On May 2nd, FEST11 drove its first meters on its own in the courtyard of Tallinn University of Applied Sciences. There were three months left until the competitions. The positive emotion gave the team a boost for the upcoming testing period. The new suspension kinematics allowed the formula car to use multiple settings for dynamic competitions, which required systematic testing on the test track. Meanwhile, the men worked in the garage on making the car bodywork and other composite details. One week before heading to Europe, FEST11 was completely assembled and ready to compete.

The first competition took place in Austria, at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Getting on the track was not easy as FEST11’s first technical inspection was problematic. Technical solutions that were in conflict with the rules and some minor errors were found. After two days of arguing with the judges and sleepless nights in the tent camp, the effort of making the car race-ready paid off. After building a new steering wheel and welding additional pipes to the frame, the technical inspection was passed. We are very satisfied with the 7th place out of 32 teams overall, as the formula car had problems with brake overheating in endurance races, and we had to use gears to slow down on the last laps. There was also a tense moment when changing drivers in the endurance race when the car refused to start. It was very close to what happened at the Michigan race in 2010, where we couldn’t continue the race due to starting problems. The FEST11 engine started working very slowly, but the second driver rushed to the track. We also won the 3rd place trophy in the skidpad competition in Austria, which we are very proud of.

Then we headed to the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. Before the race, we stopped in the city of Coburg at the competitors’ place to improve brake cooling. Late-night brake testing in a parking lot outside of town allowed us to compete more confidently as we no longer had to fear overheating. We gave our best in the theoretical part of the competition. This led FS Team Tallinn, for the first time in the team’s history, to the finals of the design competition, among the top ten teams. As the German competition is one of the highest level events in the Formula Student series, we dare to say that FEST11 is one of the top ten student race car teams in the world in terms of technical solutions. As expected in motorsports, the team also encountered problems in Hockenheim. Specifically, the weather proved to be fatal. Just as FS Team Tallinn took to the track, a heavy rain shower began, resulting in significant time loss driving on slick tires. Despite this, we showed good speed and drove steadily to the end of the endurance race. The result was an honorable 11th place in the internal combustion engine car category among 75 teams.

We then headed to Gyor, Hungary, for the third competition of the season, which was much more relaxed. With two previous races under our belt, we had gained a clear understanding of FEST11’s ability on the race track, and the team was ready to give it their all. The competition generally went smoothly. It is worth mentioning the oil temperature that rose to 170 degrees during the endurance race, which was greatly influenced by the outside temperature of 35 degrees. Despite this, we finished the third consecutive race, which is an achievement in itself in the world of Formula Student. A total of 28 teams participated in the race, and FS Team Tallinn achieved its best result in team history – 4th place in the final standings. We beat the fifth-place team by 0.8 points, adding a significant amount of emotional value to our effort.

The fourth and thus the last race of the season, Baltic Open, took place in Karlstad, Sweden. It is an unofficial competition which FS Team Tallinn had previously won two times in a row. The biggest challenge was to defend the title, but at the same time, they had to prove the superiority of FEST11 over FEST10 and FEST08. After the first day of the competition, we were in fourth place overall. On the second decisive day, disaster struck during the free practice sprint. FEST11 collided with a tractor tire placed as a border, causing the right front suspension, pushrod, and steering rod to break. There was less than two hours left until the time trial and it seemed like the race was over. However, the chief engineer of FS Team Tallinn, Ruben Lend, encouraged all members to lend a hand and give their all to get FEST11 to the time trial. This is where the team’s joint cooperation and organization stood out. The car was repaired in just half an hour. Since FEST11 had not yet participated in the time trial, they were given priority. To the team’s great joy, they achieved the second-best time of the day, which kept them in the competition. There were no problems during the endurance race, and they successfully finished their fourth consecutive competition. They left the awards ceremony with the 2nd place trophy, which was a great ending to their month-long competition tour in Europe.

Last season confirmed FS Team Tallinn’s competitiveness. They have achieved stability, as evidenced by high finishes in races. This gives them a good starting position for the new season, where they aim to fight for even higher places.