Our Cars

2019 was a challenging year for TBR. Factors beyond the teams control delayed build significantly, and resulted in an impressive car on paper but one plagued by reliability issues. Features like front- and rear-wing DRS and the lightest yet most complex aerodynamics kit to date were overshadowed by technical problems which ruined our chances at competition. The car then proved its worth later in the year at the Prescott hill climb with a very impressive performance, but overall this would be a year to learn from.

TBR18 marked a step up in engine size from the KTM 500 to the KTM 690, choosing power over overall car mass. This setup  gave 74hp @ 8500rpm, 62Nm torque @ 8000rpm, with a ready-to-race weight of 205kg. The aerodynamic package added a hefty 1100N of downforce at 80kph. Unfortunately, despite a winning design on paper, the team was plagued by boosting issues at FSUK and FS East, ruining our shot at what could have been a competition trophy. With the issues sorted out, TBR18 proved itself in the highly competitive FS Austria, taking 3rd overall!

After having set the bar so high in 2016, TBR17 set out to design a significantly more advanced car. Featuring a full carbon monocoque chassis for the first time in our history, as well as a hydraulic shifting mechanism designed in-house. This, in addition to the full aerodynamic package resulted in an increased vehicle weight at just over 200kg R2R. TBR17 boasted performance figures of 74 hp and 62 Nm @ 8000 rpm. Unfortunately, several shifting issues and suspension failures across all competitions prevented TBR17 from ever reaching its full potential, although it proved its speed by taking 1st place in the sprint event at FSUK.

TBR16 was the most successful of the Team Bath Racing cars – built upon the lessons learned from the previous few years, with a similar chassis construction and engine choice. This resulted in an improved 74 hp and 62 Nm @ 8000rpm, and a ready to race weight of 180kg. Additionally, significant focus was placed on the business side of the competition, and we arrived at competition ready to collect trophies. While we achieved notable results at FS UK and FS East, it was at Formula Student Czech that we won our first competition outright! With an impressive 889 points out of a possible 1000, we were launched to 5th in the world rankings.

2015 marked a year with several advancements across the car. It was the first of our cars to transition to a KTM engine, and was additionally the first to run on E85 fuel. While maintaining the hybrid chassis design, additive manufacturing was heavily across the car, including the wheel uprights and carbon wheel centres. Additionally, this was the first car to feature a full-car aerodynamic package, including a floor and diffuser. Overall, the car achieved a peak power and torque of 70hp and 60 Nm, at 9,000 and 6,000 rpm, respectively. With a ready to race weight of 169 kg, this car performed very well at both UK and Austria yet again, winning the endurance event outright at FSUK.

For 2014, TBR built upon TBR13’s design, adjusting the monocoque design and heavily optimising the front and rear wings. The result was an 165kg R2R car, with a peak power of 46kW @ 9500 rpm, and an aerodynamic performance of 1930N Downforce / 1100N Drag at 80kph. This car secured good results both in the UK and in Austria, further reinforcing Team Bath Racing as a name not to forget.

TBR13 featured the first carbon fibre monocoque, using a hybrid construction to achieve an 160kg R2R weight with excellent torsional stiffness. Additionally, further advancements in our carbon work were achieved, with this being the first of the Team Bath Racing cars to feature carbon wheels manufactured in-house. With refined front and rear wings and a powertrain featuring the same Aprilia 2-cyl engine, this car produced a peak power of 43kW @ 9250 rpm, and a peak torque of 57 Nm from 4500-5500 rpm. Unfortunately, the aprilia engines had by this point suffered wear from several competitions, and at both competitions we attended we were plagued by engine issues which ruined our chances of success.

Although unattached in this particular photo, TBR12 was the first of our cars with front and rear wings, marking our first foray into a full aerodynamic package. 12’s powertrain produced peak power and torque of 68bhp and 55Nm, respectively, and coupled with a ready-to-race weight of 180kg, this car was very quick round the track. While it got disqualified from the endurance event in UK due to a brake light failure, it proved this in Austria, achieving 2nd place in the endurance event and 4th overall.

In 2011, the team planned its success by securing several cash sponsors early on. However, money can’t buy happiness – but an achieved 160kg ready-to-race weight can! The team really focused on lightweighting every component in the car, and with the Aprilia 2-cylinder engine, RTBR11 achieved 65 bhp @ 9000 rpm, and a torque of 55 Nm @ 8000 rpm. This is the only Team Bath Racing car to date to have competed in America, and it achieved an impressive 5th place overall against a very tough crowd. Unfortunately, the Aprilia engine was not ready for the heavy duty cycle we submitted it to, and the car suffered engine failure midway through the endurance event.

For TBR10, the design focus was changed to perfecting the ECU and electronics design of the car, as well as the engine internals. Maintaining the spaceframe chassis style, this car also transitioned to 13″ tyres, and consequently the vehicle weight rose to around 200kg R2R. This was the first of the Team Bath Racing cars to compete abroad, entering at Formula Student Austria. 

A change in the Formula Student Rules led to a significant redesign of the front of our vehicle, which additionally led to a transition from front pull-rod suspension to push-rod. The chassis redesign offered ample opportunity for new lightweighting, with this years team achieving an impressive 180kg R2R car. A focus on the statics events at competition gave us several podium finishes at FSUK, and we once again achieved 4th overall, as the best UK team.

Changing to a Honda engine, TBR08 continued the lighweighting effort of its designs and achieved a 190kg ready-to-race car. This was the first of of the Team Bath Racing cars to feature a backplate (pictured), to which the final drive is bolted and which then is attached to the chassis, a trend which would continue for several years. TBR’s rise in success continued, achieving 4th overall at FSUK and once again being the best UK team.

TBR07 followed a similar design philosophy to ’06, but doubled down further on lightweighting the car. This resulted in a further mass reduction of another 30 kg, to a ready-to-race weight of approximately 200kg. TBR07  was also the first time major success for Team Bath Racing, being the best UK team at FSUK and achieving a very high endurance event score.

For the first of the Team Bath Racing cars, the decision was taken to sharpen focus on lightweighting the car. This meant moving away from the carbon boards used for BURT05 , and returning to a steel spaceframe design. This resulted in a weight saving of around 30kg relative to 2005, which was shown in the results – TBR06 marked the point at which Team Bath Racing began to climb the international leaderboards, with a win in the UK skidpad event.

Before we were Team Bath Racing, we were Bath University Racing Team (BURT). Despite the unfortunate name, these cars were remarkable first efforts at entering Formula Student events.