Formula 1 has been and will remain at the cutting edge of racing technology for years to come. It is to what all aspiring racers look up to, and all couch surfers are entertained by. But if you were looking for a platform to showcase your own skills as a budding Mechatronics engineer, you’ve reached the right place. Velocity@ Engineer 2011. Where you bring your very own mean little racing machine, which you build and race against the best in the country. Join the race!

1. The students must carry valid student ID cards of their college which they will be required to produce at the time of registration.
2. A team may comprise a maximum of five participants.
3. The team is not permitted to compete with more than one car.
4. Teams will not be allowed to modify their car during their trial.

The event will have three rounds:

1. Car Judging: The car will be scrutinised by the organisers to make sure it conforms to the specified rules. There will be no points from this round. However, if the vehicle doesn’t conform to all the rules, it will be immediately disqualified.
2. Maneuverability Test: Each car will have to maneuver a set of obstacles and points will be awarded based on time taken to complete the course.
3. Acceleration Test: Each car will have to accelerate within a 50 m stretch and points will be awarded based on the time taken to complete the stretch.
4. Semi-finals and Final: Semi-finalists will be decided based on their aggregate points obtained in the acceleration and maneuverability test. These rounds will resemble a Formula One Race with pit stops for refueling and repairs. The endurance of the car will be tested.  

EVENT RULES

• The semi-finals and final will have races with multiple cars racing at a time.
• The track will have check points at regular intervals. If a machine tumbles, or halts, or goes off the arena at any point on the track, one of the team members is allowed to lift it up and place it at the nearest checkpoint behind that point. The clock will keep running during this time Only ONE member of the team will be allowed to run along with the car throughout each race.
• If any of the machines starts off before the flag is waved, the counter would be restarted and the machines will get a second chance. However, if any machine starts off before the waving of flag (or countdown) for a second time, it will be disqualified. No re-match will be held for the second time.
• Team members are not permitted to touch either their machines or those of their opponents once the race begins (unless there is a need to lift the machine as stated in second point). The penalty for doing so is disqualification.
• The machines are not allowed to leave any loose parts on any part of the arena. Any machine disintegrating during the race will be disqualified.
• Teams are not allowed to purposefully damage the machine of the opponent's team. If found doing so on track (while racing), the concerned team will be disqualified. Execution of last three rules will be subjective and relies completely on judges' discretion.

ARENA SPECIFICATIONS

The track will consist of mainly off-roading terrain. Teams can expect varying types of terrain with a variety of obstacles. There will be a jump of slope 30 degrees, with a drop of around 8 inches. The width of the track will be sufficient for two cars to race side by side for the most part of the track. The minimum width of the track is 2 feet. Other obstacles may include asbestos sheets, beach sand, slush, etc.

Despite organizers efforts to keep the track quality intact, the track is subjected to undergo wear and tear as machines run over it. The machine is expected to be able to perform on such a weakened track. Four machines will race on a dual lane track at a time for the semi-finals and the final. A lap of the track is defined to be completed when the machine comes back to the start-finish line.                                              

The track shown above differs from the actual track.

CAR SPECIFICATIONS

• Machine should fit in a box of dimensions (L X B X H) 500 mm x 500 mm x 300 mm at any moment of time during the race. The height will be measured excluding the antenna. The external device which is used to control the machine is not included in the size constraint.
• The machine should be controlled by a wireless remote control mechanism throughout the race.
• The machine must not be made from Lego parts, or any ready-made assembly kits other than the parts mentioned below. Readily available chassis layouts are not allowed. Any machine found having a readymade chassis will be IMMEDIATELY disqualified.
• The machine may be roughly classified into structural and functional parts:
• Functional parts - Gears, differential gear, engine, springs, shock absorbers, servo motors (non-propulsion purposes only), batteries, wheels, wheel hub are allowed to be used as available in the market. Functional parts need not be fabricated by teams. They can be used from stock RC cars.
• Structural parts - Chassis, steering mechanism, shock mounting members, electronic box and suspension (excluding suspension spring and shock absorbers) have to be built by the participants themselves.
• Judging for the same will be strict and the participant will be immediately disqualified if any of the above structural components are found to be ready made.
• The tires used must have a minimum diameter of 3 inches. You are advised to use tyres of good width for better performance on dirt tracks.

Please note: It is not compulsory to fabricate the brake mechanism.

• Wheel Hub: Any part rigidly attached to the wheel hub will be considered as a part of it and hence can be ready-made. An example here is that of the ball stud.

However, teams will have to manufacture the socket which fits on to the ball stud themselves.

• Steering Mechanism : Any part which is connected to steering rod rigidly i.e. has no degrees of freedom with respect to steering rod (example: heim joint http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heim_joint ) will be considered as part of steering rod and thus has to be fabricated by participants.

• Suspension mechanism : Any part rigidly connected to suspension arms or one with no degrees of freedom with respect to suspension arm will be considered as its part and has to be fabricated by the participants, except the upper suspension arm. For example both the heim joint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_end_bearing -see this for more information) for the upper suspension arm and the stud rigidly connected to the wheel hub can be bought from the market.

• If there are parts used in the concerned joint which are neither rigidly connected with suspension or the hub, steering system or hub; they can be used readymade from the market.
• If teams get any part specifically manufactured for them, they are required to present the CAD Drawings given to the manufacturer and the manufacturer’s bill for the same.

PROPULSION AND STEERING

• The machine must use only mechanical power generated by an internal combustion (IC) engine for propulsion. Only one IC engine should be used in the machine. Use of any other sources such as chemicals, compressed gas, rockets etc. is not allowed.
• Any machine which uses DC Motors for propulsion will be disqualified. However DC motors and servos can be used for steering mechanisms or any other control mechanisms apart from propulsion.
• The machine must have an on-board power supply to run any mechanism requiring electric power.
• The maximum allowed capacity of IC engine to be used is 3.5 cc.
• The electric voltage anywhere in the machine should not exceed 12V at any point of time.
• There shall be a countdown preceding the start of the race. No participant is allowed to touch the machine during the countdown period.
• Providing a clutch mechanism between the engine and the wheel would prove useful, as it would prevent the engine from dying out at any stage of the race.
• Participants are advised to use a proper cooling mechanism to prevent overheating of the engine.
• Participants are advised to use sway bars for better control and stability.
• The participants are advised to use proper air filters as dirt might cause serious problems to the engine.
• Readymade wheels are allowed.
• The machine will be inspected and if found to be dangerous, the team will be disqualified. This decision rests solely with the judges and the organizers.

• The teams are not required to submit any photo or video of their cars. It is the team's responsibility to ensure that it complies with the rules.
• Any team that is not ready at the time specified will be eliminated from the competition automatically.
• The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. The teams must not damage the opponent's machine in any way. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any team indulged in misbehaviour.
• The name of your machine should be prominently displayed on the machine.
• Judges decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.
• The organizers reserve the right to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in rules, if any will be highlighted on the website and notified to the registered participants.
• CONTROL RULES : Teams having two sets of frequency crystals can bring both sets to the competition. We will try and ensure that there is no interference between two competing vehicles.
• FUEL: Teams that qualify for the semi-finals and finals will have to use the fuel provided by the organisers. This is MANDATORY.