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.
