Engineering students at the University of Missouri-Rolla placed ninth in both the design and presentation events and 34th overall out of more than 120 competing teams with their formula-style race car at a global competition May 14-18.
The UMR Formula Race Car Team participated in Formula SAE, a worldwide competition of college and university students at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. The contest, which was sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, is designed to showcase students’ engineering skills.
The competition pitted the UMR vehicle against cars from other colleges and universities around the world. Each team was asked to design a prototype racing car for evaluation and possible production by a fictional automotive manufacturer. The cars were judged according to static engineering design, cost analysis, acceleration, maneuverability, fuel economy, endurance and other factors.
Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of aerospace engineering, is the team’s chief faculty adviser.