2019 in Review
As Monash Motorsport enters an unprecedented time in the team’s history, our 2019 CEO Paras Bhutiani reflects on the team’s resilience throughout last year’s challenges:
2019 was a year of many firsts for Monash Motorsport, Monash University and Australia.
It was the first time that a single group of ambitious students from Australia took on the challenge of designing, developing, manufacturing and testing vehicles to compete in all classes of Formula SAE and Formula Student. It was the first time that a talented team of 130 engineers, designers and business members from Monash University successfully delivered 'One Team, Three Cars'.
Early in the year, the team successfully demonstrated the capabilities of the Driverless vehicle at Monash University's Open Day, and received national media attention. The team also had the opportunity to showcase the capabilities of student-developed autonomous driving at the International Driverless Vehicle Summit (IDVS4). The final milestone of the year was Formula SAE-Australasia (FSAE-A) 2019, where the team took 1st place with newly developed Combustion and Electric vehicles. At the end of this ambitious year, Monash is now ranked 1st and 3rd in the world for the Combustion and Electric classes respectively, and with a ready-to-race driverless vehicle in addition, we were prepared to take on the European competitions in 2020.
2019 was indeed a year of many firsts, but it was not always smooth sailing. As Chief Executive Officer and one of the Team Leaders, beyond the headlines and titles, the true value of the year came from the people I met, worked with and shared experiences with. The parts of the year that will reverberate with me the most are not necessarily the podium finishes or the newspaper headlines, but rather the times when our group of 130 determined team members came together in the face of adversity and high pressure to solve problems and deliver what we promised.
Developing three world-class formula vehicles is not only a technical challenge, but also a project management challenge. One memorable experience of the team overcoming adversity was in the lead up to one of our first major milestones for 2019 - the public showcase of M19-D at Monash Open Day. Despite rigorous testing and flawless practice sessions, the vehicle had difficulties starting up. With the eyes of national media, event attendees and family and friends all on us, rather than panic or stress, the team came together, formulated a plan to diagnose the issue and resume the public showcase as soon as possible.
Despite their victories at FSAE-A 2019, our Combustion and Electric vehicles also had their share of challenges. From the continuous and arduous debugging of our Electric vehicle’s battery pack, to the mechanical challenges we faced, watching the team work through continuous issues and persist in the face of adversity is something I will admire for years to come. Despite the surmounting pressure of the approaching deadlines, the team never let frustration or stress overcome them, and instead used it to propel and motivate them in their work.
These are just some of the experiences behind the achievements and headlines that put Monash Motorsport in the position it is in now. There is a library of such stories and experiences that demonstrate to me just how lucky I was to work with such a talented, hard-working and friendly group of people. In wrapping up 2019, and welcoming 2020, I am confident that Monash Motorsport will continue to achieve great things. Not because of how fast or developed our cars are, but because of the culture, work ethic and traits of the engineers, business members and designers behind them. Along with the continued and much appreciated support from Monash University, our valued sponsors, families and friends, I am confident that Monash Motorsport is well on its way in pursuit of the team’s vision of becoming 'the most respected Formula SAE team in the world'.