The red cloak has been lifted: the third Rhino racing car from Fachhochschule Dortmund is no less sleek than its predecessors. However, the real advances are under the hood, and there are many of them.
It is more powerful: the Race-Ing. team has increased the output of the Honda "CBR 600 Type PC35E Sport" engine by a whopping 20 percent, from 68 to 82 hp - a significant boost for a total weight of around 225 kilos. The electronics are new, as is the engine control unit. The sensor system is more comprehensive, for example it uses GPS to determine more precise acceleration values and measures the wheel speed on each tire individually. The new rear frame is 1400 grams lighter.
The Rhino III has already passed the heated qualification phase for Formula Student 2024, the racing series for student teams, with flying colors. Participation in the racing events in Austria (July 21-25), the Czech Republic (August 5-10) and Croatia (August 20-25) is assured.
These races are not just about lap times. At least as important are the "static events", which are included in the overall standings and in which, for example, the fictitious but fully developed business plan of each team is assessed. The Race-Ing. team has set up its own assembly group to take care of this.
More and more racing events and Formula Student racing teams are focusing on hybrid and e-drives. The Race-Ing. team at Fachhochschule Dortmund is also moving in this direction and is looking for students to develop technical concepts for these more sustainable forms of propulsion.