MTU TEAM FINISHES EIGHTH IN SAE COMPETITION
HOUGHTON, MI--Michigan Tech placed eighth out of 100 teams in the 19th annual Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Formula car competition, placing the highest among Michigan schools for the second year in a row.
The international competition, sponsored by SAE, General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler, was held at the Pontiac Silverdome May 20-23. The challenge presented to the team of thirty MTU students was to design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racecars. The cars are judged based on design, solo performance , and high-performance track endurance.
This year, the MTU car featured an innovative aluminum box extruded frame with the engine placed next to the driver, in a design known as a sidewinder. Traditional entries use a steel space frame with the engine behind the driver. MTU has blazed a trail over the past five years in the use of aluminum in FSAE cars. According to faculty advisor to the team, Michael Young, it was the first time in the history of the event that a sidewinder design worked in competition. After scoring the car fifth place in engineering design, head design judge Carrol Smith commented, "Finally somebody did a sidewinder right."
In addition to the eighth place finish in the overall competition, the team placed first in the Vehicle Recycling Partnership (VRP) Recyclability Award and the Visteon Racing Static Performance Award, and second place in the Lear Corporation Best Interior Award and the Transportation Research Center (TRC) Safety/Crashworthiness Award.
"The students learn a lot about teamwork and professionalism at the competition," said Young. "The car had engine problems during the competition, but the students worked together to figure out and fix the problem to bring home another top ten finish. Many MTU alumni stopped by the event and were impressed by the teams performance both on and off the track. I am extremely proud of this team, and from what I saw over the course of the weekend, I know they have the capability of a top five finish."
For more information on Michigan Tech FormulaSAE visit the website at http://www.me.mtu.edu/~sae/formula.html or contact Michael Young at 906/487-3357.