Celebrating its tenth year of existence, the Arrabona Racing Team, a student led and operated racing team of Széchenyi István University participating in the Formula Student series, won the FS East at ZalaZone in Zalaegerszeg on the first weekend of August, and a week earlier finished third on the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The SZEngine team, also made up of students from Széchenyi, contributed to the international success by developing the vehicle's engine.

Formula Student is a popular educational series of races around the world, in which teams compete in cars they have built themselves. This gives students the chance to put what they have learned into practice and develop their engineering skills in a real-life situation. Two teams from Széchenyi István University, the Arrabona Racing Team (ART), which develops the vehicle, and SZEngine, which supplies the engine, optimised for the series, have been taking part in the competitions for years.

The overall winner of the Formula Student East race is the Arrabona Racing Team, made up of students from SZE (Photo: Formula Student East - Association of Automotive Engineers)

After the international success of 2022, last year was a year of development for ART. This year, Széchenyi’s student team, which turned ten years old, kept the design and shape and focused on reliability and weight reduction, redesigning many components. This year's car, named ART_11, is also powered by SZEngine’s power unit, built by the University’s student engine development team. 

The work invested paid off at this summer's first competition, as the Formula Student Austria competition, held in Spielberg, ended with a great result for the Győr-based team. In addition to third place overall, ART also took third place on the podium in the autocross event. In the endurance event, their vehicle completed the 22 km race course on the Red Bull Ring circuit without a single fault, with outstanding fuel consumption, and they also took second place in the efficiency competition. The team also performed well in the static events, taking fourth place in the final of the engineering design category.

The vehicle of a team of students from Széchenyi István University also conquered the Austrian racetrack.

"The significant improvements we have made over the past year have worked well, as we have achieved a podium finish in a very strong international field at one of the most prestigious stages of the Formula Student series. We were in the biggest battle with the Spanish Valencia Polytechnic University, the Italian University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the Greek University of Thessaly," said ART team leader Szilárd Bariska. He added that the vehicle had been fine-tuned before Formula Student East, using the experience gained in Austria, and that they were looking forward to the next competition with high hopes.

The competition in Hungary was essentially a home event for the team from Győr, as ZalaZone hosts the University's innovation park in Zalaegerszeg, and ART conducted its tests on this track. The students from Széchenyi University surpassed their performance in Austria: they placed second in the cost and manufacturing category, third in engineering design and in dynamic events, they ranked third in both the skidpad and acceleration categories. They clinched first place in the efficiency, autocross, and endurance categories. This remarkable performance led them to win the overall FS East competition.

"This is a tremendous source of pride for us and a great validation of our hard work. We are grateful for all the support from the University and our partners. We are not resting on our laurels; we are already preparing for the season's final competition in Croatia, at the Bugatti test track. We will thoroughly check the car, replace any worn parts, and conduct further tests. We aim to win or at least secure a podium finish in the late August race," said Szilárd Bariska. The graduating student of Vehicle Engineering emphasized that participating in Formula Student complements the knowledge gained at the University with invaluable practical experience that significantly benefits their future careers. Moreover, these competitions offer excellent opportunities for international networking and collaboration with students from foreign universities, broadening their professional horizons.

The students involved in Formula Student gain invaluable practical experience

"I congratulate the team on their achievements. I also convey the recognition of the University's teaching staff, as we consider the students' performance outstanding. They enhance their knowledge not only through lectures and labs but also by developing race cars and benchmarking their complex skills against the best universities. They do this at such a high level that they consistently rank among the best in international competitions," said Dr Ferenc Szauter, head of the Vehicle Industry Research Centre at the Győr institution. He added that Széchenyi István University trains engineers with up-to-date, practical knowledge, and the work in student teams develops skills that make young professionals highly sought after in the international market.