Coventry University students to race electric vehicle at home of Indianapolis 500

MOTORSPORT students from a West Midland university will be flying the flag for the UK when they take on teams from across the United States in a unique event at the home of the world famous Indianapolis 500 race.

A team of Coventry University engineering students have been invited to race their electric vehicle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), known as the Brickyard, in the Electric Vehicle Grand Prix.

First run in 2010, the evGrandPrix encourages students to design, build and race the fastest and most energy-efficient battery-powered kart over 100 laps.

Ryan Colvey, Paul Sleight and Andrew Cook, all Motorsport Engineering students, have teamed up with the University of Sunderland to build an electric go-kart to compete against 70 other university teams in Saturday’s event.
 
The universities’ joint entry marks the first time a team from outside the United States has been invited to take part in the event, which coincides with the famous oval race.

There is an interesting synergy to the event for the university as in 1961 three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham raced a Coventry-Climax-engined Cooper T54 to a top 10 finish in the Indy 500, a feat Coventry’s students are hoping to emulate.
 
This year’s Indy 500 – which is expected to attract a global television audience of over 10 million people – marks the centenary of the famous race.

Ryan, whose experience includes engineering Coventry University’s Formula Student race car, said: “We’re really excited about this opportunity – it’s not every day you get invited to race at Indianapolis.

“It’s a testament to the talent and reputation of engineering students in this country, and I think we have a great chance of living up to that reputation in the race. We’re not going all the way to America to finish second.”
 
The evGrandPrix, which is being organised by Purdue University, Indiana, in conjunction with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, aims to inspire students to use sustainable technology to develop racing machines with an environmental conscience.
 
Coventry’s automotive engineering pedigree and excellence in the field of low carbon vehicle research were key to the team being invited to become the first foreign entry into the illustrious event.
 
Steven Shelby, director of strategic engagement at Purdue University, said: “Coventry University and the University of Sunderland represent some of the top future engineering talent and research in Europe.

“We look forward to working and learning from our sister universities in the UK, as students learn how to design, build, and race electric vehicles and accelerate the future innovation of transportation through education.”