PONTIAC,
MI --Blizzard Racing, Michigan Tech's FormulaSAE Team, posted their
first-ever top ten finish recently in the 18th Annual FormulaSAE
design competition held at the Pontiac Silverdome. The team earned
bragging rights as the top school in Michigan by placing 10th in a
field of 95 entries from across North America and the United Kingdom
due to an innovative vehicle design and strong teamwork.
"In September 1996, we set out to design a lightweight, high-performance, low cost race car and this year we accomplished each of these objectives," said Chief Engineer Steve George. The car uses a box frame chassis instead of the traditional tubular space frame in order to achieve specific targets for weight, stiffness and cost. "Taking an alternative approach to the chassis structure allowed us to reduce its production cost by 80 percent and weight by 14 percent while increasing its stiffness by 45 percent," explained chassis designer Robert Lawson. "This really helped us score well in the cost event and perform well on the track."
MTU built its strong finish by being one of 40 schools to complete every event of the competition. The Tech entry took 6th place in the cost judging at a price of $6547/unit for a hypothetical 1000 unit production run. The bright yellow car performed outstanding in the dynamic events, placing 10th in the endurance race, 12th in the skid pad and 18th in the autocross. The endurance race result was especially impressive because Tech was one of only 20 teams to complete both 12 mile heats. Driver Martin Reutiman put in several very impressive lap times before handing the car off to Robert Lawson who continued to show the car's capabilities. Lawson said after the race, "I was stuck in 4th gear for my entire race due to a shifter problem, but I still was able to post lap times only 3 seconds off of Martin's times."
The team also managed to pick up two other awards in addition to the 10th place overall finish in the competition. The 1998 car was judged to have the best interior of all by the Lear Corporation based on driver comfort, ergonomics and safety. Tech also took second place in the safety/crash-worthiness award sponsored by the Transportation Research Center.
"The weekend competition was a great success," said the team's Faculty Advisor Michael Young. "I have seen an incredible change since I joined the team three years ago. We used to struggle to complete a car in time to test it prior to going to competition, and this year we had the car completed in time to show it off at the International SAE Congress in February." There is little time to be satisfied with the results of this year's FormulaSAE event, however, as the level of competition is growing at a rapid pace. "Last year we scored 175 points and finished 44th. This year that score would have put us in 70th place which makes our finish even more rewarding," said Young. " Our next goal is to make the top five. We will begin preparing for the 1999 competition next month by starting to fabricate the new car that was designed during the 1997-98 school year."
There was plenty of support for the Tech team from alumni, friends and family that came out to cheer them on. Former Blizzard Racing team leader Scott Anderson served as the team's pit steward for the weekend. "I am really proud of this team," he said. "I know how much work and effort went into making this car, and it is great to see it perform so well. This team really distinguishes itself by their professionalism and dedication."
"I was particularly impressed by the number of former students and team members who came out to support the team at this event," said Young. "I could tell every time the car came around the grandstands because of the roar of the crowd."
FormulaSAE is sponsored by a consortium of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. SAE administers the event as one of its eight student competitions conducted throughout the year. Super power and excitement draw engineering students to this event each year. Students design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style race cars. Restrictions are placed on the car frame and engine so the students knowledge, creativity, and imagination are tested.
The top ten finishers of the 1998 FormulaSAE competition held in Pontiac were: 1. Cornell University, 2. University of Texas - Arlington, 3. University of Akron, 4. University of Missouri - Rolla, 5. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY; 6. Clemson University, 7. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; 9. Ohio State University, 10. Michigan Technological University.