It happened at a time in the spring of 2022…
… when Alex, one of our production employees, contacts CEO Michael Sporrer with a request. Both Alex and three of our other employees work as team leaders for the “High Octane Motorsports” club and were looking for sponsors for their latest project. The pitch of the project aroused inspiration and curiosity in the ranks of the company. Finally, Michael decided to sponsor a KUMO VI for the Octanes and the journey began.
The KUMO VI is on its way
Arriving at the Octanes in Erlangen, our KUMO embarks on a special journey. In the 22/23 season race car, our digital signage PC is responsible for supporting autonomous driving.
The KUMO is installed in the chassis behind the driver’s seat. A few changes had to be made so that it could be installed in this position and also make the best possible use of its performance. As the regulations require all calculations to take place in the vehicle, a new housing was produced for the KUMO VI, which must be waterproof and at the same time ensure good cooling. Among other things, the entire vehicle is subjected to a so-called “rain test”, which ensures that the sensitive innards in the vehicle remain dry even when used in pouring rain. The PC must also be secured in such a way that it remains in place despite the acceleration and centrifugal forces.
Ready, Set, Go – rollout in May 2023
At the beginning of May last year, the time had come – the rollout of the racing car was completed. Our trainees Patricia and Maxim had the honor of attending the event and watching the presentation of the FAUmax Pi. During the presentation, many exciting facts and sub-projects of the car were explained, as well as difficulties during production.
Finally, there was the opportunity to take a closer look at the FAUmax Pi, take pictures and, above all, ask questions. Here, our trainees had everything explained to them in detail by the team members who also work at spo-comm.
How will the journey continue?
The Octanes were at three events with their “Pi” in 2023 and, despite a few setbacks, were able to win some awards for their car. The Octanes were able to score points with creative refinements in the technical acceptance tests and some strengths were demonstrated. Driving did not go as planned at the beginning and there were a few obstacles along the way, but the team was able to develop their vehicle well over the course of the season.
As our employees are still active in the club and are interested in Formula Student, we remain in close contact and are always up to date with the latest news about the Octanes and our KUMO VI. We have already been informed that our PC will also be used again in the new racing car for the 23/24 season. We are very excited to see what will change and how the journey will continue.
We would like to thank Alex for the great cooperation with the Octanes, which has always worked flawlessly, and we are looking forward to the Octanes’ upcoming season.