MRacing is Successful Worldwide
The 2005-2006 year went out with a win for the MRacing team: the group placed third in the Formula SAE® competition. Held at the Ford Motor Company Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan, in May, the event tested the mettle of some 120 university Formula SAE racing teams from around the world.
"Our students deserve our wholehearted congratulations for their team spirit, their technical abilities, and their stamina during the past year in the competitions held in the U.S. and abroad," said ME Department Chair Professor Dennis Assanis, in announcing the award. "I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Professor Volker Sick, the team's faculty advisor, for his mentorship and advice to our students."
The MRacing team's vehicle is a 420-pound Formula-style racecar that uses a 600 cc motorcycle engine. About 70 percent of the car's parts are one-of-a-kind - designed, manufactured and tested by U-M students, explained Daniel Campbell, the 2006 MRacing team captain and project manager.
The U-M vehicle is unique among its competitors, he added. Its low weight was attained by using aerospace materials in conjunction with weight-minimized designs. An advanced traction control system used vehicle performance parameters to reduce wheel slip through corners and straights. And custom dampers, a senior design project that minimizes tire and road load variations, were "a must" for sound suspension design, he said.
MRacing Formula SAE Team
The team cars are judged in a series of static and dynamic events over the course of four days. Events include technical inspection, cost, presentation, engineering design, solo performance trials and high performance track endurance.
The U-M win was the result of several factors, said Campbell, in addition to its innovative technical specs. "Group members were willing to learn, and we had the strong support of sponsoring companies and the College. The result was a racecar that was lightweight and its operations reliable and well understood."
Not that there weren't a few suspenseful moments. "To do well at competition a team must finish the endurance event.
The entire 30 minutes of the event is a nail-biting session," he said. "About 50 percent of the cars don't finish - most drop out due to engine problems." The U-M vehicle didn't experience any trouble, although a driver accidentally flipped a switch in the cockpit while driving. "This caused the car's engine to momentarily sputter. Everyone gasped but then quickly sighed with relief."
The team also won the Spirit of Excellence Award, which goes to the top three finishers. "This is our best finish since 1994, so we're all very excited," said Campbell. As a result of the podium finish, the team was invited and sponsored by the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies to attend the Japan Formula SAE race. The team won the following nine awards during the events held on September 13-16 at Ogasayama Sports Park, Japan: third Place, Formula SAE of Japan, FISITA World Cup and Godd Frame Design Award; Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture Award; first place, Spirit of Static Event Award and Design Award; second place, Presentation Award and Autocross Award; sixth place, JAMA Chairman Award.
The greatest incentive for students to participate on the MRacing team is "the unique opportunity that it provides to learn," said Campbell. That opportunity is greater now, thanks to a new course, FSAE Tech Elective (ME499), to be offered in Fall 2007. Active team members will be able to earn credit for approved vehicle-related projects.
Fame may be one more incentive now, too: Road & Track included the MRacing team in the magazine's own competition among the five most dynamic cars from the Detroit FSAE event in 2005. The R&T test was featured in the November 2005 issue. The 2005-2006 MRacing team with its Formula car.
