing teams overall.
The competition challenges student groups across the world to design, build and race a single-seater race car, with prizes for the vehicle and engine as well as the racing itself. More than 100 universities worldwide enter each year, providing an amazing showcase of design innovation and learning about financial and sustainability issues around motorsports.
As well as a strong racing outcome, Team SURTES secured 7th spot (out of 36) in the Internal Combustion (IC) Engine category and were 6th out of 26 UK IC teams. Additionally, the team’s sim racing team achieved 7th out of 73 in the championship.
I am extremely proud of the team this year, in not only passing all the scrutineering events and scoring well in the static events but also in dynamically competing for the first time in seven years. Additionally, our esports team achieved 7th place in the sim racing series, which is an astounding achievement for a newcomer team.Elliot Phoenix, Team Principal
I think the greatest moment for the team was seeing our vehicle speeding along the track and chasing after other teams in the wacky races event on the Sunday evening. This achievement has been a culmination of the hard work, dedication and passion from the team’s members over the past three years and has left me eager to see what the team can achieve next year.
The society was founded in 2009 to enable Surrey to compete at the established Formula Student event. It involves students from a range of courses, including business, science and creative design courses as well as engineering, united by a love of motorsport. As well as offering excellent experience for anyone seeking a career in the automotive industry, it promises the excitement of a race week at Silverstone.
Already, Team SURTES is thinking about its entry for the 2027 competition and are eager to welcome new members to the society – whether as freshers or current students who would love to be involved.