Formula SAE West – Auto Club Speedway, Ontario California

16 – 19 June, 2010

Wednesday, 16 June, 2010

Arriving at the track at 6 a.m., the team was third in line to get into the paddocks and begin the final preparations prior to technical inspection. With a long day ahead, the team waited patiently while a couple of members ran to McDonald’s to grab some coffees and a “healthy” start to the day. Once settled into the paddocks the team quickly realized the day would not run as smoothly as they had hoped. While the team and the car were ready, the scheduling of the technical inspection activities and the team’s allotted position in the queue meant that the entire day was wasted and that they would not be able to begin the inspection until the next morning.

Thursday 17 June, 2010

Early the next morning, the team made the 15 minute drive to the track and prepared for the technical inspection. The extensive preparations that the team completed prior to this event paid off and the inspection went quite smoothly. For the first time all season the team was given a lift. It seemed like things were finally swinging in their favour. The judges did request, however, that they relocate some electrical and brake line and return later in the day for reinspection.

It was now time to participate in the three “Static” events; the Sale Presentation, the Design Event, and the Cost Event. The first of these was the Sales Presentation. Keith Edie and Cale David, who had made the same presentation in Michigan, had learned from that experience and were able to win the first top 10 finish the U of M Formula team has ever receive in that event. They finished 9th overall.

Shortly after the sales prentation the team put on their shirts and ties and took the car the the Design Event. The judges seemed very excited to see the monocoque construction along with all the other design features the PBR team has implemented. Especially excited was the Honda Performance judge who was fascinated by the CANBus system designed by John Hughes. John was in conversation with the judge for a very long time! As a result, the PBR team achieved a tie for 26th place in this event.

Finally it was off to the Cost event. After a quick discussion with judges, the team was ecstatic to hear they receive an incredible 2nd place. This is almost unheard of with a composite monocoque chassis car. Before the end of the day, the team headed back to the technical judges to show the new linelocations. At that time they received their first technical sticker and all four drivers passed the egress test by exiting the car in under 5 seconds. The four excited drivers after passing tech each wanting a piece of the wheel in the upcoming dynamic events (Kevin, Keith, Tomas and Bryan)

Friday, 18 June, 2010

After a good night’s rest, the team was up early and at the track for opening at 7 a.m. Because of the re-routing of the brake lines, the team needed to work quickly to bleed the lines. It was then off to the fuel station and the tilt table which they passed the first time.

With the second technical sticker now on the car, it was time to head out to the noise and brake test area. First attempt at the noise test resulted in the car being over the noise limit. This meant a long trip back to the paddock. The exhaust was removed from the car and some baffles added. With daylight fading, one last test could be squeezed in. Unfortunately the judges would not let a two decibel high reading pass as the car’s noise level measured 112dB. The team would need to fix the problem and return in the morning for another retest.

Saturday, 19 June, 2010

The team was up again early and ready for the day. Though the team had already missed three dynamic events due to the troubles thus far, they were enthusiastic and at no time showed signs of slowing up. First thing in the morning they were able to correct the noise issue and quickly passed the test bringing the cars volume down a notch to 109dB.

It was then on to the brake test and their final technical sticker; required to enter any of the dynamic events. They lined up for a straight run in the brake test but when the acceleration started, tragedy struck. The team was heartbroken to find that when the clutch was released, the chain from the engine transmission inside the body to the sprocket at the differential outside the body had cause an unanticipated heavy load on the drive train which resulted in the failure of the rear bulkhead at the differential attachment points. This was a catastrophic failure that resulted in the car being unfit for any further competition. The team had played their last card and this competition was over…

2010 in Summary

An exciting and trial filled year ended in disappointed. For many of the team it was an opportunity to grow and, without exception, those returning for the 2011 year are eager to begin new and improved designs. The new designs attempted by the 2010 team far surpassed any design the U of M Formula SAE program had ever attempted in the past. These new designs were groundbreaking improvements that will assist the team to move forward to even greater heights in the future. In one short year, the U of M PBR Formula Team created and displayed a full carbon composite race car chassis to the world. It was one of only three full carbon composite chassis competing in California.

Total # of teams entered 79 (# of full CFRP monocoque chassis = 3)

2010 Formula SAE California Competition Team Members

Keith Edie - Team Leader

John Hughes

Kevin Ginter

Bryce Gryba

Tom Vogel

Dan Nychuk

Bryan Sprange

Kyle LeBlanc

Carolyn Blonski

Dan Elias

Gethin James

Andrew Smith

Steven Pham

Dr. Paul Labossiere – Faculty Advisor