Some people look forward to graduation with excitement. For the senior members of RPI’s Formula SAE team, however, there is a conflicting event, one for which they are willing to miss their own graduation ceremony: competition. Held yearly near Detroit, Mich., The Formula SAE East competition marks the culmination of a year of hard work for the members of RPI’s team. Building a racecar from the ground up takes planning, fundraising, engineering, testing—and most of all—teamwork. With many members investing the hours equivalent to a full-time job (in addition to their normal class load), it begins to make sense that graduating seniors pass up the pomp and circumstance of commencement in favor of what some have called “the greatest intercollegiate engineering competition there is.”
The May 2006 competition saw over 125 entrants from the U.S. and abroad, out of which Rensselaer placed 31st. Despite the recently modified engine’s penchant for melting the glass muffler packing—resulting in a very narrow “pass” in the sound category and a particularly rigorous tech inspection mandating some last-minute (overnight) modifications—RPI went on to place in each of the dynamic (racing) events, an achievement only shared by 24 percent of the other teams. Although Rensselaer scores were not as high as could be hoped, the competition marked a solid end to the year’s engineering efforts. Having lost a number of members to graduation the previous year, the team placed well, thanks to the efforts of the many new members. In addition, a good time was had by all, and the experience—both before and at the competition—served to teach volumes to those involved. For RPI’s Formula SAE team, it was truly a 31st place win.
Following the competition, summer saw the usual decline in Formula activities as most team members departed Troy for summer jobs. The small group remaining conducted further tests on the 2006 car in preparation for constructing the 2007 car. They also prepared the 2006 car and organized transport in order to attend a number of Sports Car Club of America autocross competitions throughout the northeast. The autocross events usually occurred on weekends, so team members within driving distance were able to meet up at the events and race, providing them with valuable “seat time” and rewarding their efforts from the previous year, as “the car is really a blast to drive.” In addition, a number of trophies were collected; these are proudly displayed on the FSAE bulletin board in the JEC 2nd floor lobby.
Last week, the RPI Formula SAE team was proud to host a group of incoming freshmen for a new Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond program: “Engineering Speed.” The program was a great success, allowing the 14 freshmen participants to build a go-kart under the guidance of FSAE team members and then allowing them to drive it on a small autocross-style course the next day.
A few racing events remain before the summer draws to a close, including the popular University of Toronto Shootout, an invitational competition drawing 15 northeastern FSAE teams on September 16. In addition, concurrent with beginning construction of the 2007 car’s chassis, testing continues on the 2006 car’s suspension, engine, and drivetrain. The team makes trips to the RPI Technology Park nearly every weekend where they set up and drive cone-marked courses in MapInfo’s generously donated parking lot.
For more information on the team, see http://www.FormulaRPI.com/, e-mail team leader Laura Wontrop at wontrl@rpi.edu, or attend one of their weekly meetings in Ricketts 212 on Wednesdays at 8 pm.
