 BROOKLYN,
MI (May 12-15, 2010) -- The spirit of international cooperation was on display
at the 2010 Formula SAE-Michigan event back in May. Students from Oregon State
University and Duale Hochschule Baden-Wurrttemberg-Ravensburg in Germany teamed
up to form Global Formula Racing which won the overall title at this year's
competition at Michigan International Speedway. The team used Hoosier's
6.0/18.0-10 LC0 tires to
carry them to the win. In fact, nine of the top ten finishing teams opted to
use the purple tire brand.
The two schools have worked together on various
aspects of vehicle design the past three years. But this was the first time
they produced a single car to compete in both the U.S. and the E.U competitions
under the name Global Formula Racing.
More than 100 university teams from all over the
world came together for this year's competition in Michigan. Teams came from
Austria, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South
Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.
Formula SAE is an international student design
contest organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers with more than 1000
engineering students participating over three days.
The Formula SAE competition challenges students
to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style race cars.
Restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so the knowledge,
creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged.
The cars are built with a team effort over a
period of about one year and are taken to the annual competition for judging
and comparison with other vehicles from colleges and universities throughout
the world.
The end result is a great experience for young
engineers in a meaningful engineering project as well as the opportunity of
working in a dedicated team effort.
The vehicles are judged in three different
categories; static inspection and engineering design, solo performance trials,
and high-performance track endurance. The Formula SAE board sets the parameters
for each event and gives team points according to their performance and design.
At the end of the event, the team with the most points wins the overall
competition.
The competition has become so popular that, in
addition to the two Formula SAE events in the United States, competitions are
also held throughout the year all over the globe.
After graduation, many of the participants will
go on to work in the automotive field in various capacities using many of the
skills acquired through their involvement with Formula SAE. The annual
event has also become a valuable recruiting tool of many top companies seeking
out the world's best engineers who, through their Formula SAE participation,
possess real-world skills.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. has
been participating in the annual event since the early 90's. Product
sponsorship is offered by Hoosier to all competitors by offering price
discounts to all Formula SAE teams.
In addition to these price
discounts, the top three finishing teams in the Autocross competition were
awarded free tires. The University of Stuttgart received eight (8) free tires
for their first place finish with Global Formula Racing receiving six (6) free
tires for second and the University of Maryland-College Park collecting four
(4) free tires for finishing third.
As in years past, Hoosier Road
Racing Product Manager Jeff Speer attended the competition.
Speer stated, "Hoosier
Tire has been involved with FSAE competitions for over 15 years and we realize
the importance of supporting the teams with tire information, product discounts
and trackside service. Our goal is to provide each team with a safe,
competitive, and reasonably priced race tire for them to build their race car
on."
Speer concluded, "We are
very proud of all the teams who made the decision to use Hoosier race tires in
this year's FSAE competition."
Trackside sales and
service was provided by Hoosier Tire Midwest-Plymouth.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp.
wishes to congratulate Global Formula Racing on their win and thank all the FSAE teams
participating in this year's competition who competed on Hoosier's "Tires Designed for Champions."
For more information about
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and Hoosier products visit www.hoosiertire.com.
You can learn more about the
annual competition by visiting http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/.
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