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108 Engineering Schools to Compete in Automobile Design Competition

16 May 2000

108 Engineering Schools to Compete in Automobile Design Competition

    WARRENDALE, Pa., May 16 The spacious south parking lot of
the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan is the site on May 17-20 for the
Society of Automotive Engineers Formula SAE(R) collegiate design competition.
    Formula SAE(R) challenges collegiate engineering students to conceive,
design, fabricate and compete with compact formula-style racing cars.
Restrictions on chassis and engine design challenge the creativity and
imagination of the students.  This year, engineering students from
108 universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, and
the United Kingdom, will compete against each other in a four-day design
competition for cash prizes totaling nearly $39,000.
    General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler form a
consortium of primary sponsors of the event for the seventh consecutive year.
    The cars will compete in a series of eight static and dynamic events with
a possible point total of 1000.  The 1999 winning team from the University of
Akron scored an 852.9, nipping the runners up from Rochester (NY) Institute of
Technology by fewer than five points.  Both teams return this year.
    Static events will take place on Thursday, May 18, with vehicle
presentation, engineering design and cost analysis.  Friday, May 19, begins
the acceleration run and skid pad test in the morning, followed by the
autocross event in the afternoon.
    Dynamic events conclude on Saturday, May 20 with fuel economy and
endurance track events that will test the vehicle's design on a 13-mile race
against the clock.
    Formula SAE(R) is one of nine SAE collegiate design competitions held each
year.  Other events include two Aero Design(R) events for aeronautical
engineers, three Mini Bajas for off-road vehicles, a Walking Machine
Decathlon(TM) featuring robotics, Supermileage(R) contest, and the Clean
Snowmobile Challenge.
    The public is invited to attend Friday's and Saturday's events.  Admission
is free and parking is available in the South Lot adjacent to the Formula SAE
track.
    For more information on Formula SAE and other SAE collegiate design
competitions, visit the SAE website at http://www.sae.org.