2006 ushered in the start of a brave new era for Redback Racing. Following the
successful Australasian competition of 2005 the team was invited to attend the
inaugural Formula Student Germany competition at the famed Hockenheim raceway.
With a team comprised mostly of new personnel a bold attack was made on the year.
Throughout the early part of the year the logistics of taking the car and team halfway
across the world were worked through. The end result was a flawless operation that
saw the team test strongly in Germany at facilities kindly provided by RWTH Aachen
for the week prior to competition.
With dialled in drivers and a car that the team by now knew very well the team was eager to prove itself in the heat of competition.
The team did not disappoint over the early stages of the competition. Strong results
in Fridays static events were highlighted by a fifth place in the design judging. This form continued on Saturday with the team setting the third fastest acceleration run and the third fastest Autocross run. Unfortunately a minor electrical fault during the endurance event saw the team ruing a missed opportunity.
The long flight home gave the team plenty of RB2005 in Germany time to wonder ‘what if’.
On their return to Australia the team embarked on the process of building a new car
with vigour. With minimal design changes the team was able to rapidly construct a
new car. With a few bugs ironed out in a quick test before competition the team left
for Melbourne with confidence in the abilities of their car and themselves.
A string of consistent results was highlighted by third places in acceleration,
endurance and fuel events. The teams consistency was rewarded with an overall
finish of fourth place. The teams highest placing in an event since 2003.
Written by Tom Webb
Saturday 1 March 2008