A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology has designed and built a Formula One-style racecar and will race it at the Michigan International Speedway as part of Formula SAE-Michigan.
The event, a national student design competition sponsored by SAE International, will be held May 11-14. The competition challenges students to design, build and operate small-scale cars. Missouri S&T’s team will compete against more than 100 other teams from around the world.
During the competition, a skid-pad event tests the car’s turning and cornering on a figure-eight-shaped course. An acceleration test measures the car’s speed over a short distance. A one-lap autocross event proves the car’s maneuverability on a tight course and determines the starting order for the final event – an endurance race to prove durability. In the endurance race, the car must withstand the stress of long-term driving at elevated speeds. Each race is timed to rank the teams; none of the events are head-to-head races.
Missouri S&T’s car features a modified Kawasaki engine that can propel the vehicle to speeds of up to approximately 65 mph during the competition’s endurance race. The car has undergone several hours of wind tunnel testing to help the team design a custom aerodynamics package. Its custom fittings produce a large amount of downward force and are designed to help the car’s tires grip the track better.
Alex Mills, a senior in petroleum engineering from Springfield, Missouri, is the Formula SAE team leader. Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T, is the Formula SAE Team’s faculty advisor. For more information about the event, visit students.sae.org.
The following students will represent Missouri S&T:
Mason Auch, a sophomore in engineering management from Rolla, Missouri
Ian Beckler, a junior in aerospace engineering from Peoria, Illinois
Doug Bross, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Palmyra, Missouri
Dustin Camden, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Salem, Missouri
Nick Capps, a junior in mechanical engineering from Fenton, Missouri
Ty Crabtree, a freshman in computer science from St. James, Missouri
Xavier Hoffman, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Troy, Illinois
Chris English, a sophomore in engineering from Florissant, Missouri
Francisco Gallardo, a senior in mechanical engineering from Branson, Missouri
Jarrett Harkless, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Wentzville, Missouri
Deven Head, a senior in mechanical engineering from Aurora, Missouri
Skylar Knoll, a senior in mechanical engineering from Washburn, Missouri
Lucas Krenitsky, a junior in engineering from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Luke Lanning, a sophomore in engineering from Parkville, Missouri
Brett Mahan, a sophomore in civil engineering from Hartville, Missouri
Derek Martin, a senior in mechanical engineering from Hermann, Missouri
Jason Martin, a senior in mechanical engineering from Rolla, Missouri
Alex Mills, a senior in petroleum engineering from Springfield, Missouri
Alec Mueller, a senior in mechanical engineering from Union, Missouri
Eric O’Shea, a senior in engineering management from St. Louis
Travis Parrigon, a freshman in mechanical engineering from Pierce City, Missouri
Charlie Phillips, a senior in electrical engineering from St. Charles, Missouri
Hans Pommerenke, a junior in ceramic engineering from Rolla, Missouri
Chance Proctor, a junior in electrical engineering from Mexico, Missouri
Nick Reuther, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Charles, Missouri
Kyle Robertson, a sophomore in engineering from Edwardsville, Illinois
Paul Somers, a senior in physics from Springfield, Missouri
Seth Spinner, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Centrailia, Illinois
Matthew Strubinger, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Auburn, Illinois
Emma Thompson, freshman in engineering management from Columbia, Missouri.
This is an awesome project and very interesting. If you are interested we (Custom Cars World) would love to do a post about the project, the car and the students involved. I think our visitors would be very interested in seeing some photos of the car, and learning about the specification and how it was built etc.
If this is of interest, please do get in touch.