"It is great to see the high level of determination and expertise of these students", praised the Audi works driver. "They are taking advantage of a special opportunity to experience the technical aspects of motor sport. The project receives enormous support with a strong partner like Schaeffler."
In addition to technical knowledge, the Schaeffler Group contributed components from its comprehensive product range during the construction phase of the MFSix. This included angular contact ball bearings for the wheel bearings and the steering system, deep groove ball bearings for the steering system and the reversing lever of the rear axle, and the needle roller bearing drawn cups for the differential. In addi-tion, Schaeffler's training workshop manufactured chassis components.
The MFSix - MF stands for "Mainfranken" and Six for the sixth vehicle generation built by the team - is driven by a motorcycle engine with 92 horsepower. The com-pact racing car will participate in the Formula Student races in Hockenheim (July 31 to August 4), the Czech Republic (August 8 to 11) and Spain (August 29 to Septem-ber 1). The winner is chosen from up to 74 competitors based not only on speed but also on the complete package comprising racing performance, design, financial planning and marketing strategy. The goal is to provide the students with practical experience in design, manufacturing and the economic aspects of automotive engi-neering.
The Formula Student, which is hosted at international venues, has been an integral part of Schaeffler's comprehensive motor sport activities since 2006. In addition to the Mainfranken Racing Team of the Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt University, Schaeffler supports twelve other student teams in Germany with 15 racing cars in total. Teams abroad can also benefit from Schaeffler's support. For example, Schaeffler Group USA is again providing the team of the University of Akron with the opportunity to participate in the Hockenheim race. Schaeffler also supports other teams with expert knowledge and parts at discounted prices on request.
The Formula Student has become an established talent pool for engineering stu-dents and creates valuable contacts between the next generation of engineers and Schaeffler. Karin Goerl, responsible for employer branding at Schaeffler, explains: "It is important to us to support the teams and the students. In this way, we can establish close contact with young engineers we are interested in as future employees since they have successfully completed projects and gained experience that is not part of their studies at university. We can personally introduce our company to exactly these students during these activities."