A WEB BASED “VIRTUAL RACING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP” TO TEACH VEHICLE DYNAMICS AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN

A web based VRCC (Virtual Racing Car Championship) application is here presented. The application is intended for educational purposes to teach students a variety of topics of the teaching course "Vehicle Dynamics and Control" in Mechatronics Master Degree Course; the present application forces students to understand the relevant parameters that govern the dynamic performance of racing cars. The application relies on an optimal control library, which is capable of calculating minimum lap times of a racing car on the basis of a comprehensive symbolic description of an open-wheel racing car dynamic model. Students are enrolled in a number of teams competing in a Championship to attain the minimum lap time (i.e., the pole position) on three circuits by choosing the appropriate setup of the racing car. The ranking is based on the best lap time obtained in the qualification session. The application stimulates students to adopt a multidisci-plinary approach in a challenging and instructive environment, where they are in a position to apply a broad range of knowledges and abilities they have acquired during the Mechatronics engineering course.