A team of Huddersfield University students building a racing car have an important new sponsor on bard.

Pneumatic products and process systems distributor Thorite is providing technical know-how and pneumatic equipment to help the university’s Team HARE build an advanced, pneumatically-operated, sequential “paddle-shift” gear change system for their car.

Team HARE – standing for Huddersfield Automotive Racing Enterprise – is taking part in Formula Student, the world’s most respected educational motorsport competition launched by the Society of Automotive Engineers and run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Thorite managing director Stephen Wright is an enthusiastic supporter of the Huddersfield team’s endeavours – not least because he is a former student at the university, where he gained an MBA in 1989.

He said: “I’m delighted we have been able to supply pneumatic components, a compressor, air tools and technical assistance to help ensure Team HARE’s gear changes are as slick and quick as possible.

“One of the team members, 23-year-old Kyle Hinchliffe, who is studying for a Master of Engineering degree, has also been given a free place on one our regular Foundation in Pneumatics course, where he received both theoretical and hands-on experience of the latest pneumatic technology.”

Bradford-based Thorite has a depot at Barge Street, off St Thomas’ Road in Huddersfield.

Team HARE’s race car incorporates many innovative design features, including carbon fibre suspension wishbones, 3D-printed intake manifold, tuned exhaust, lightweight carbon fibre bodywork and the advanced pneumatic control system for the “paddle-shift” sequential gearbox. Its KTM EXC510 engine produces 50hp and can propel the car to a gear-limited 87mph.

Formula Student attracts participation from more than 500 universities around the world – including teams from the UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, China, Egypt, India.

The competition culminates in a final at Silverstone over the weekend of July 11-12, where each team will have to demonstrate the abilities of their single-seat race cars including acceleration, cornering, braking and endurance, backed by a fully reasoned “Dragons’ Den”-type business proposal to bring the car to production.