A team of BU students has achieved an impressive result in its first-ever entry into the prestigious Formula Student UK competition, finishing 17th out of 31 teams in the Concept Class at Silverstone. 

Formula Student UK is one of Europe’s leading educational engineering competitions, challenging university teams to develop and present a race car concept while demonstrating technical, commercial and manufacturing expertise.

BU Formula Student (BUFS), a student-founded and student-led team, competed against universities with long-established Formula Student programmes and secured strong performances across several judged categories.

As well as their overall position, the team finished 8th in the Business Plan Presentation event, 11th in Cost and Manufacturing, and joint 17th in Engineering Design – all in the Concept Class.

BU Formula Student (BUFS)

The project was conceived, developed and delivered by students within a single academic year. The group identified the competition opportunity, successfully pitched the idea to the university, recruited team members and prepared their entry in less than 12 months.

The team was led by Imogen Riordan, who represented Bournemouth University at Silverstone alongside Noah Keene, Aasiyah Mohammed Jamsheed, Senaajit Raghu, Duane George and Emily Slight, from a wider team of around 15 students. 

Imogen, who is studying BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, said: “Leading BU Formula Student has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The competition challenged us to apply everything we’ve learned, both inside and outside the classroom, to a real-world engineering project while developing our teamwork, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. Seeing an idea that began with a group of students, grow to become a team capable of competing at Silverstone and achieving these results in our very first year is something we’re incredibly proud of.” 

The team was supported throughout the year by Faculty Advisor Dr Diogo Montalvão and Dr Mihai Dupac, with backing from the School of Computing and Engineering under Professor Nan Jiang.

BU Student at Silverstone

Dr Montalvão, Associate Professor in Structural Dynamics, said: “This project is an outstanding example of the educational value of hands-on, real-world learning. Formula Student requires students to integrate engineering theory with practical decision-making, project management, budgeting, communication and innovation under demanding deadlines. The team’s success at Silverstone demonstrates not only their technical ability but also the wider professional skills that employers are looking for. We are immensely proud of what they have achieved in such a short period of time.”

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