 ROMEO, MI (May
17-20, 2006) -- The 26th annual Formula SAE competition, which
attracted 140 race teams, was held
this past week at the Ford Proving Grounds in Michigan. This year's champion
was Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology--more commonly known as
RMIT University. It was the team's first ever win in the annual
competition. The win also came while riding on Hoosier racing tires
manufactured in Indiana. While the win for RMIT may have been a surprise to
some, the fact that the winning team rode on Hoosier tires was not. That's because
the Hoosier brand has been used by the overall winner the past seven
years.
Over the years, Cornell University, which also competes on Hoosier tires, has become the juggernaut of the
annual event having won the overall competition an amazing nine times in the 26
years the event has been held. But this year, it was RMIT's turn.
The nine member RMIT team included; Dean Cowling, Grant McPherson, Geoff
Pearson, Jacob Rayner, Lee Mitchener, Brad Wischusen, Stuart Bajema, John
Abakumenko and Jason Gray.
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, another event is scheduled in
California which will be held June14-17. The competitions are no longer held
just in the United States. Australia, Brazil, Italy and the United Kingdom are
now also holding competitions of their own.
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.
Since 1995, Hoosier has been a Gold Sponsor of the yearly event and also offers
trackside sales and support.
As in years past, Hoosier Product Manager Jeff Speer
attended the competition. He was joined by Paul Morrison from
Hoosier Tire Midwest who assisted in mounting race slicks and rain tires.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. wishes to congratulate RMIT
University and all the
Formula SAE teams participating in this year's competition--particularly those who
competed on "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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