La Salle wins Drivers’ World Championship Asia for PH at Shell Eco-Marathon in Singapore

The DLSU urban concept internal combustion engine car, painted in the school’s green and white racing colors, in pole position at the starting grid

The urban concept internal combustion engine (ICE) entry of De La Salle University won the 2017 World Drivers’ Championship (DWC) Asia on March 19 in Singapore.

The DLSU team defeated seven other student teams from other Asian countries and New Zealand that qualified for the DWC Regional Final of the 8th Shell Eco Marathon in Singapore after two days of technical inspections and elimination races.

The 2017 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia (SEMA) held at the Changi Exhibition Center over the weekend was the biggest so far with 129 participants from 21 countries, including 15 student teams from Philippine universities.

Indonesia, which won the Driver’s World Championship Asia last year when the Eco-Marathon was held in Manila, topped the list of participants with 26 student teams.

Aside from De La Salle University, the competing teams from the Philippines included the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines, Far Eastern University, Mapua Institute of Technology, University of Mindanao, and Ateneo de Manila University.

The entries were winnowed down to 56, and then to 12 semi-finalists from which the eight fastest teams were allowed to compete in the DWC Regional Final.

Pole position

DLSU gained pole position after posting the fastest time in the qualifying round. The University of the Philippines team did not finish in the qualifying round after winning second place in the urban concept battery electric engine category on March 18.

In the DWC Regional Final, the teams ran four laps on a 1.19-km outdoor track with only 0.25 liter of fuel. DLSU driver Miko Flora crossed the finish line first with 9.3 percent of gasoline remaining in the tank.

Indonesia’s Bengawan team came in second with 9.1 percent of fuel still in the tank, while the ITS Team 2 also of Indonesia was third with zero fuel left.

The top three teams, together with the top three teams from the SWC regional finals in Detroit and London, will compete in a head-to-head race in the Drivers’ World Championship Grand Final in London this May.

The winning Philippine team always displayed the Philippine flag and La Salle University banner during photo opportunities.

The top three teams also received cash prizes of $3,000 each, which will go to their respective schools. They will also be invited to tour Scuderia Ferrari in Italy.

Shell is a partner and the official gasoline provider of Ferrari in Formula One and other motor sport disciplines.

Team members

The DLSU team consisted of 19 mechanical, electrical and computer engineering students, eight of whom formed the nucleus with the remaining 11 as supportive assistants.

They produced the winning car over a period of seven months last year, taking two months to design it and five months to build and complete it.

Mico Flores, 19, said that his strategy was to conserve fuel by turning off the engine at four points in the track where the car could coast along, and to follow the line when negotiating corners.

Philippine fans agonized at the start of the race when the DLSU car wouldn’t start, but Miko overcame initial nervousness and pressed the right button to get the car going.

Several of the competing cars stalled in the middle of the track during one of the four laps when they ran out of fuel.

Make the future Asia

The theme of Shell’s eighth annual big event this year was “Make the Future Asia” from March 18 to 20.

The Shell Eco-Marathon is a competition for students who are passionate about developing innovative mobility solutions.

It challenges engineering, design, science and technology students to design, build, and drive the world’s most energy efficient vehicle.

The Shell Eco-Marathon demonstrates Shell’s commitment to help the world meet its growing energy needs in a responsible way by working together with students, partners and other stakeholders.

DLSU driver Mico Flores shows off the championship trophy, a miniature racing helmet, as his team mates celebrate.

Held in Singapore for the first time, the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia introduced the inaugural Drivers’ World Championship Asia, an exciting race in which the best teams in the region will vie for their place in the Drivers’ World Championship Grand Final in London, competing in an exciting head-to-head race to see who can drive the farthest on a fixed amount of energy.

How the marathon works

Student teams can build one of two types of futuristic, economical, innovative, highly aerodynamic vehicles or urban concept that resemble today’s cars.

Students will compete in three different categories based on their selected energy source: internal combustion engine (ICE) using gasoline, diesel, ethanol biofuel, gas to liquid (GTL) fuel made from CNG (compressed natural gas); hydrogen fuel cell; and battery electric power.

They must pass a detailed technical inspection before they are allowed onto the track to see how far they can go on the least amount of fuel.

From vehicle design to financing, student teams manage their projects from start to finish. The winning teams in both the prototype and urban concept category as well as in each energy category receives a prize of $3,000 for their school.

All participants have the chance to enter a selection of four off-track awards, and shine in areas from communication to vehicle design.

One extra award is presented to the team that showed greatest team spirit and perseverance in the face of adversity.