In August 2021, Youpeng Racing successfully provided F4 Formula car practice services for two student drivers from the Formula Student Electric team of Tongji University.
DIAN Racing is the Formula Student Electric team of Tongji University. Formally established in March 2012, the team designs an electric formula-style race car each year to compete in university-level Formula Student Electric competitions both domestically and internationally. To date, DIAN Racing has earned numerous accolades on the national and international stages, and won the overall championship in the 2020 Chinese competition.
DIAN Racing wins the 2020 FSEC overall championship
The Formula Student Electric China (FSEC) is a design and manufacturing competition where university teams comprising students from automotive engineering or related fields participate. Each team, following the competition rules and manufacturing standards, designs and builds a small single-seat recreational race car with outstanding performance in acceleration, braking, and handling within one year, aiming to successfully complete all or part of the competition events.
Tongji University – Formula Student Electric race car
The FSEC competition consists of static and dynamic events, with the overall champion, runner-up, and third place determined by the combined scores of both categories. Static events include the Engineering Design Report, Cost and Manufacturing Assessment, and Business Plan Presentation. Dynamic events include the Acceleration Test, Skidpad Test, Autocross Test, and Endurance Test. In essence, FSEC is a comprehensive engineering design competition that thoroughly evaluates university students’ capabilities in automotive engineering design and business operations.
In the dynamic events, when cars have similar performance levels, the driver’s skill often determines the final result. Youpeng Racing invited these two university drivers to the Ningbo International Speedpark, offering them the chance to test a FIA F4 Formula car on a world-class circuit. This initiative aims to help student drivers deepen their understanding of professional racing and thereby enhance their on-track driving skills.
DIAN Racing Driver – Song Jiasheng
This session driving an F4 Formula car with Youpeng Racing at Ningbo Speedpark was my first time on a real track, and feeling the pressure from the tires firsthand was absolutely wonderful. Even though I had already done hundreds of laps of Ningbo Speedpark on the simulator, something still felt missing—should I get a six-axis simulator? (laughs)
This real sensation is an absolute help for driving. Before, the braking point was just a number representing a distance. When actually sitting in the race car, the difference in cornering is especially noticeable. I believe this experience will help me in my future training. Since it was my first time handling such a “performance beast,” I could only take it carefully for safety, but it already brought me many gains. The mechanics from Youpeng were also very enthusiastic and patient. I hope to have another opportunity to challenge myself with Youpeng Racing.
DIAN Racing Driver – Jiang Runtian
Before actually driving the real car, my impression of F4 was that it’s very hardcore and very difficult to drive. After a session behind the wheel, I found it is indeed “hardcore,” but “difficult to drive” is not quite the word.
Of course, “not quite difficult to drive” is my personal opinion based on a relatively solid foundation with simulators. In fact, I have almost no real track driving experience. So to avoid losing control and crashing, I watched many videos online and practiced a lot on the simulator. Many people say that stalling is easy in a Formula car, but when I slowly released the clutch to find the engagement point, it actually felt quite relaxed. The steering wasn’t as heavy as arm-wrestling an elephant, but the road surface information was incredibly rich—every slight unevenness on the track, whether curbs or bumps, transmitted through the steering wheel to my forearms. The brake takes some getting used to, because without a booster, you need to press very hard with your leg to brake effectively. That truly is the “hardcore” part of F4.
However, this opportunity helped me fill a huge gap from sim racing to real-world driving. Due to hardware limitations, we can’t practice on real race tracks and rely mostly on simulators. But compared to a real-world drive—where every inch of asphalt brings different details and every corner delivers real lateral G-forces—the simulator’s track is like hearing someone describe a painting versus seeing it yourself at an exhibition. F4 is also an excellent chance for novice drivers to experience the characteristics of formula car driving. I hope to apply these experiences in the future, transferring the speed and precision from the simulator to the real-world driving of our Formula Student car as much as possible.
Sincere thanks to Youpeng Racing for giving us this F4 experience opportunity. Late July in Ningbo was already swelteringly hot, but the mechanics were still diligently helping us adjust our seating position and familiarize ourselves with the car. Looking forward to future chances to enjoy on-track driving with Youpeng Racing again!
Youpeng Racing sincerely wishes both drivers and DIAN Racing of Tongji University continued success in future competitions!
Sources: Baidu Baike, China Society of Automotive Engineers