Racing teams gear up
Student-built cars are about to hit the race circuits in Marshall, Mich., Lincoln, Nebr.; and Rochester, N.Y. And the three contest entries are very different: the Formula team’s car is built for speed, the Baja team’s car is built for endurance and toughness, and the Supermileage team’s car is built for fuel efficiency.
Over the last year, hundreds of hours of work by dozens of students have gone into these cars. But the biggest challenge is still to come.
Cynthia Downing, president of Concordia’s student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and part of the Formula racing team, explained the huge commitment that students make when they get involved in SAE Racing. They need to manage their time effectively and be meticulously organized. Cooperation and effective teamwork are key.
“The most gruelling thing for the team members is managing their commitments and priorities,” she explained. That said, Cynthia is emphatic that the payoffs are enormous. “It’s a rare place where you can work as many hours as you want, be part of a team, and enjoy it.”
The (bumpy) road ahead
The Baja team has designed and built a single-seat, all-terrain recreational vehicle, powered by a 10-horsepower snow-blower engine. At their race in Rochester, they will face an off-road track that is bumpy, rocky and full of twists and turns. The endurance part of the race is four hours long. Key attributes to success are vehicle reliability and swift acceleration. Good suspension is crucial because this is a car that can be expected to take more than a few jumps.
Formula for success
The Formula team’s car is based on last year’s basic model but with some significant improvements, which is a long-standing tradition at Concordia SAE Racing, where institutional memory can help teams get progressively better year after year. The car is built for the best possible acceleration, braking and handling, and it also needs to avoid breakdowns. Students are also judged on how cost-efficiently they manufactured and assembled their car — right down to individual nuts and bolts.
Going the distance
Supermileage, as the name suggests, means that success is ultimately based on which team can get the most miles to the gallon. Aerodynamics is very important, as is finding the best lightweight materials. The body of Concordia’s car is made out of carbon-fibre composites. Students are motivated by a desire to prove that cars can be fast and high-performing but also kinder to the environment and on the pocketbook.
Related links:
• Concordia SAE Racing
• Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science