Speed and Power!

Latest from the Powertrain Department

The Powertrain Department has undergone a slight reconfiguration for the 2021-2022 season with a new acknowledgment for the now standalone department of Drivetrain. In previous years, Powertrain and Drivetrain were designed together, leaving an overly large workload for the head of the department. AT FSUK 2021, SHU Racing developed a well-performing car but issues with alignment meant the drive chain snapped on multiple occasions. Creating two separate departments for these crucial elements of the car would ensure reliable power delivery to the wheels.

This year, as there is more time available to focus on Powertrain, many of the core components are being redesigned to improve performance, limit noise, and to fit within the constraints of the new monocoque being implemented. This year, Luke Brookman is heading up the department, with more information on him in the Meet the Team section below.

The KTM 500 EXC Engine that the team has used the past few years will be tilted forwards by ≈10° to lower the CoG, make exhaust routing simpler, and to closer match the orientation of the stock KTM bike at manufacture. As a result, a new engine cradle design was required to allow a sturdy mounting solution for the engine that could allow the engine to be removed if needed. Rubber bushings will be used at chassis fixture points to help dampen engine vibrations to the chassis.

Over the previous years at FSUK, the team has often struggled with the noise test as part of Scrutineering. This year, the exhaust system is being completely redesigned. A custom-designed silencer will be utilised instead of previous years use of the stock FMF Powercore 4 muffler. The design of the silencer will be analysed in improved through the use of Ricardo WAVE, allowing the software to analyze overall engine performance with various design iterations of the silencer and exhaust routing options.

Fuel storage and delivery is undergoing a change this year, with the shift to an in-tank fuel pump housed in a custom-designed tank sender unit. In-tank fuel pumps are generally lighter, smaller, and require less power than their in-line counterparts. The switch to the DW100 in-tank fuel pump has enabled the team to save almost 1kg of weight and reduce current draw by around 10 Amps.

Future projects planned in the Powertrain Department include testing of the newly installed Rekluse Clutch kit, finalising exhaust routing options, sizing and analysing cooling configurations, and analysis and improvement of the existing intake system.

Meet the Team

Meet the Team is an opportunity for us to give you a chance to learn a little more about the people who make up SHU Racing. This week, we welcome our Powertrain and Finance Manager, Luke Brookman.

Luke heads up the technical department that oversees all sub-systems required for the engine to generate power. This includes intake, exhaust, fuel, cooling and power delivery as well as any improvements to the KTM 500 EXC engine run by the team. Luke also oversees the teams’ finances and order processes.

Luke joined SHU Racing 2 years ago as a way to get hands-on engineering experience whilst also following his ambition of working in motorsport and eventually F1. Being part of SHU Racing is a great way to put knowledge gained throughout an engineering degree to practise in a real-world environment.

Name: Luke Brookman

Age: 22

Course: MEng Mechanical Engineering

Role: Powertrain and Finance & Procurement Manager

Number of years with the Team: 2

Hobbies and Interests: F1, Football, Tennis, Skiing, Drumming

Favourite Car: RS6 or Aston Martin Vanquish

Dream Job: F1 Powertrain Engineer

Reasons for Joining SHU Racing: Joining SHU Racing enabled me a hands-on engineering experience where I’ve been able to see a first stage design follow all the way through to build and testing. It’s also great way to put knowledge gained throughout an engineering degree to practise in a real-world environment.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lukebrookman