FSB Racing Team: First Croatian Formula Student team presents new racing cars

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

FSB Racing Team is the first Croatian Formula Student team and biggest student project in Croatia. Their main mission is the creation of single-seater cars similar to F1.

The FSB Racing Team at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture has officially presented two new Formula Student cars and celebrated its 20th anniversary with reminiscing about old projects.

The team’s story began in 2003 with a few enthusiastic students who were determined to bring the Formula Student world to Croatia, at the University of Zagreb.

Miroslav Zrnčević, one of the founders of the FSB Racing Team and a former student of the same faculty, spoke about the project’s beginnings. In 2006, he raced in the team’s first car, Kuni, and today he can boast the title of the chief development and test driver of a Croatian-made hypercar, Nevera.

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

The event was attended by prominent supporters of the project, including Mate Rimac (Rimac Group), Goran Mirković (AVL), and Maja Kadoić (RASCO), who addressed the packed A hall with words of congratulations to the team. The dSpace office in Croatia and Tikt Performance also joined in the congratulatory messages.

Excitement filled the hall as the cars were eagerly awaited to be revealed. After the emotions of pride and happiness settled down, the project’s technical leaders briefly addressed the audience and presented the development process and specifications of the displayed cars.

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

The second electric car, VulpesR, has received a new design and become VulpesD, the first Croatian autonomous Formula Student car. The car “sees” the track defined by cones using various sensors, including 3D LiDAR and stereo cameras. 

The SLAM algorithm (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) on the computer uses data from the sensors to simultaneously create a map of the cones and position the car on it. 

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

The Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) controls the propulsion motors, brakes, and steering according to the computer’s instructions. It is important to note that the car cannot be remotely controlled because it is not allowed by the regulations, but there is an Emergency Stop System (ESS) in the car that activates the brake system in case of emergency.

(Photo credit: Zrinka Zagorec)

“People usually don’t have a perception of what we do in the team; they think we just buy parts and assemble the car, but that’s not the case. We develop almost all components ourselves, and this year we even developed our own electric motors,” emphasised Petra Vukas, the head of the hardware part of the autonomous vehicle.

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

Lessons learned in the development and production of previous vehicles became the guiding principle for the electric vehicle Taurus – a car made for the driver. Special attention was paid to ergonomics and adaptability to the driver during development, and students independently developed the torque vectoring and traction control steering systems to assist in driving. Two motors, each with a power of 40 kW, independent of each other, are located in the rear wheels, and the composite monocoque chassis is the lightest chassis produced in the team’s workshop, weighing only 23.4 kilograms.

The total weight of the vehicle is 183 kilograms, and the active aerodynamic system that catches the eye is used to regulate aerodynamic force during driving.

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

The FSB Racing Team is now in an intensive season of vehicle testing and preparation for competitions. Martin Jurman, last year’s technical project leader for the electric car, revealed plans for the competition season: 

“We will participate in four competitions with the electric car – FS Easter in Hungary, which will serve as preparation for what awaits us in August. Then we start the tour of Europe – first FS East in Hungary at Hungaroring, then FS Czech Republic, and our last domestic competition FS Alpe Adria in Novi Marof, where the team will compete for the first time with an autonomous vehicle.”

(Photo: FSB Racing Team)

The FSB Racing Team is a project of the student association HSA-SF (Croatian Student Association of Mechanical Engineering), founded in 2003 at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Zagreb.

The main task of the team is to design, produce and test a single-seater car, similar to Formula 1, according to strict regulations, for the most prestigious engineering competitions – Formula Student. Today, the FSB Racing Team is the largest student project in Croatia and brings together 65 members from various faculties of the University of Zagreb.

The FSB Racing Team is focused on knowledge transfer, continuous progress, and innovation, and was the first in Croatia to produce an electric Formula Student car, the first to use and manufacture a composite monocoque chassis, and has now presented the first Croatian autonomous vehicle. Each team member contributes to the success and overall result of the team with their work, effort, and knowledge, leaving their name and mark on the completed car in their own way.

You can find out more about FSB Racing Team and their achievements on their website here.