Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/855205
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 JULY 2017 News The Directors of Klikk Finance plc would like to thank all parties involved, as well as the general public for the overwhelming support towards the Bond Issue. 5.25% UNSECURED BONDS 2027 ISSUED BY KLIKK FINANCE PLC Corporate Advisor Placement Agent, Manager and Registrar THANK YOU MATTHEW AGIUS THE University of Malta Rac- ing (UoMR) team has fulfilled its goal of competing in Formula SAE Italy this week, after two years of preparation, despite the Maltese delegation being decimated by an outbreak of food poisoning so severe that some team members needed hospitalisation. Formula SAE is an international competition which tests the tech- nical mentoring competence of international universities by chal- lenging them to provide student teams that are capable of present- ing a fully compliant formula style racing car. The 33-strong team made up of University students from a num- ber of faculties which included Engineering, Commerce, IT and Pharmacy, all aged between 18 and 24, travelled to Parma to com- pete in the six-day event which started on July 19. Competing vehicles are assessed in a number of different events which focus on rule compliance, an effective business model, engi- neering design, together with high performance vehicle racing. FSAE Italy 2017 hosted some 80 Univer- sity teams in what was described as an "intense, yet friendly, com- petition." The judges were very receptive to the Maltese team's report and cost justification, awarding the team 2nd place in the cost event on Thursday. The UoMR team were 41st in the technical inspection order, which meant that most of the team had to wait their turn for the technical inspection scheduled on Friday. But disaster struck on Friday, 21 July, with several team members reporting sick and being ordered to rest. By midday, and during the technical inspection the number of students complaining of gen- eral sickness to exhaustion and disorientation shot up to 10. Food poisoning was suspected. By 3pm, the time the design presentation was due, at least half of the team was sick, with a number of team members rest- ing at the camp site and the rest trying to push on to deliver in the competition. As more and more team members took to their sick beds, the remainder battled the symptoms to carry on working on the vehicle until the technical inspection was successfully con- cluded on Friday evening. At that point, two of the remaining team members collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital in ambulances. By Friday night, 18 team mem- bers out of a total of 33 were spending the night being treated in the two hospitals for what re- sulted to be a case of bacterial food poisoning. During the night between Fri- day and Saturday, another seven team members were treated for the same symptoms in the racing circuit clinic, with fewer than 10 team members remaining to face the competition on Saturday. On Saturday morning, the team, now down to just eight healthy members, soldiered on with vari- ous tests and inspections. By the evening, most of the hos- pitalised team members had been discharged from hospital and re- turned to the track. They took to helping solve a number of issues with the turbocharged engine in order to allow the team to make the autocross race before the 7pm deadline. The team succeeded in securing 24th place in the event with a lap time of 1:13. On the same evening, the UoMR team achieved 20th and 38th place in the design and business presenta- tion events. Despite a promising start, trou- ble with the engine management system caused the UoMR race car to pull out just six laps into the fi- nal endurance race, which carried over one third of the overall score in the competition. Only 15 cars of the category finished the race. Matthew Buhagiar, UoMR's busi- ness team leader, praised his team's performance: "Despite all that hap- pened, the team's morale remained high throughout the whole under- taking. With nearly all the team members either in hospital or in clinics for around 24 hours, the team's collective mind was always focused on pushing onwards and deliver through for what they had worked for over the years. "Eight team members rose to the challenge and carried the whole team for a day whilst the rest re- covered and most objectives were reached. The team was especially satisfied on Monday morning when the overall results came out. UoM Racing placed 27th overall in Formula SAE Italy 2017 out of 80 teams. "This meant that despite the hospitalisation, the on-the-fly de- cisions and the fact that the team was forced to miss two out of the total seven events, an improve- ment of two places over the team's last attempt in 2015, was regis- tered." The team has since returned to Malta and is already hard at work on their next attempt at Formula SAE glory. Unfazed by food bug, Uni racers show their grit in Italy Motorcyclist, passenger injured in Attard traffic accident TWO persons have been injured in a traffic accident in Attard, following a collision between a car and a Honda motorcycle. The accident happened in Triq iz-Zaghfran, at around 10:30pm, when for unknown reasons, the car and the motorcycle collided. The car, a Peugeot 106, was being driven by a 20-year-old man from Naxxar. The bike was being ridden by a 22-year-old from Pieta, who had a 26-year- old woman, from Birzebbugia, riding pillion. An ambulance was called on site, which rushed the motorcyclist and his passenger to Mater Dei Hospital. The woman was found to have suffered grievous injuries, whilst the man suffered serious injuries, according to a statement issued by the police. Son attacks father with knife in early morning argument THE police are holding a 27-year-old man for further investigation after he allegedly attacked his father with a knife during an argument. The incident happened at around 3am, at a private residence on Triq A. Caligari, in Haz-Zabbar. Preliminary investigations revealed that the father, 59, was injured during the argument. At the hospital, the father was certified to have suffered grievous injuries. A magisterial inquiry is underway.