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News Release Formula 1 Champion Puts Formula Student into Pole Position David Coulthard gets in the driving seat at FS10 at Silverstone Thursday 15 July Europe‟s biggest student motorsport competition launched with a bang with racing legend David Coulthard dropping in for a flying visit at the Silverstone-based event. He was taken on a tour of the garages at Formula Student, now in its 13th year and run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He agreed to come on a whistle-stop tour to see the new wave of engineering talent on display and then took part in a Q&A session where he was joined by Andrew Shovlin, Senior Race Engineer at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, Bob Bell, Managing Director of Renault F1 Team and Nick Wirth, Technical Director of Virgin Racing. David, who has taken no less than 13 grand prix wins in his F1 career, said: “This is the first time I have visited Formula Student and the level of engineering talent here is amazing.” He visited, amongst others, University of Hertfordshire‟s electric car and one designed by Germany‟s, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. FS is an educational motorsport event which challenges engineering students to design and build a single-seater racing car from scratch. This is the biggest event in its history with circa 3,000 students from nearly 30 countries. There are about 100 cars on display running on anything from petrol, E85, electric and hybrid. Jon Hilton, Chairman of IMechE Formula Student, added: "This is truly the most international year we have had at Formula Student. The breadth of talent and engineering skill we have seen on the first day is amazing. It was also great for the students to see and hear someone as significant in Formula One as David Coulthard. It was his first time at the event and I think he was really impressed with the quality of the cars. Many of the students here might be keen to progress into a Formula One career and by taking part in an event like Formula Student this will give them a flying start." The event runs until 18 July with a series of exciting dynamic events from acceleration, skid and endurance taking place over the weekend. This year universities across the globe from as far afield as Australia, Canada, India, Sweden and Croatia are in attendance. Competition for top class jobs in motorsport and engineering is fierce and this year partners such as Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, Shell and Airbus (UK) will be on hand to offer top career advice and support to help students start their career in the fast lane. At this year‟s event, students will also be offered the chance to take part in a „speed networking‟ event on Friday 16 July, where they can meet professional engineers from a range of sectors, including 10 young engineers who will be present to talk about career options available and how to get ahead in industry. The 2010 competition has a record number of entries for all of its categories which include those designed and built from scratch (Class 1), a Class 2 design category and a low carbon Class 1A sector. Class 1A was won by the University of Hertfordshire‟s electric car last year but this year sparks will really fly as there will be five other electric vehicles vying for that crown, in addition to other cars using low carbon technologies. For the first time this year, all Class 1A cars will be fitted with an electric box to measure the current and voltage passing between the battery and the drive motor, which E.ON UK is involved in. This will determine the electrical consumption of the vehicles during the Endurance event and also act as a data-logger to capture information. FS is supported by industry and high profile engineers such as its patron Ross Brawn, Team Principal, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. Industry partners this year include Shell, Airbus in the UK, E.ON UK, Cenex, Autodesk, Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, National Instruments and The MathWorks. For further information please visit www.formulastudent.com ENDS Notes to Editors Media wanting more information or to attend the event please contact the IMechE Press Office on 020 7304 6835/6888 or email [email protected]. A full itinerary of the event is available. Formula Student is run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is Europe‟s biggest student motorsport event. It is in its 13th year and is open to university teams around the world. Its Patron is Ross Brawn, Team Principal, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. FS usually forms part of the students‟ academic studies, and culminates in a competition where teams from all over the world come together to race and compete against each other. Restrictions are placed on the car frame and engine so the students‟ knowledge, creativity, and imagination are tested. The IMechE Formula Student event uses the same rules as the Formula SAE series (with some minor changes) and this means student teams can enter their cars in the Formula SAE events, including those in the US, Australia and Germany. FS would like to thank the following partners for supporting FS 2010: Airbus in the UK, Autodesk, Cenex, E.ON UK, The MathWorks, Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, National Instruments and Shell. Please visit www.formulastudent.com for more information. .