Second Year of "Design Your Own Tatra" contest has just begun

2 January, 2017

The Kopřivnice-based truckmaker TATRA TRUCKS announces the second edition of the successful project "Design Your Own Tatra", supporting not only the technical education in the Czech Republic and the public's interest in it, but also contributes to the Czech industry development. Within the contest, all participants may design the Tatra trucks or their sub-assemblies.

The contestants may develop designs of three themes - a concept of the new fire/rescue vehicle for 2020, innovative design in the powertrain (engine, transmission), and a new cab design of some of the TATRA FORCE or TATRA TERRA model lines or redesign of the front part (mask, bumper) of the TATRA PHOENIX model range. The designs should respect manufacturability at lower series quantities and the nature of all-wheel drive trucks for terrain or combined operation.

As one of the project objectives is to promote technical education, lectures of the TATRA TRUCKS engineers and top managers will be held at the selected secondary schools and universities, especially in the Moravian-Silesian Region at the beginning of 2017. Compared to last year, this year's contest "Design Your Own Tatra" focuses also on the foreign participants, so interested persons from countries such as Slovakia, Germany and possibly Hungary may also participate.

The contest is divided into several categories. Students of secondary schools and universities, graduates from technical disciplines and interested public may join the contest. The participants will be able to submit their projects consisting of graphic or structural design and the accompanying text until May 15, 2017. Suggested designs can be sent in two ways: registration and uploading of attachments using the form at http://www.tatratrucks.com/navrhni-tatru/ or by mail to TATRA TRUCKS a.s., Areál Tatry 1450/1, 742 21 Kopřivnice, Czech Republic, with visible indication "Contest - Design Your Own Tatra".

In the second half of May 2017, the jury consisting of truckmaker managers, representatives of the Tatra Buggyra Racing team, a media partner - Trucker magazine, and representatives of Kopřivnice, will select a group of finalists at the grand finale to be held on the May 26, 2017, where they will present their projects. Subsequently, the contest winners will be announced, obtaining not only prizes and the possibility to experience some practice in the factory, but also an invitation to the Tatra Experience program where they will become familiar with the factory operation and will try to ride in a truck on the test track.

As an inspiration for those interested in the competition, the last year's winner, a student of the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava Lukáš Mička, after winning the contest spent his summer holidays by voluntary vacation job in the R&D Department of TATRA TRUCKS. After a summer job Lukáš Mička got an offer to attend Tatra for practice during the school year, he very gladly accepted.

"We are pleased that last year was successful and showed that there are many talented people with an interest in the automotive industry. I am pleased we can start already the second contest year that will hopingly bring more great projects," says CEO of TATRA TRUCKS Martin Bednarz. For more information about the "Design Your Own Tatra" contest, whose media partner is the Trucker magazine, visit http://www.tatratrucks.com/navrhni-tatru/.