We’ve already told you that we are staying busy this season, and we don’t lie! We were just taking a deep breath after our crazy  Red Bull showrun experience, when we got the reminder that it was Formula Student Romania time. Our sweet car couldn't catch a break this past month, so she was ready to roll. But, our team needed to thoroughly prepare in order to give it all on the Bop Karting track. 

 

Almost immediately after returning from our Czech adventure, we got the news that the first-ever edition of Formula Student Romania was being held and that it was meant to be a pilot project initiated by Romanian veterans of the Formula Student experience that wanted to bring the magic in their homeland. Our team was, of course, more than happy to be part of this incredible concept. 

 

DAY 1 - September 15

 

  On a cold September morning, after a tremendous session of last-minute work, we loaded our monopost and left for Brasov. A few hours later, we were already settling in the pits alongside 3 other Romanian Formula Student teams from Cluj, Brasov, and Timișoara. It felt like a big family reunion, even if we were supposed to compete against each other. But, there was no time for storytelling and chit-chat because we were due for scrutineering. 

 

We were definitely not perfect, but we passed the inspection, appreciating all the helpful advice and promising to improve our work for the next time. Excited for the challenges ahead of us, the day ended before we knew it. 

 

DAY 2 - September 16

 

The next day was a stressful one as we had to go through dynamic events. We were aware that the car started and was able to gather some speed and do a few tricks, but we did not get to be judged by professionals and be given the feedback that we need for improvement. 

 

The first two challenges -acceleration and autocross- ran smoothly and while the times we scored were not outstanding they still gave us plenty of hope for the outcome of the competition. But as to not get overconfident, we ran into some trouble with the endurance challenge. The participants had to do 22 laps around the track and our team started in full force, ready to conquer the last test of the day. Unfortunately, the odds were not in our favor, and right after the 11th lap and the changing of the pilot, technical issues required us to stop. The frustration started to take over, but we knew better than to let it break us. So on we went to the third day of the competition. 

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DAY 3- September 17 

 

With a bit more prudence we approached the last day of challenges. It was time for the static events where we were more sure of our work to begin with, as we had the necessary materials prepared carefully before the Czech competition. 

The static events consisted of the presentations of the cost report, design report, and business plan. We excelled in the business plan presentation and we got valuable information for enhancing the cost and design reports. 

The day ended, in the spirit of any traditional Romanian event, with a well-deserved barbeque, that marked the end of a great experience, but mostly helped us bond even more with the other teams. 

 

This was probably the most precious thing we got out of the time spent at Formula Student Romania: the friendship of some of the coolest people we have ever met, students that share our passion, dedication and hard-work, our love for motorsport and engineering. Being also connected by the same language and culture, they may be the only ones that understand all the struggles that a Formula Student team goes through in a country like ours where it's hard to get the recognition and appreciation you deserve. We hope this experience was as amazing for them as it was for us and can’t wait to meet them again!

 

We did not take home the big prize but somehow this experience compensated in so many other aspects that winning didn't seem like the supreme goal. We are extremely grateful for all the knowledge and support that we got from all the judges and the other teams and we’re excited to do it again as soon as possible.