Student team URE celebrates 20th anniversary with lightest and fastest race car thus far

Students aim to improve fourth place in world rankings.

With the fastest and lightest race car that the student team has ever developed, University Racing Eindhoven (URE) hopes to compete for the podium places in both the autonomous and electric classes of the international Formula Student competition in their anniversary year. The URE17 is 15 percent lighter than its predecessor, and it features an improved autonomous system. The first race will take place in July at the TT circuit in Assen.

is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and as a result, they are aiming high at Assen, and thereafter the famous racing circuits the Hungaroring (Hungary) and Hockenheim. "We are now fourth in the world ranking in the Formula Student competition out of a total of 280 teams from all over the world. It would be wonderful if we could improve that position in our anniversary year or, for example, win the autonomous race at the Hungaroring, exactly one week after Max Verstappen races there and possibly wins," explains URE team manager Fieke Wijnen.

The team wants to do that with the best race car the team has developed so far. The vehicle can go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.1 seconds, and it has a top speed of 120 km/h. In addition, the new race car is fifteen percent lighter than previous vehicles, in part because the electric motor’s controller has lost more than half its weight. The vehicle now weighs a total of around 195 kilograms. The various components have also been placed more efficiently in the car. Wijnen: "As a result, less weight goes into storing and securing all the parts."

The autonomous systems have also been improved. "Our autonomous systems have had an upgrade, allowing us to drive faster with a better computer. The system is also integrated into our race car in a much better manner. This allows us to switch effortlessly between with or without a driver. Previously this changeover took hours, now it is done in a matter of seconds. We have limited testing, so it is ideal that this switchover is now much faster," Wijnen clarified.

Five-part series

There are other ways URE is celebrating its 20th anniversary, including through the release of a five-part online video series called The Road to URE. Jilez Aelbers, CFO of URE explains: "In the series, you’ll see exactly what URE does and what we’ve been doing for the last 20 years. You’ll see what challenges we face at each stage of development." The series can be seen weekly starting June 9 at on their YouTube channel.

URE is TU Eindhoven’s oldest student team. For many team members, URE has been the stepping stone into a wonderful career in the automotive industry. "Former team members have ended up at wonderful companies like Tesla, and even at Audi in Formula 1. And think also of the Le Mans team Toyota Gazoo Racing! In addition, former team members also end up working in the Eindhoven region at companies such as ASML, DAF and Prodrive Technologies," Aelbers concluded.