About UQR

What is UQR?

Student driven project

UQ Racing is a team of students from The University of Queensland who design, develop, and build race cars to compete in the Formula SAE competition. Our team is composed of a diverse selection of students from a range of backgrounds including engineering, business, marketing, and IT.

Through involvement in the project, students gain practical engineering design and manufacturing experience as well as the opportunity to develop skills in project management, teamwork, networking, and financial and resource management. Our project is not just about results, but furthering student education, forging links with industry and creating well rounded graduates.

Real world outcomes: A case example

No where else at university do students get to apply the theory taught in the classroom to a large scale project such as FSAE. Almost every part on the vehicles are self-designed or adapted for purpose.

For example, thanks to our partnership with multiple composites businesses and training organisations, team members are able to take part in the full process from design to manufacture to performance analysis. A single student can learn how to create a part in software, then take part in the manufacturing process by machining and preparing molds, laying up the fabric for the part then applying the resin.

We gain a whole new world of knowledge that our industry partners share with us through their vast experience in their respective fields, and we're keen to show them something new along the way!

UQ Racing is always looking for new members and partners to take each other to new heights!

Dive into our past

Beginning - 2001

Beginning - 2001

UQ Racing began in 2001, entering the second ever FSAE-Australasia event. At the time however, the team was officially known as Bush Turkey Racing, in homage to the ubiquitous birds that roam the St Lucia campus. Unsurprisingly, the more professional UQ Racing name was taken up in following years as the team sought to build a reputation.

2004-2006: Flying finishes

2004-2006: Flying finishes

Within three years, UQ Racing was on their way to European competitions, beginning with the Formula Student UK competition in 2004. The team and car performed admirably, only missing out on a potential podium due to mechanical issues in the endurance event. Indeed, UQ Racing showed the world what it had by winning the acceleration event in that competition.

In 2006, UQ Racing participated in the Formula Student Germany competition, widely regarded as the unofficial world cup of FSAE competitions around the world. The team was riding on the success of being the first Australian car to break the 4-second mark in the acceleration event in late 2005, and at the Hockenheim track, the team’s efforts were rewarded as the car delivered a win in the autocross and endurance events! The car finished 22 seconds in front of the field, despite the being stuck in 3rd gear during endurance.

Early 2010s: Back on our feet

Early 2010s: Back on our feet

Following a short period of absence, the team came back to life in 2010 and after a period of rebuilding, was able to deliver strong performances in 2013 and 2014 with ‘Horse’ and ‘Toad’. The 2014 car was UQ Racing’s first aluminium honeycomb monocoque car, also unique for its rivet-less construction thanks to 3M adhesives.

2015: Electric drive

2015: Electric drive

With help from local electric vehicle infrastructure firm Tritium, UQ Racing resurrected ‘Horse’ as ‘Unicorn’ and created UQR’s, and indeed Queenslands first viable electric FSAE vehicle. The next year, the electric vehicle ‘Rat’ used a groundbreaking belt-driven driveline with twin Emrax 207s, something the competition had not seen to that point.

2017 and 2018 - Evolution

2017 and 2018 - Evolution

2018 marked the start of UQR's 2-year design philosphy with both the EV and IC cars. 2017 Bee was evolved into the 2018 car Superbee, while a brand new IC was made for the 2018 season, ready to be evolved into the future.

2019 - Success

2019 - Success

2019 was the teams most succesful FSAE-A competition results ever. Both the EV and IC cars placed 2nd overall, while taking out many first place awards for individual events.

What is Formula SAE?

Formula SAE is a design competition organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The competition requires teams of students to design, develop and fabricate a small, Formula-style (open-wheeled and open-cockpit) race car whilst adhering to a set of general design requirements and regulations. It is important to note that FSAE is not a motor sports competition. The design requirements and regulations are open enough for different teams to develop and implement different race car design philosophies. This challenges students to think of new and innovative ideas, while ensuring the safety of all competitors.

In total, over 500 teams and 15,000 students worldwide compete in Formula SAE. There are over ten major annual competitions held in seven countries, allowing teams from different regions of the world to compete against one another. Each competition spans several days and features a variety of static and dynamic events. The static events feature industry experts and professionals who judge the design, cost and marketability of the competing cars. The dynamic events test the cars’ acceleration, handling abilities, reliability and fuel efficiency.

The Australasian Competition is held every year at Winton Motor Raceway in Northern Victoria. Static events and scrutineering take place on Friday, with acceleration runs and skid pan tests held on Saturday. The competition culminates with the autocross and endurance events on Sunday, which test the cars to their limits and is often nerve-racking to watch as many teams struggle to finish.

Official site of the competition (External link):

FSAE-A Australasia

FSAE/Formula Student around the world

The FSAE (or Formula Student in Europe) project has many competitions worldwide, with promenent ones in Europe and North America.

European Competitions (External Links)

Formula Student Germany (Hockenheimring)
Formula Student Austria (Red Bull Ring)
Formula Student Spain (Circuit de Catalunya)
IMechE Formula Student UK (Silverstone)

American Competitions (External Links)

SAE Lincoln
SAE Michigan
SAE North (Ontario)