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Photo by Saqib Siddiqi.

The University of Toronto Formula SAE Racing Team placed 15th overall at the Formula Student Germany competition in Hockenheim, Germany.

The competition occurred August 2 to 7 and included 78 teams from 25 nations.

“The German competition is one of the most challenging in the world,” explains Michael Bakaic (Mech 1T1 + PEY), who is the team captain. “It is a genuine test of our skills, which makes our strong showing so much more meaningful to us.”

The competition evaluates the student built and designed vehicles on a series of criteria, including static factors such as cost, design, marketing, as well as dynamic criteria like performance on the skidpad, endurance and fuel efficiency.

“The skidpad was definitely the highlight of the competition,” says Bakaic, who notes the team placed first in that category.

“This was the first competition where the organizers had run this category in full wet conditions,” says Bakaic, explaining that the judges ensured a wet surface by using sprinklers to keep the track covered with water.

FSG11 at Hockenheimring

That surprised all of the teams, who were only notified one month prior to the competition. For the U of T team, that news arrived too late to practise; the racing vehicle had already been shipped to Germany.

“It was a real testament to the talent of our driver and our design that we were able to do so well,” says Bakaic.

The team’s next competition will be the University of Toronto Shootout on October 1 at the Mosport International Raceway. Hosted by the U of T Formula SAE Team, the “shootout” attracts 21 Formula SAE design teams from around North America for a full day of autocross racing.

However, the team’s attention is now turning towards the design of their 2012 vehicle.

Bakaic has high hopes for the team’s performance in 2012 based on their success this year.

“We had a very young team this year,” he states, noting the departure of many senior team members who graduated this past year, “but we were able to organize ourselves well and it obviously paid off with our success in Germany.”

To keep apprised of the team’s performance throughout the year, visit their website.

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416.978.4498