In action on the race track

Excitement is in the air. Team members are scurrying around everywhere, pushing the racing cars into position, tweaking the bodywork, practising the presentation of their business plans and solving last-minute technical challenges on the engines. At this point, one team of volunteers has already done most of its work: "Formula Student Germany is an event in a class of its own. Together with the 6,000 visitors, we are hosting around 10,000 people. When we arrive here on Sunday evening, we basically just find an empty field. We then have to set up everything for the five days of competition in the shortest possible time - and there are also numerous logistical challenges during the event. With the Linde rental service, we are flexibly equipped for this," says Tim Hannig, Chairman of Formula Student Germany.

Forklift delivery at dawn

Formula Student Germany is an extremely complex event that would not be possible without the many volunteers. The entire race track barriers, the supply and spectator areas and all safety precautions have to be set up and dismantled - and above all, the more than 100 racing cars have to be safely unloaded. The team only has 36 hours to set up, which has to be done extremely efficiently and quickly given the tight schedule.

"With the Linde rental service, we are extremely flexible. We can freely determine when the equipment is delivered - whether early in the morning or late in the evening," says Johannes Kratzel, Head of Event Support, who is in charge of the entire set-up and dismantling process. This year, the articulated lorry arrives punctually at seven o'clock. "A short handover protocol and off we go," says Kratzel about the unbureaucratic handover.

Short-term rental as the ideal logistics solution for events

Short-term rental from Linde is always suitable when there is a need for transportation at events or for short-term projects. Short-term rental means a rental period of one day to one year. "For Linde, this means much more than just delivering a few forklifts and then picking them up again a few days later. On request, we supply entire vehicle fleets for a wide range of tasks and react with absolute flexibility to requirements, changes or unforeseen circumstances," says Theresa Fischer, contact person for the international rental business at Linde. Linde's employees have the relevant industry knowledge to be able to assess very precisely which equipment is best suited to the requirements. With a network of over 45,000 rental trucks in Europe, the right industrial trucks are usually available even at short notice.

Agile and simple

Kratzel needs two forklift trucks, order pickers and tractors to set up the infrastructure. "The sponsors arrive here with countless pallets of material. We then use the maneuverable small order pickers to unload the delivery vans. These are also particularly easy to handle. That's important, because our volunteers have to get started straight away after a short briefing. There's no time for practicing," says Kratzel, describing the start of the set-up in the morning. "The tractors in turn help us a lot to cover the long distances here at the Hockenheimring. This is a great relief and speeds up the set-up process," Kratzel continues.

The millions in the strawberry basket

Valuable cargo: racing cars worth up to 100,000 euros are lifted onto the pit roof by the so-called strawberry basket. Photo: Linde Material Handling

The special thing about Formula Student is that it is not a race, but a design competition. The students design, construct and build a prototype of a single-seater racing car, putting their knowledge and creativity to the test. The presentation involves mastering a special logistical task. The racing cars have to be lifted onto the pit roof, which is over six meters high. This requires a forklift with the necessary lifting height as well as a special transport platform, the so-called strawberry basket, which owes its name to its red color. "I don't work with a forklift every day, but only during Formula Student," says Christian Klein, volunteer and responsible for the strawberry basket. "At the same time, I only have a small amount of maneuvering space here and values of up to 100,000 euros per vehicle to lift onto the pit roof. Ease of operation, good ergonomics and sensitive controls are therefore extremely important," continues Klein. "With a total of around two and a half million euros worth of materials and a year's work on each racing car, you really start to sweat. We have to be able to rely on the technology one hundred percent," says Johannes Kratzel, underlining the high level of responsibility that he and his team take on.

Simple, practical and flexible

For Johannes Kratzel, the most important thing about the rental service is that everything is uncomplicated and flexible. "For me as a tenant, it's a practical all-round solution. If requirements change at short notice, there is a quick solution." A few years ago, for example, an incorrect lifting height was specified for the forklift that lifts the strawberry basket. "We called the 24-hour hotline and within half an afternoon we had a replacement truck. I really appreciate being able to react to changes at short notice," says Kratzel.

In the end, the eleventh Formula Student Germany at the Hockenheimring was also an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. "We are already looking forward to next year and to working with Linde again," says Johannes Kratzel.

Marcus Rügamer