Mumbai undergrads to go racing in FSAE

The auto industry in India maybe reeling from a dearth of good talent, but the future seems bright, going by what the students of KJ Somaiya College of Engineering in Mumbai have achieved. Orion Racing India (ORI), a team of 60 undergrad students from the college, built and recently unveiled the Arion-2012. ‘Arion’ which means an immortal horse from Greek mythology, is an open-wheeled Formula-style racing car. The team will be taking the car to Germany to participate in the Formula SAE competition in August.

The FSAE, held by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), is the biggest engineering design contest in the world with events held in the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Italy. It comprises seven events split up into two categories: static and dynamic. The static event will include cost and manufacturing analysis and business plan presentation, while the dynamic events will judge a car on the basis of design, acceleration, skid pad, autocross, fuel economy, and endurance.

Arion-2012 was built with aRs 17 lakh budget. Team member AvinashDivecha, who built the brakes on the car, elaborates: “Our various sponsors provided either monetary or assistance with the manufacturing of the parts. Union Bank of India, our associate sponsor last year, is our title sponsor this year. Others like bearings maker SKF, Avionics, a carbon-fibre company, and the KLT Group helped us procure parts for our car.”

The team has developed the bulk of the car – bodywork, upright, hub, sprocket, chain, seat and the chassis – on its own. Some team members visited the KLT factory at Palghar to build the chassis. While the 600cc 68bhp engine comes from a Honda sportsbike, dampers from Ohlins in Sweden, Wilwoodcalipers and tyres from Continental had to be sourced.

Avinash details the difference between the 2012 car from last year’s model: “In collaboration with Imaginarium, we have for the first time used a 3D imaginary-photo type software and rapid prototyping to design parts. We also extensively tested the car after every small change. Our electronics team designed a DAQ with live telemetry which allowed us to analyse data in real time.” Arion-2012, the team claims, can go from 0-100kph in an impressive 4.4 seconds.

Working on such a project and with considerable passion might seem like a guaranteed career entry into the Indian automobile industry but the truth is far from it. A candid Avinash says, “We have been building cars for the past six years but no automobile maker has shown any interest in our projects. Apart from companies like L&T, no automaker has approached us with any employment opportunities.”

“I'd love to work in the Indian auto industry after completing my Masters in automobile engineering. We want to change the perspective that Indians don’t really know how to make good cars, and I want to do my part,” he remarks. Commenting on the Arion 2012’s development, ShubhaPandit, principal, K J Somaiya College of Engineering, said: “The project promoted leadership, problem-solving skills as well as engineering and business skills throughout the entire process of designing and building the race car. I congratulate and wish the students all the best for their upcoming Formula SAE competition.”

SAMBIT SATPATHY