Formula Bharat 2021 is an engineering design competition where students design, manufacture, test and validate a single-seater open-wheel formula-style race car. Competing in the combustion category in Formula Bharat 2021, which is Indian Formula student racing competitions, with over 70 other teams from across the country, STES (Sinhgad Institutes) Racing team comprising of 15 students from mechanical, electronics and computer science departments, spent several months on research, development, designing manufacturing, testing and validation of the vehicle.
Facing stiff competition from some of the brightest engineering talents in the country Team STES acronym for Sinhgad Technical Education Society performed remarkably well achieving Overall All India Ranking of 9th position.
The judges for the design event were; Michael Bakaic – Co-Founder – FIBOS, Palani Samy P. – PD- Chassis, Brakes & Pedals – Ford, Mukesh Krishna B. – Design & Validation Engineer -Powertrain Division – Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Anvesh Anumula – Masters, Specialization in Hybrid and EV powertrain – Michigan Technological University, Atharva Anil Kulkarni – Purchase Engineer – Emerson Process Management India Pvt. Ltd, Pune, Jayesh Shamkant Mahamuni – Composites Consultant and Freelancer and Karan Bandwar – Director/ Product Development Manager – DesDynamics Pvt. Ltd.
No actual racing was carried out due to strict government regulations due to the lockdown. Says, Shaonak Khatavkar Captain of STES Racing Team, “The major difference was that what we create could not be practically tested on track which was a bit of disappointment because that’s what the competition aims for, to experience the real form of engineering aspects as well as project management which is best seen during the competition at that particular site. But the enthusiasm to compete and win was very high in the entire team. A passion for engineering, learning and innovation was and will always remain our biggest motivation. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn beyond the confines of the classroom and compete against some good universities across the country and we were determined to give our best.”
The winning team attributed their achievements to their Principal besides valuable guidance from Faculty Advisors, Dr Amar Pandhare and Prof. Dhananjay Khankal who motivated and helped them improve at every step during the competition.
Congratulating the team, Prof. M. N. Navale Founder President of STES said, “Project-based learning encourages students to learn beyond the classroom, developing their competencies in multiple areas. Students learn to design, build and compete on national and international platforms giving them valuable hands-on experience. I congratulate the team and all faculty advisors for their remarkable achievements notwithstanding the adverse pandemic situations. ”
