The four students, Luke Gotts (Civil Engineering student), Magnus Knight (Industrial Design student), Jacob Turner (Graphic Design student), and Nyah Warner (Product Design Engineering student), collaborated to create and execute their design, utilising skills and knowledge from their different degree backgrounds. The team said:
“We believe in the power of multidisciplinary collaboration; we want to share the importance of this within design teams and inspire younger generations.”
Excited to work together, the students entered the Red Bull Soapbox competition, gaining a place, but without funding.
Thanks to donations to the Loughborough Fund – supporting projects that would otherwise not receive any financial support – the team were able to continue with their entry to the competition and begin the build of their car. They were awarded £250 from the Loughborough Fund and provided with additional support from the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. Technicians supported the team in the build, and the students were able to use a space in STEMLab to bring their creation together.
The trip to the race gave the students the chance to meet fellow Soapbox competitors, take a look at other designs, and discuss the engineering of the different vehicles. A great learning opportunity before the fun commenced at the race, the student team were ready to go with Magnus in the driving seat and the rest of the team running along the track after him.
Team Tetra designed their vehicle in block shapes, designed to come apart during the race. The team members were pleased with how much of the vehicle survived the course, with the chassis still in one piece.
Team Tetra’s Soapbox car driven by a student
Following the race, Nyah said:
“We all agree that the entire experience of the Red Bull soapbox project is our greatest achievement, and the day of the race is the best day of our lives so far.
“The skills we have learnt from the project will help us in our future careers in so many ways and the whole experience has offered such and interesting talking point to future employers. We are all extremely proud of ourselves and our perseverance despite several setbacks along the way.
“The key skills we have learnt is that creativity is very important to make you stand out, organisation is very important to ensure you achieve your goals in time for the final deadline, perseverance will ensure you success in your final goal and teamwork will enable everyone to achieve their dreams of becoming Red Bull Soapbox Race Competitors!
“Thank you so much for the contribution to the project we are all extremely appreciative of how much support has been supplied by Loughborough University and Wolfson School, without which would have been able to achieve our dreams!”
Team Tetra
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Loughborough Fund which supports projects such as this, as well as bursaries, tuition fee waivers and to students who are most in need.
Well done Team Tetra!
