The Formula Car Team from Missouri University of Science and Technology placed second overall in the Formula SAE West competition June 25-28 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.         

Approximately 80 teams competed in the event, which was won by the University of Maryland. The teams were judged in several presentation and performance categories, including acceleration tests that resemble drag races and an endurance test. Judges also evaluated cost and design.         

Each year, Missouri S&T students design and manufacture a miniature Indy-style racing car for various competitions sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Earlier this year, Missouri S&T’s team had a second-place finish (out of approximately 40 teams) at Virginia International Speedway April 23-26 and an eighth-place finish (out of more than 100 teams) at Michigan International Speedway May 15-17.         

In California, Missouri S&T won the autocross part of the competition and finished second in the endurance race.         

Missouri S&T’s 2008 car weighs 450 pounds and has a top speed of about 85 mph. Some 40 S&T students were involved in every stage of creating the racing machine, from computer modeling to welding the car’s steel frame. Many of those students travel to the Formula SAE competitions as drivers and crew members.        

More information about Missouri S&T’s Formula Car Team and other student design teams is available at http://experiencethis.mst.edu/ .