Equipped with a $30,000 grant from a Japanese auto maker, two campus groups are building a racecar for a competition in Michigan.
The department of mechanical engineering and Society of Automotive Engineers will compete with 140 other design teams in Pontiac, Mich., May 19-23.
This will be the first time the MSU team has competed in this kind of competition since 1996.
In recent years, the team has competed in the Baja competition instead. That event calls for off-road vehicles that compete on a dirt track, while the Formula competition requires racing vehicles that race on a paved track.
Although the team spends countless hours working on the vehicle, members say recruitment is an integral part of preparing for the competition.
“The SAE tries to let as many people as possible contribute,” team member Brad Warner said. “Students with certain backgrounds are usually chosen to head the sub-committees of the team.”
“The more responsibilities that we can divide dictates what kind of design we choose,” team member Kenny Brister said.
Typically students devote 60 hours a week toward the project, and the first six to nine months are dedicated to design and planning, said E.W. Jones, the team’s adviser. The remainder of the time is spent constructing and testing. It takes approximately two years to complete a design, he said.
“Time management is very important for team members,” Warner said. “Finding time to get things done is one of the problems that the team has faced,”
Fund raising for the project also takes time. Typically, teams need $35,000 to build and compete in the Formula competition.
“The College of Engineering is a major contributor for the team, but half of the money must be received from outside sponsors,” Warner said. “Fund raising takes up most of the time that is spent in the development process.”
Denso, a Japanese auto maker, contributed $30,000 to the design team. The donation will pay for equipment that will be used in the future.
“This money will be used to purchase a dynamometer that will be able to properly tune the engine,” Jones said.