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The team at work around the car, one evening in the workshop
Our approach

A ten-step method, never skipped

Every season follows the same cycle, as in a company: from the need to the competition, then we start again, better.

  1. 01

    Need

    What the rules and the season's objectives require of the car.

  2. 02

    Study

    We compare the possible solutions and their constraints before choosing an architecture.

  3. 03

    Design

    The design office models every part in three dimensions.

  4. 04

    Simulation

    Finite element structural analysis, thermal, vehicle dynamics, engine: we calculate before we build, and the calculation is archived so it can be defended before the jury.

  5. 05

    Manufacturing

    Machining, welding, composites, wiring. Whoever designs it builds it: the part is fitted by the person who drew it.

  6. 06

    Inspection

    Measurements and checks that parts conform to the drawing and to the rules.

  7. 07

    Test

    Bench and track testing. No part is validated without measurement.

  8. 08

    Assembly

    Assembling the complete car: suspension, powertrain, wiring harness, bodywork.

  9. 09

    Competition

    Silverstone: scrutineering, the three juries and the track events. This is where the whole season is judged.

  10. 10

    Start again

    We record what happened, and what we learn goes into the next season's car.

The The car page shows what the #17 is, system by system. This one shows how we design, calculate, build and validate it.

See the car
7Technical departments
28Members in these departments
10Steps per season
13Technical partners
The technical team

Who designs what

Each department is responsible for part of the car, from the first sketch to the fitted part. The Vehicle Integration department makes sure everything fits together.

01

Powertrain

Engine, intake, exhaust, cooling, transmission.

5 members
02

Vehicle Dynamics

Suspension, steering, braking, vehicle dynamics.

5 members
03

Chassis

Tubular structure, roll hoops, driver protection.

3 members
04

Aero

Composite bodywork and airflow management.

3 members
05

Electronics

Wiring harness, ECU, sensors, safety chain.

5 members
06

Simulation

Structural analysis, thermal, dynamics, engine.

3 members
07

Vehicle integration

Overall consistency, masses, packaging, assembly.

4 members
+

Competition Performance

Track preparation, set-up, race logistics.

Department
Design

The car, before it is built

The whole car was assembled in CAD (computer-aided design) before it was built: chassis, suspension, powertrain, wiring harness. It is on this model that we validated our choices and the interfaces between departments, and prepared for scrutineering in advance.

The #17 as a complete modelRotating the digital assembly: tubular chassis, suspension, engine and bodywork in place.
Exploded viewThe front suspension separated from its mounts: this is the view used in design reviews.
Measuring what exists

Not a single engine dimension is estimated

The KTM 690 LC4 was digitised with a structured-light scanner. The point cloud became a CAD model, on which we aligned the engine mounting points, the cradle and the hose routing.

Scanner surveyThe scanner passing over the crankcase and cylinder head. Every face was captured from several angles.
Mesh checkThe point cloud was cleaned up, then closed into a surface usable in CAD.
Calculate

We calculate before we build

Every choice is quantified before it becomes a part. The calculation gives a target; the measurement then tells us whether we reached it. The values below come from the #17's 2026 design sheet.

Structure

Chassis stiffness, calculated before it is welded

Simulated torsional stiffness of 775.68 N·m/°, against a target of 850. The structural calculations rely on Ansys solvers.

Masses

The centre of gravity, known before the first part

Design centre of gravity at 153.1 mm, taken from the 3DEXPERIENCE mass properties tool on the complete model.

Engine

The restricted single-cylinder, simulated before the dyno

GT-POWER, the software from Gamma Technologies, predicted the engine's filling, thermal behaviour and exhaust before it was even first started on the dyno.

From CAD to the track

An idea becomes a part, then a system that runs

Modelling is only one step. Each part is also simulated to justify its performance, then built, fitted, set up and validated on track.

Complete digital model of the car, three-quarter front view01
ModellingEvery part was drawn, assembled and checked in three dimensions.
Finite elements
Thermal
Dynamics
Engine02
SimulationFinite element structural analysis, thermal, dynamic and engine simulations: every part was checked by calculation before it was built.
Bare tubular chassis, seen from above, on trestles03
ManufacturingThe drawings went to the workshop: tubes bent, cut and welded on the surface plate.
The car as a bare rolling chassis, in the warehouse04
AssemblySuspension, powertrain, wiring: the bare rolling chassis took shape.
The car pushed by the team along the Silverstone pit lane05
TestingThe car went out: we measured, then corrected.
Build

The chassis took shape on the surface plate

It all happened in the workshops of Teck'Inox, our metalwork partner. The drawings that left the school came back as bent and cut tubes. To assemble these tubes accurately, we designed a jig, a positioning fixture, and had it water-jet cut so the work could be done. The structure was then positioned on their drilled table, the surface plate, which guarantees the geometry of the whole car.

The drilled tableThe welding surface plate on which the whole chassis geometry was set.
PositioningThe tubes were clamped before tack welding, to hold the front wishbone tolerances.
Jig checkChecking supports and squareness before the final welding pass.
With our partners

What our partners took on

The part is fitted by the person who drew it. For what the school workshop could not do, partners took over, working from our drawings.

Chassis

Bent and welded tubes

Teck'Inox built the tubular chassis from the drawings sent by the Chassis department.

Sheet metal

Cutting and bending

GKS cut, bent and formed the chassis sheet metal and the car's brackets.

Electronics

Custom circuit boards

The Electronics department's circuit boards went through JLCPCB's production line.

Fixturing

Clamping and workshop fixtures

norelem fasteners, guides and clamping elements were used for workshop fixtures as well as on the car.

Trace

Every part has its file

At every step, the Cost Report member of each department records everything done on that department's parts: design, simulation, manufacturing.

The team thus establishes the cost of each part, the manufacturing processes associated with it, and the complete carbon footprint of the materials and of building the car. It is not the part itself that has to be justified, but how it is obtained: why one process rather than another, and why it is made or bought. This file is what is defended before the Cost & Manufacturing jury at Silverstone.

  • 01CostMaterial, process, labour: every part is costed.
  • 02Manufacturing processesFor each part, the sequence of operations, from raw material to finished part.
  • 03Carbon footprintEmissions from the materials and from building the car.
  • 04JustificationWhy one process rather than another, and why the part is made or bought.
Validate

No part is validated without measurement

This season's goal is to run the car as much as possible: check that our simulations are close to reality, find the parts that need to be more reliable and see where to gain performance. Here is what we measure with.

Data acquisition

Measuring what the car does

A data logger based on an Arduino Mega records the sensors at 100 Hz, over CAN bus, SD card and radio link.

Engine

Tuning the engine management

The MaxxECU Sport ECU controls injection and ignition. The car runs on E85, with support from Wisteur Performance on the mapping.

Data

Reading the track data

Strigi-Form supports us with telemetry and data analysis.

Rules

Preparing scrutineering on the digital model

Before arriving at Silverstone, part of scrutineering is already checked on the car's digital model.

The result

The #17, system by system

Technical sheet, choices for each of the thirteen systems, flax composite: everything this method has produced is on the car page.

Explore the car

Expertise to share?

Instrumentation, test bench, simulation, machining: a technical partner often unlocks a topic faster than a budget.

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