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Alum enews 1d Spring/Summer 2005

Features: Cardinal Racers Finish 8th at World Competition; SVSU Grand Prix a Success

For the second time in four years, the Cardinal Formula Racing team proved to be among the world's elite collegiate racing teams by placing in the top 10 at the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Design Series. SVSU finished 8th in the international competition that concluded May 22 at the Pontiac Silverdome.

"I'm very pleased and really proud of our team," said project manager Jenny Pettengill, a senior mechanical engineering major from Flint. "The level of competition increases every year, but all of our hard work paid off."

The event, which is comprised of six categories, included 140 collegiate teams. SVSU placed third in presentation and marketing, sixth in acceleration, sixth in the skid pad, 12th in endurance and fuel economy, 13th in the autocross race, and 53rd in cost. In 2002, SVSU finished 6th overall.

race car 05Pettengill led a team of 27 SVSU students that completely designed and built an Indy-style race car for the competition. The car's frame relied heavily on carbon composites instead of steel tubing, reducing the vehicle's weight to around 470 pounds when race ready, down from 500 pounds last year. The reduced weight was a major reason for the team's success, according to Pettengill.

"In my opinion, this is the most challenging undergraduate exercise there is, because students must take their ideas from concept to competition, not just concept to completion," said Brooks Byam, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the team's faculty advisor.

The Cardinal Formula Racing team returned home May 23 to race in the second annual SVSU Grand Prix.

The format for the race was an "Australian pursuit," in which two cars begin at opposite corners of a symmetrical track. Drivers reached speeds over 80 miles per hour in the races that ended after 20 laps or when one car caught the other. The track was laid out in the Ryder Center parking lot.

race car 2 05The University of Florida won the event. SVSU finished behind the University of Washington in the semifinals but came back to win the consolation bracket in the double-elimination tournament.

The field, which included three of the top 10 from the FSAE competition, consisted of Kettering University, University of Akron, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin, Carleton University, University of Guelph and University of Washington.

The public was invited to the event and a few dozen local race fans brought their lawn chairs for trackside seating. Andy Bethune, associate executive director of development and alumni relations, passed out free T-shirts to children and provided refreshments for spectators.

The SVSU Grand Prix is expected to return in May 2006.

The top 10 finishers in the 2005 FSAE Collegiate Design Series: