JustNutsandBolts,

Expecting that the cars chosen as design finalists should finish all events is different to expecting them to the fastest. I would say it is completely reasonable to expect that the best designed cars meet their design targets.

Likewise, cars that do well dynamically and perform poorly in design should be rare, as they clearly meet the intended design goals.

...

Extending my thoughts on the design judges assessing reliability ...

Just as a little quiz which of the following questions are you likely to hear in a design event:

1. What turbulence model did you use in your CFD, and why?

2. What measures did you take in your design to ensure your tyres wouldn't leak during running?

The first would be regularly asked, but has little bearing on overall performance, even though it does provide indication of how knowledgeable the students are. The second is of much more vital in the design, and the answer will show how well students approach problems.

Why is it that there is such a focus on the minutiae, but so little on more important problems?

Kev