Shell Eco-marathon Asia Mid-Day Highlights

At last the cars are on the track at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2010. With a wide variety of designs and technologies competing to go the furthest. This is a great chance for drivers to try their vehicles on a real Formula 1 circuit. And, while they're not going to reach the speeds the usual drivers get, they're just as competitive.

The track on the first day is not too busy as many of the teams take time to get through their the technical testing. Unlike the teams in the European event who have years of experience passing their cars, to some of the Asian teams, the rules and regulations are very new.

But little by little, the track becomes busy as more and more teams pass their tests. Teams here also have another handicap... not faced by the European and Americas teams. The Sapeng circuit is hilly meaning fuel efficiency techniques have to be finely tuned.

Some teams like the Iranian team from Isfahan University of Technology prepare themselves. "We simulate the Sapeng surface in our software and we doing the driving before this event. And our driver is very ready, ready to be the person who knows exactly what he should be doing in the Sapeng."

Colin Chin, Technical Director SEM Asia, "The track is slightly different from some of the other events because Sapeng is a very hilly track. We have parts where the slope is quite steep and cars can actually go down it quite a significant speed and conversely they have to go uphill in some places. So we are having a bit of a challenge in terms of making sure the brake systems work well for the cars to prevent any incidents. It's also tough for the teams because with the hilly track, they probably won't get as good fuel efficiency as with a flat track."

But the challenge of the hills doesn't diminish the excitement of the drivers who get a real chance to test their vehicles.

But these vehicles are cutting edge, so there are always casualties.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• #SHELLECO
• Shell
• Eco-marathon
• Asia
• track
• Sapeng