On June 4th, eight months of intense work finally came to light – ZUR06 made its debut. The new racing car is the result of a full development cycle, combining the experience gained last season with targeted improvements in aerodynamics, powertrain and vehicle electronics. We celebrated the occasion in the ZHAW Architecture building in Winterthur, a fitting venue, as both the city and the university are deeply ingrained in our team’s DNA. More than 100 partners, supporters and team members joined us for the reveal, giving us the opportunity to do what we don’t always get enough chances to do : say thank you to the people who make this project possible.
Form, function and speed
The ZUR06 represents a significant step forward in aerodynamic performance. Every element of the aero package – front wing, sidepods, floor and rear wing – has been specifically tuned to work in harmony, generating more downforce and enabling higher cornering speeds. The newly designed floor with diffuser and the redesigned sidepods make a particularly notable contribution to overall vehicle performance. Underpinning it all is a new way of constructing our carbon parts that increases modularity while reducing weight. The in-hub wheel assembly concept has also been fundamentally rethought: for the first time, the motor and hub are integrated directly into the wheel carrier and manufactured using additive aluminium production. This allows for complex geometries and integrated cooling channels that would be virtually impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing methods: a step that simultaneously improves installation space, rigidity and system integration.
The brain behind the speed
Equally ambitious is the ZUR06’s digital architecture. The new Vehicle Control System places a Vehicle Control Unit at the centre of the car’s operations, processing sensor data in real time while coordinating motor control, torque management, safety monitoring and communication between all subsystems. The VCU was developed into a Real-Time Safety-Critical Distributed Control System that communicates via a robust high-speed network built on open industry standards. Redundancy is built into every layer: sensor values are verified multiple times before any action is triggered, and hardware-based safety mechanisms ensure that if critical thresholds are reached, the car is immediately disconnected from its 600 V power supply. Together, these systems give the ZUR06 a level of precision, reliability and safety that sets a new benchmark for the team.
Great support along the way
A project like this is not possible without the commitment of our valuable partners and of course every single team member. We would like to take a moment to thank everyone, who made this first milestone possible, in whatever way! Now the even more exciting part of the season starts: The races are fast approaching and we are thrilled to see ZUR06 firing it up on track!
