Hot Wheels

HELUKABEL supports the High-Octane Motorsports Team from the University of Erlangen, Germany, which regularly participates in the international Formula Student racing competition by providing cables, wires and accessories. Over 600 student teams compete against one another every year in racing cars that they build themselves on famous tracks such as the Hockenheimring racing track in Germany. While on a smaller scale than what Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel are used to, the standards that need to be met are just as high. Johannes Strobel heads the electronics subproject on the University of Erlangen team and is responsible for everything related to cables. He has his fair share of challenges to meet. “The conditions in the engine compartment are particularly difficult to handle, since it reaches a temperature of up to 900°C (1,652°F) due to the exhaust pipe,” he says. “The materials need to be able to endure this heat.” It’s just as well that Strobel got in touch with HELUKABEL GmbH, whose cables, wires and accessories meet the team’s requirements for high-temperature applications. “Virtually the entire car is wired with products from HELUKABEL, from shielded CAN Bus cables and single cores right to heat-shrink and fabric tubes,” he says. High-Octane Motorsports did not experience a single cable-related failure during the entire 2016 season.