With the 2011-2012 year now well underway the team would like to take a moment to look on the past years competitions here is a summary of what took place:
The 2011 Polar Bear Racing (PBR) Formula SAE team began design in late July of 2010 with one of the youngest teams in UMSAE’s history. At that time a total of 5 of the 8 section heads had just completed their first year of their Engineering degree. Team goals were set early to govern the designs and ensure the team remained on track. A mission statement was created for the team and is as follows.
“The goal for the 2011 PBR Formula SAE car is to optimize the functionality and performance of a Formula SAE racer derived from past knowledge and experience. This derivation will give our team the opportunity to begin manufacturing and physical testing far prior to any previous design.”
Keeping in mind the mission statement agreed on by the team, design began on PBR’s second iteration of a composite chassis race car. Small changes began to shape the 2011 vehicles design as the team prepared for their second season attending two international competitions.
With the majority of issues of building a composite chassis flushed out in the 2010 design and build, we completed design and began manufacturing during the month of February. PBR Formula was now over a month ahead of the 2010 time frame on track with the mission statement.
The first competition started off a bit rocky with not having a working electrical system. However, hard work from some very dedicated members paid off when the system started working over night and was able to pass the technical inspection on the first try the next day. The car drove for the first time during the brake inspection and passed with ease. On the track the car proved reliable although not as quick as we would have hoped without testing and tuning time. We finished every event including being the first team to complete the 22km long endurance race. With a month until the California competition the team was looking forward to testing and gaining even more speed!
The team was ready for California after 3 good weeks of driving and preparation time. We flew through tech inspection and began final preparations for the static events the next day. The car was more prepared this time around and it showed on the track. PBR was flying around the endurance track until the last lap when the car was forced to slow down due to a worn out clutch. We rolled across the finish line with the best result the PBR team has achieved to date. Scoring 8th in design, 3rd in cost, 17th in presentation, 19th in endurance and 15th overall, the team ended the year on a high note, looking forward to the year to come. With the continued support of our generous sponsors, the team is in great shape to dominate!
If you want to know more about the 2010-2011 competitions feel free to download and read the full competition summary here!
