We arrived at the Most polygon gradually during Tuesdays and Wednesdays and we must say that the atmosphere at the racetrack was great! This year, the Czech races tried to move up a level and really managed to attract a lot of interesting teams from all over the world from Moscow, through Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Liverpool to Lisbon. So the competition was really significantly higher than in the previous year - but we still believed in success!
Wednesday was reserved for technical inspections, unfortunately the organizers did not manage to "check in" the teams fast enough, and many teams did not enter the electrical part of the inspection at all. Thanks to the leading position in the row and the successful preparation of the car, our team was successful after a quick repair of the signal LED strip. The problem occurred with the subsequent mechanical acceptance, where the organizers placed 20 kg on the front wing and according to the rules, its deflection should not exceed 10 mm. The wing went to the ground and it was clear to us that it would need to be reinforced. Until the evening and the whole following morning, we solved the problem. However, we also had to reckon with static disciplines.
We started the design report in the 9 hours as the first team and put a high bar for the jury. We finally solved the problem of the front wings and another sticker was added to the car. At the same time, we presented our business plan, which left the jury in amazement. Immediately after the mechanical scrutineering came the row on the cost report discipline and the car again stood in the depot. In the afternoon, he passed the tilt test and the rain test. Unfortunately the track on the brake test was closed and the last pickup had to wait until the next racing day. For the rest of the time, we could at least use the dynamic setups to optimize the car's setup.
We started the brake test immediately the next morning. But the car suddenly did not start. We were horrified to try to find the cause of the problem. Fortunately, the wiring on the brake pedal has only been released. After a quick repair, the car was no problem and the test brake passed immediately for the first time. However, it took a lot of time to take over, so we had to accelerate the acceleration and skidding acceleration. The first pilot has mastered it without difficulty, but we noticed that the car does not take full advantage of its potential and is slower than testing. We quickly changed some of the key parameters and set off for a second attempt, which we so pursued within a given time limit. The result is finally two fifths in acceleration for 3.8 seconds and the 5.275 seconds in the skidding discipline. After setting up the car for the autocross discipline, we went to the test zone after lunch. Here we have discovered a persistent problem with gas pedal sensors. But the weather threatened us with rain, so we quickly headed for the start of the race. Still in the queue, the whole team worked on the problem and tried out the most extreme options. Eventually, he entered and the pilot stepped on a 100-kilometer track. The best of two attempts was in 66.82 seconds. Time was from the first half of the field, but we knew our car had more. We changed some settings and believed in the second pilot. He first attacked the minute time and five seconds at 65.01. In the second attempt, the time was even better for 63.87 seconds, but he did not, and the time did not improve with the resulting penalty. The result was fourth in the category of electric cars and starting position just before the finals of both categories. This gave us plenty of time to solve all the remaining problems and further tuning of the car.
The evening before the endurance discipline we had everything ready and the last few things left. Quiet morning, however, we have diversified the de-aeration of cooling circuits, where we managed to pour a little water into the battery. We did not want to leave anything to chance, so we followed the breakdown and the choir followed by the repetition of the electric pickup. Everything was fortunately without big problems, so for the first time since the beginning of the races it was able to calm down and enjoy the excellent racing atmosphere in Most. Nervousness came to us after lunch as we entered the race. But we believed our car and the capabilities of both pilots. Driven by the loud cries of the team, the car went into the race alongside another electro-model from Hungary and two other combustion cars. The first pilot went flawlessly and surely, we wanted to save the battery and not let the car burn in the sun. The car has swallowed all 11 kilometers, and after the first half we have believed that the car really can handle the entire race thanks to telemetry data. The second pilot got a clear job. Go what he can! Right from the outskirts, the formula under Petra Záruba went through two quick rounds, followed by the 60.73 second record, which was not surpassed in both finals. After this successful lap and with rising temperatures of both batteries and engines, the wheels were safe but in times of 62 seconds, faster than competitors. On the overall edge of battery capacity and temperature, the last 22 mileage race was successfully overtaken by the car and the tribunes giggled. We knew that we had a great time and were waiting for the evening announcement of the results.
The overall results of individual disciplines are not revealed in advance, so the overall ranking is largely unknown until the announcement and due to penalties. Our team also hoped to place on the podium, but the competition was tough and we knew that we sometimes made mistakes. The evening announcement from the region brought one big surprise. We won the business plan discipline! Nobody matched the idea and presentation of Marek Szeles in the category of electrical formulas, so the team ran to the stage with a loud shout. Another success was the announcement of the endurance discipline, where our team surpassed only the German Running snail racing team. We took another, this time second, location. After this success, we eagerly awaited the announcement of the overall standings. "In the student electric formula category, the eForce FEE Prague team took third place"! After these words, the team ran to the podium for the second time and enjoyed a well-deserved success at home. The second place deservedly belonged to the Estonian team from Tallinn and the first place was taken by the German team Running Snail. We are also excited that the overall winner of FS Czech was the Czech team TU Brno racing.
We would like to thank the entire eForce team for the hard work that does not always have to be seen and yet necessary. We also thank our loved ones and our families, who are charging us with energies throughout the season and are indulgent to our passion. We would like to thank ČVUT in Prague and CTU FEL for allowing us to do what we love and to give us the necessary knowledge. Great thanks also belong to our sponsors, without whom we would never build the car and did not look at the winners.
