A large crowd gathered at the entrance to King’s College Circle last Friday to witness the first showing of the University of Toronto’s 2002 Formula Style racecar.
The car is designed to compete in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competitions, of which there are three worldwide. The main competition takes place in Michigan from May 15 to May 19. The competition is judged in three different categories: static inspection and engineering design, solo performance trails and high-performance track endurance.
U of T is in its fourth year of competition, making the team relatively young and inexperienced. Nevertheless, the team has performed well in the past. The 2000 car finished an incredible eighth in the main competition in Michigan, and also finished second in the competition in England. This year’s team is composed of 75 students. The core is made up of 30 distinguished graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated an ardent interest in engineering technology and team involvement.
The 2002 car is based upon last year’s model and is redesigned to hopefully become a “first place contender,” according to the team’s press releases. Friday’s event was the maiden trial of the new car.
“Up until five minutes ago [before the trial] we were still tweaking leaks,” said an excited team press relations manager Vinh Pham, “and the fact that it ran was huge.”
Apparently the crowd at King’s College Circle agreed. Repeated attempts failed to get the car moving, and the battery seemed to fail at one point, but the onlookers remained loyal despite the freezing temperatures. After pushing the car failed, booster cables were used to boost the battery from a nearby car. When it finally drove, the crowd erupted in cheers and encouragement.
“Now it’s about finesse and testing. Some modifications, obviously,” acknowledged Pham. “We need to see things that work and things that don’t work.” Pham admitted that most of the core team had worked 22-hour days to get the car ready for its first trial on Friday, and he is sure that rest is not imminent.
“This is a really neat side project,” he said. “You get to see your textbook stuff applied.”
However, because it is a side project, it means team members must find time to work on their car between classes and other schoolwork.
The team is thrilled about the car’s performance Friday and is excited about its prospects in competition. More information about the SAE competitions and U of T’s team can be found on their website at www.fsae.utoronto.ca
Photograph by Simon Turnbull
