Staffordshire University Formula Student team links up with Klarius for bespoke racing exhaust

Staffordshire University sought collaboration with local exhaust manufacturer, Klarius Products, to provide a bespoke system for its Formula Student team’s latest racing car. The custom system has supported the development direction of a new car, ensuring that the team will be ready to hit the track at Silverstone on 22nd July 2023, hoping to regain their 2021 champions title.

A stepping stone into the world of professional motorsport, Formula Student brings 130 university teams from over 30 countries together to develop, build and run a single-seater race car. All aspects of car design, project management and procurement are handled by the students – simulating the realities of running a race team. As well as leveraging in-house engineering expertise, participants work closely with local businesses to source key components and assemblies.

Joe Grimer, Team Leader at Staffordshire Uni Racing, elaborates: “For this year’s car we wanted to improve packaging and reduce weight compared to our previous entry ‘Bertha’. A key development path was adopting side-mounted radiators, and accommodating this meant we needed a new exhaust design. Due to its support for us in the past and its local manufacturing expertise, we asked Klarius to help.”

As well as producing OEM quality systems for road cars and vans, Klarius supports grassroots motorsport with short production runs for spec series, racing teams and local Formula Student entries.

Jayson Prince, a member of the race team and Project Engineer at Klarius, designed the exhaust: “The exhaust manifold is a critical area for performance gain. Pipes must enable a smooth, high velocity flow of exhaust gases from the engine, which is a considerable challenge within the confines of a well packaged race car. In our case, this was further complicated by the car’s high-revving 675cc bike engine, all of which would inherently require a bespoke solution.”

Klarius fabricated custom pipes, carried out welding, installed fixtures and assembled the full exhaust using a bespoke jig. The system was ready ahead of car testing, ensuring that the team could gain a competitive edge in preparation for the event. It also conforms to mandated clearances and meets noise regulations.

Doug Bentley, Head of Research and Development at Klarius and a former Staffordshire University engineering student, concludes: “We are proud to support young engineers with our expertise. The fact that Formula Student helps the industry is very apparent, as shown by Jayson of the Staffordshire Uni Racing team joining our company on a working placement. From everyone at Klarius, we wish the team all the best of luck at Silverstone.”