IR26 - Jade

The IR26 “Jade” is the first evolution of the IR25 — and with it, the next step on our way back to being truly competitive.

Going into this season, we had three major goals: all-wheel drive with boost, less weight, and more reliability. After building the IR25, we had already gained our first experience with an all-wheel-drive car. At the same time, the momentum created by having running cars in recent seasons helped the team grow to more than 40 active members.

This year, the main focus was on optimizing the car, especially when it came to weight. Even though the overall philosophy of the vehicle stayed the same, that still meant redesigning almost every mechanical component. In the end, we managed to make the car 44 kilograms lighter. That meant breaking the 200 kg barrier for the first time in the team’s history — an overall weight reduction of 18%.

The gearboxes and the wiring harness weight were both cut in half, while suspension links were reduced to double-digit gram figures. The HV accumulator alone lost 5 kilograms thanks to a complete redesign, including new stacks. A new laminate layup and improved manufacturing quality also made a major difference: the aerodynamic components became 8 kilograms lighter, which equals a 25% reduction. Our monocoque, weighing in at just 26.75 kilograms, also delivered a 25% saving while setting a new team record for the lightest monocoque we have ever built.

Another major change was the switch from 18-inch to 16-inch tires. This was driven by a reworked kinematic concept designed to better support the all-wheel-drive setup.

For our 20th anniversary, we were able to present the car fully drivable at rollout — and not with one, not with two, but with all four motors fully functional. An unbelievable milestone for the team.

After rollout came a long testing phase, where for the first time we really had to learn how to control and regulate an all-wheel-drive system properly. Spoiler: not that easy. Once we had worked through the first issues, we headed into an intensive test week with our new main sponsor, ISP in Salzbergen. There, we were able to put our drivetrain through its paces on a rolling road test bench, push our accumulator to its limits inside a climate chamber, and come away with a huge amount of new knowledge. A massive thank you to ISP at this point.

Not far from ISP, we also attended our first event of the season: Formula Future in Meppen. Due to the tight schedule and some minor delays during scrutineering, we were only able to compete in Autocross and Endurance. On top of that, our new control systems were still causing some trouble. But fair enough — not everything can work perfectly on the first try. Meppen was only the beginning of the season and was deliberately chosen as a preparation event. It gave us the chance to fix many of the fundamental issues and clear the first major hurdles on the way to unlocking the car’s full performance.

At FSG, we started to see the first real results: we were able to compete in all dynamic disciplines. But this year, nothing came easy. Quite the opposite: a series of unfortunate problems led to a Skidpad retirement caused by a loose electrical connection, a slow Autocross run due to an overheated floor sensor in lap one, followed by a left-rear tire failure in lap two, and finally a DNF in Endurance caused by an overheated accumulator. Just as a side note: it was around 37°C in the shade. And if you accidentally leave the cooling off in those conditions, well… you’ve basically scored an own goal. 😊

Even so, the event was still a success for us. Getting our first all-wheel-drive car through all scrutineering stages showed just how much we have improved our build quality over the last few years.

The season finale was Formula Student France. There, we matched the team’s all-time records in both Skidpad and Acceleration. We do not have an internal benchmark for AutoX, but unfortunately our inverters dropped out during that event. We managed to solve that issue in time for Endurance, only for the left-rear suspension to fail in lap 13. Even so, it was enough to secure 4th place overall out of 40 teams. A worthy finale.

Fun fact: the left-rear assembly did not fail once, not twice, but three times.Tobi — this one’s for you.

Looking back, it was an incredible season and one that makes us even more excited for what comes next. The next evolution step is already in the works, and building on everything we learned this year, we are aiming to be even more competitive next season.

Stay tuned!