Students build go karts for national contest

Beginning on December 9, undergraduate and diploma students from any field of engineering will present their go karts in front of a panel. Augustin T, the event coordinator, gives us further details. “Teams of 20 members (maximum) from the city, Coimbatore and parts of Andhra Pradesh will assemble in our college on Day 1. So far, 23 such teams have enrolled,” he says.

The competition will begin with a technical inspection of the go karts. “We have given all the participants specifications that they need to adhere to, in terms of the dimension of the kart and maximum engine capacity of 125 cc. We will be checking if they have adhered to these rules apart from complying with the safety measures such as including a fire extinguisher and safety switches in the vehicle, cockpit skills and more,” he explains. The teams will then be asked to present their business plan, design, method of building the kart and USP or innovation.

On the second day, four tests — acceleration, breaking, autocross test and skid pad — will be conducted. Finally, says Augustine, “The vehicles will be taken to The Madras Motor Race Track in Irungattukottai on December 11, fuelled and run for certain number of laps. Based on the timing in which each vehicle completes the laps, the winner and runner-up will be evaluated.”

“The purpose of this event is to give young auto enthusiast the opportunity to shine and expose their skills. We want to encourage many more students to build karts and apply the engineering they learn,” he sums up.