VI-grade Announces Comprehensive Global Sponsorship Program

for Formula Student Teams

DARMSTADT, Germany, July 28, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, announced the launch of its extensive sponsorship program targeted at Formula Student teams from all over the world. Through this comprehensive sponsoring initiative, VI-grade supports engineering students around the globe in their quest to build a more sophisticated race car and to optimize its performance, thus enhancing the teams’ overall R&D processes. Teams eligible for the sponsorship program will receive free access to VI-grade’s state-of-the-art real-time simulation software and driving simulator environment, gaining a long-term competitive advantage through the use of advanced technology.

The Sponsoring Program consists of two different packages, based on the team’s capabilities. The Basic Package grants students free access to VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s motorsport simulation software which helps racing teams find the best set-up for their car and to explore more design variations in less time. The Advanced Package is designed for Formula Student teams who already have a Desktop Simulator setup and includes free access to VI-DriveSim, VI-grade’s unique driving simulator software platform.

This enables the teams to put their VI-Motorsport vehicle models in a Driver-in-the-Loop environment, allowing teams to test new designs and component variations with their drivers yet without having to build physical prototypes. Students may apply for up to five Basic Package licenses and one Advanced Package license per team. Additionally, the teams will have access to a selection of reference material and video tutorials to guide them through the preliminary steps in the VI-Motorsport and VI-DriveSim software environment.

“I am pleased to announce the launch of our comprehensive sponsoring program for Formula Student Teams from all over the world,” said Guido Bairati, managing director at VI-grade. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s engineers, and we’re excited to support them on their journey and introduce them to our cutting-edge software products, used by leading OEMs, suppliers and motorsport teams. This is a great opportunity for students to boost their teams’ R&D processes and improve their performance in Formula Student / FSAE races, while gaining in-depth knowledge of our state-of-the-art simulation tools that they can leverage in their future careers in the automotive and motorsport industry.”

“What VI-grade did for us the last two seasons was just phenomenal. The software is extremely user-friendly, which means everyone in our department can easily learn how to use it,” commented Khalil Mahjoub, team leader, Kaiserslautern Racing Team – KaRaT e.v. “In addition to that, it has the potential to go into specifics to answer various questions and help us to achieve our goals. We are also using VI-grade software to help us simulate the vehicle behavior of our autonomous racecar. We are still exploring the capabilities of this software and really want to thank VI-grade for the huge support.”

VI-grade representatives will attend the main Formula Student Germany event, to be held Aug. 15-21 in Hockenheim, and will be available to provide additional information and to answer students’ questions about the sponsorship program.

In order apply for a VI-grade software sponsoring, interested teams are asked to fill out the registration form on the following website https://www.vi-grade.com/en/about/sponsorship_program/.

About VI-grade

VI-grade is a leading provider of real-time simulation and professional driving simulator solutions that accelerate product development across the transportation industry. The company’s driving simulators range from static deskside solutions to full-scale driver-in-the-loop dynamic simulators, allowing OEMs, suppliers, research centers, motorsport teams and universities to reduce physical prototypes and accelerate innovation.

With a worldwide network of trusted partners, VI-grade delivers turnkey simulator solutions including proprietary software, hardware, services, and an open framework for customization.

With over 30 years’ experience in simulation, VI-grade is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany with technology centers in Italy, UK, Japan, China, and the USA.

Since September 2018, VI-grade has been part of Spectris. The firm conducts business in four major segments – materials analysis, testing & measurement, in-line instrumentation and industrial controls – and serves a broad range of industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to electronics, energy, mining and pharmaceuticals.

For further information, please visit www.vi-grade.com.