2023.07.12

NEGRONI launches support for student formula activities.

Negroni began supporting student formula activities in 2023.
　
We support the creation of an environment for students who aim to achieve better performance within a limited period of time to achieve their lofty goals. Through this project, we hope to produce many human resources who will be active in the mobility industry of the future.

As a kick-off event, Negroni sponsored the "Fuji Speedway Trial Run" held on July 10.

What is Student Formula?

It is an educational competition of engineering technology in which students themselves conceive of a business using a small formula-style vehicle, design and build the actual vehicle, and demonstrate the vehicle's driving performance on the course.

A total of 80 universities and vocational schools from Japan and abroad have entered the competition, developing both internal combustion engine and EV formula vehicles.The development will be promoted for the Student Formula Japan Competition 2023 scheduled to be held from August 28 to September 2, 2023.

Last year, the University of Tokyo Formula Factory (UTFF) asked us if we would like to do something together. We have been searching for ways to provide meaningful support to the students who will lead the automotive industry in the future. Through the course of interviews, we came up with the "problem of securing a place to practice," which is unavoidable when conducting motorsports competitions.

In order to manufacture a machine in ideal conditions and produce solid results in the main competition, it is necessary to conduct repeated experiments, verification, and improvements within a limited period of time. However, it is of course not easy for an intramural team to create a virtual track layout and prepare a place for test driving in order to experiment with the performance of the car. In addition to the large space and suitable track surface, the students also have to bear a heavy financial burden in order to secure a safe and secure location.

In addition, the location scheduled for this year's 2023 joint test drive coincided with the construction period, so there was an urgent need to secure a place to practice and test drive.

Therefore, Negroni has established the Public Benefit Corporation The joint test-run event was to be held at a special course set up in the P7 parking lot of Fuji Speedway, in cooperation with the Kanto Branch of the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan. Teams can participate in the event with a variety of issues to be addressed in preparation for the race, such as fine-tuning the car, test runs under different conditions, and shakedowns.

In order to sharpen the quality of the product, it is necessary to repeat more experiments and verifications. This trial run is an important part of the product manufacturing process.We hoped that this test run would be a good opportunity to improve the performance of the machine.
　

Mr. Suzuki (UTFF, University of Tokyo) andMr. Soka of the Trial Run WG, Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan

The planning and operation of the trial run,Team Leader of the University of Tokyo Formula Factory (UTFF) andStudent Automobile Research Association The course layout design, officials, and guidance on the day of the event were all done by student initiative.

A total of 130 students from 7 schools (University of Tokyo, Nihon University College of Science and Technology, Chiba University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Kogakuin University, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Tokyo Metropolitan University (in grid order) participated in the trial run on the day of the event. Including last year's winner, all of the schools are strong contenders for this year's championship.

On the day of the test run, the event was plagued by unstable weather conditions typical of this time of year, such as fog and sudden rain, but many teams tried various test runs, using both slick and wet tires, and had a very productive time. In the morning, many teams experimented with vehicle performance by running acceleration to measure straight line times and skid pads to evaluate body rotation performance.

The University of Tokyo's UTFF, which had the only EV-powered car of the day, successfully completed the shakedown and photo shoot, taking advantage of the timing of the rain. In addition to the participating schools, many visitors came to see the event.

In the afternoon, the course layout was changed to resemble a real-life lap course, and the teams tried out the course with various settings. Among the teams, the top-ranked teams showed impressive performances, showing that they are well prepared for the competition, which will be held at the end of August, approximately two months before the event.

Although the day was plagued by heavy fog and sudden rain, we were impressed by the students' direct efforts toward their respective goals. Negroni plans to continue supporting this activity in the future as part of its efforts to promote the automotive industry.

The winner of the prize Idea was Mr. Fujita, a leader from last year's winner, Kyoto Institute of Technology.