鈥In addition to the overall fourth-place finish, Kettering placed fifth in the autocross and endurance events, sixth in the acceleration event, seventh in the fuel-efficiency event, 12th in the design event and in the Top 20 in the skid path event.鈥
The 蜜桃视频 Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team had its best finish ever at the Formula SAE Michigan competition May 18-21, at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn. The team finished fourth, ahead of 95 other competitors.
鈥淭his excellent result is confirmation that 蜜桃视频 is a world-class engineering school,鈥 said Dr. Jennifer Bastiaan, team faculty advisor and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering.聽 鈥淭o reuse a Mark Twain saying, 鈥業t鈥檚 not the size of the bulldog in the fight, it鈥檚 the size of the fight in the bulldog.鈥欌
For the competition, students design, build and test their own Formula 1-style open-wheel race car, gaining valuable knowledge on project management, team collaboration and budgeting. Teams of undergraduate and graduate students from around the world took part in the event.
Aubrey Gorm (鈥22, ME) said time management was the hardest part of the competition.聽
鈥淭his is just as much a management competition as it is an engineering competition,鈥 said Gorm, the team lead and subsystem lead for aerodynamics and business. 鈥淎ll of Kettering鈥檚 SAE teams are unique in the way that all of our members must manage going to classes full-time, going to work full-time and going to their vehicle workspace full-time. It鈥檚 a lot to juggle, to say the least, but the reward is great if you can successfully pull it off.鈥
In addition to the overall fourth-place finish, Kettering placed fifth in the autocross and endurance events, sixth in the acceleration event, seventh in the fuel-efficiency event, 12th in the design event and in the Top 20 in the skid path event.
Gorm said the team is already thinking about how it can improve for next year.聽
鈥淎fter reviewing what went right for us and what went wrong, we have a clear understanding of what needs to change with next year鈥檚 car,鈥 she said. 鈥淥ur main focus is to improve our electronics reliability and chassis setup, aka suspension tuning.鈥
Gorm said the team is always looking for new members who聽 are willing to 鈥渓earn and get their hands dirty.鈥 The team will have a sign-up booth during the Orientation Club Expo in July, or interested students can stop by the garage in the C.S. Mott Engineering and Science Center on Saturdays.
