FS Team Tallinn
The idea of Formula Student was first introduced in Estonia in the beginning of 2005, Tallinn University of Technology (Tallinna Tehnikaülikool - TTÜ) and Tallinn College of Engineering (Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool - TTK) created their joint Formula Student team 18 months later: in the autumn of 2006.
In July 2007 saw the newborn team took part in their first competition as class III entrants in Silverstone, UK with their virtual project of a formula car. A sufficient basis of knowledge was gather for building the car "in metal" and the main class (class I) in 2008.
The work of building begun in October 2007, months of vigorous effort was rewarded when the car ran for the first time, followed by the first test days in the beginning of June 2008. TTÜ/TTK Formula Student Team took their car, FEST08 to the 20008 Silverstone competition. The results exceeded everybody's expectations - a respectable 13th position among 72 participants and the desirable title of the Best Newcomer.
The team, now known as FS Team Tallinn, made use of the experience and knowledge gathered when building the car and went on to create a second one for the 2009 season. The car, called FEST09 was finished just before the German Formula Student competition held in the beginning of August. The Fortune was not on our side, though, as a mechanical gremlin forced the car to retire from the endurance competition, causing a noticeable loss in points and a rather mediocre 46th placing (among 78th contestants) in the final results.
The tables turned for the Baltic Open event in Finland. Not a single problem occured and the team managed to get the best out of the car, winning the competition in front of Finnish, Swedish and Danish teams. Besides overall victory, the team gained two event victories for superslalom and endurance. The FEST08 car came to a respectable third overall. The successful finalé of the season showed what the car was capable of and brought the team some contentment.
For the season 2009/2010, FS Team Tallinn is planning to develop the basic layout of the FEST09 and take part in two main competitions. The team has signed up for the Michigan and Silverstone events. We will also be organising the Baltic Open 2010 in Estonia.
See you all in Tallinn for the Baltic Open next summer!
What is Formula Student?
The Formula Student is an international product development competition aimed for the students of engineering and automotive technology. The idea was born in the United States, where university teams have been competing with each other for nearly three decades in the Formula SAE series. During the last decade , Formula Student / SAE has gained a lot of popularity all over the world. Competitions have been held in Europe since 1998, but Formula SAE has gained a foothold also in Japan, Australia and Brazil.
The main objectives of the Formula Student competition are to design, build and present a single seat formula car prototype for an amateur weekend racer. During the competition the student built car has to prove its benefits in acceleration, skidpad and endurance race. The participation in Formula Student project offers the multifarious product development and economical analyses experience.
Although highly popular in Western Europe and the USA, Formula Student is not so well established in the eastern half of Europe, FS Team Tallinn being the sole team in the Baltic states and one of the few in the whole Eastern Europe. The team can therefore be seen as a forerunner in this region.
Watch the introductory video
