The 2016/17 Sussex Racing team with the cars from the previous two years.

Student engineers at the University of Sussex have launched a crowdfunding campaign to boost their chances of a podium finish at an international race-car contest at Silverstone this summer.

The Sussex Racing team are in the final stages of designing and building a race car from scratch, before going head to head with students from around the world in July.

They are hoping to raise £2,000 to buy specialist parts that could shave seconds off their time and help them compete with the world’s elite, many of whom have lucrative sponsorship deals with industry giants.

The Sussex team consists of 13 young, talented 4th-year engineers from various disciplines such as mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. It is smaller than many of its competitors but has advanced in the competition in recent years by innovating with new materials and techniques.

Final-year student Chris Charles, Sussex Racing team leader, is confident that the team can better last year’s ninth-place UK finish. Chris says: “Although we are far from the largest team in the event, with our extremely dedicated and hard-working team members, combined with the immense support of the faculty here at the University of Sussex, I am certain that we are able to expand on our already great achievements in the competition.”

The crowdfunding campaign will help the team to:

• Introduce front and rear wing spoilers
• Upgrade their prototype differential to a Drexler FSAE differential
• Introduce pneumatic gear change, significantly reducing gearshift times
• Manufacture wishbones from ultralight carbon fibre
• Install advanced telemetry systems capable of measuring the driver’s every move from the pit-lane

To thank donors for their support, the Sussex Racing team are offering different levels of recognition in their pit lane, seen by thousands of people over the Formula Student weekend, as well as exclusive merchandise from Mobil 1, the team’s main sponsor.

Formula Student is the world’s largest student motorsport competition, in which top engineering students from more than 100 globally recognised universities build and race a Formula-style racing car. The finale of this competition takes place every year at the world famous Silverstone racetrack. In 2016 more than 130 teams from 30+ countries competed in the event, with more than 100,000 people spectating.

Further information: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/offtheline