quote:

Originally posted by Michael Jones:
Kolp, I'd look in your general direction, but you're returning to grad school (and in the arts at that...) Welcome to the hell of perpetual poverty, my friend. Enjoy it. You might as well.

Well, I didn't send any cash when I was actually doing engineering, so I oughta throw the team a few hundo before I get all po'.

quote:

Originally posted by adrial:

quote:

Originally posted by Marshall Grice:

quote:

Think $40-45K. That's it.

Holy Crap! No wonder we can't compete. Our budget was barely a third of that, and that was a good year.

You've got company down there moneywise...

Just to note, Cornell gives us almost nothing other than the office space and a few "Engineering Research Grants" that we apply for (they add up to about $1k each year if we are lucky)

The rest of the money comes from calling companies and asking for sponsorship.

- chris

As a non-cornell team member from Toronto, I'll vouch for them: they DO NOT have a formidable budget. Rumours of them having massive budgets is absurd. Case in point: check out their driver's suits.......and then compare them to New Delhi's driver's suits. I don't think any team has a massive budget really. With the few extra thousand dollars the Toronto team had, we spent it on competing in the UK at Fstudent. Cornell rarely leaves North America.

Ppl should get off their backs about budget. At the end of the day, they place very high in every single category and have a wicked fast car that does well in the slow corners and rockets quickly to and through the fast ones.

Cheers,

Cornell is right...the size of a teams budget can change significantly with a few phone calls. When we first entered this competition we worked hard to establish relationships with companies in our area and they continue to support the team. A great deal of our support comes in the form of services and materials. It never hurts to ask for free stuff. The worst thing they can say is no.

Clif Oberle

Texas A&M '01-'02

More pictures are up. I think that this should be the last of them from us.

First Set of Pictures
Second Set of Pictures
Third Set of Pictures
Fourth Set of Pictures
Fifth Set of Pictures
Sixth Set of Pictures
Seventh Set of Pictures

I'll try to name them and comment on them eventually. That might take a while because there are about 1500 pictures.

Has anyone else noticed how many people are viewing this topic? It's huge. The number of people online here has probably been 10 times higher than normal for a while now.

quote:

Originally posted by clif2001:
It never hurts to ask for free stuff. The worst thing they can say is no.

Yep. Helps to have a subteam charged with doing just that as well - both getting new sources of monetary and parts sponsorship and keeping old sources in the loop.

As for money, Vinh's got it right. We're certainly not crying poor - I know other teams operate on much less, and I'm constantly amazed with what they can pull off in spite of it. Brilliant work.

Otherwise, though, we're as threadbare as our generic driving suits. Which isn't all that bad. Prof. George keeps the budget under control even during good times for good reason - it forces people to think efficiently and design with simplicity in mind.

Lack of time is an issue as well. Formula Student is perhaps feasible financially with full shipping sponsorship, but our team is pretty much AWOL for the summer, making it a logistical nightmare. Cornell's not much of a summer school, so we really only operate nine months of the year.

Time would be very helpful in conquering the world of sketchiness from which our design posters emerge as well. People sometimes note that they look like they were thrown together at the last moment. They're usually bang on. I believe most of the charts went on there about an hour before preliminary this year. In 2003, we didn't even have posters for preliminary, sketchy ones for secondary, and finally got it close to right for final.

We look at the extraordinarily professional jobs other teams have with envy, vow to do better next time, and end up rabidly gluing shit to posterboard in a hotel room anyway.

I'm only partially amazed it works - there's something to be said for living at the edge of chaos after all - but all things being equal, we'd really like the time and money to do it right, at least once.

Certainly one of those things to fix before resolving the sketchiness of our driving gear, our makeshift rental truck lab, our team apparel, etc.

Ah well, baby steps. This year's success - an on-site donation of a real canopy and some fold-out chairs, courtesy I believe of the Bartons. George Jr's gift, arranged by his father, who showed up with his BBQ and whipped up some serious nutrition yet again. Friday night's BBQ is one of my favorite parts of competition.

While stoking your corporate connections, keep your alumni in mind too. Ours are fantastic - a great local network and we always get a few dropping in from miles away. In 2003 when the car crashed 10 days before leaving for competition, the alumni network sprung to action and we had about $600 of wings and Red Bull in a matter of days.

Our alumni kick ass. Someday, I hope to join their ranks [insert profanity-laced dissertation angst here].

Congrats to Cornell! As usual they had a solid car. Sorry I forgot your name (Cornell driver) but it was nice to meet you and duke it on on the R&T circuit.

wilso-
I think all Mike Shaw mean't was that most people don't realize that when somebody says "Texas" university, they are talking about UT, even tho they MEAN'T Texas A&M. Even the announcer at the competition called us just plain "Texas" a few times.

And I am sorry you found me too cocky, I dont even remember meeting you. I enjoy talking racing with anybody, which I did.. Maybe you were trying to talk to me while I was getting ready for our endurance and I was trying to get stuff taken care of.. I dunno, but I assure you i didnt diss you on purpose. I hung out with a couple of your people at the Claude Roulle(sp?) lecture last year. Penelope(sp?) and some other guy. I race all the time (autocross) with UT folks.

And yes, I know what a heim joint is. Considering I am not only invovled with F-SAE but also run my own business that does custom fabrication on late model Corvettes/Camaros... I get dirty probably more often than you do. I am in the shop (mine or A&Ms) or at a race track probably 60-80 hours a week.


Can't wait till next year!!! I guess if we run at the silverdome again we need to design our suspension for off-roading :-D

I regret saying what I said. I was ticked off at my own team members. One of the vans left our trailer on the way back to Texas after I asked them to stay behind. We can only run about 70-75 with the gooseneck. I was talking to you just after you guys were pulled from endurance so you probably had the right to be upset. And the heim joint shot was just cheap. I'm sure you know the car insided and out but as for spending more time in the shop, thats questionable I was at the Seminar last year with penelope and I enjoyed talking with you.

I've got quite a few Aggie friends and they like to razz me by saying Texas University or TU. Anyway, may the rivalry continue with no hard feelings.

PS did you Ag's like the Bevo on the trailer? that was my work.

ahhh now I remember. Ya, I wasn not in the mood to talk- sorry.

If you are talking about the magnet... that was pretty good :-D

Jordon, I got a kick out of your website. Especially the Bio. I guess beer is an acquired taste.

quote:

Considering I am not only invovled with F-SAE but also run my own business that does custom fabrication on late model Corvettes/Camaros...

Isn't there some rule about having ringer drivers? *ahem* pro kart drivers included.

Well, if he's in the ME department, I don't think there's much anyone can say about being a ringer.

Carroll Smith was a pro driver before being a race engineer... it's not that uncommon.

quote:

Originally posted by Marshall Grice:

quote:

Considering I am not only invovled with F-SAE but also run my own business that does custom fabrication on late model Corvettes/Camaros...

Isn't there some rule about having ringer drivers? *ahem* pro kart drivers included.

Word is last year Oxford Brooks had a karting champ, or maybe it was F3000, as well and a Son of a former F1 driver... Too bad they blew up.

Ringers aren't that uncommon I guess.

As long as drivers are students involved with the FSAE project they are not considered ringers. At least that's the way I have always understood the rule. I believe the rule was made to prevent schools from enrolling students for the minimum number of class hours just for the purpose of driving the car.

Don't know about F3000, but they're certainly well represented in the British University Karting Championships!

http://www.formulabrookes.co.uk/

Hardly a 'ringer' though if they're an ME undergrad that also does karting.

Actually, whilst googling, have the rules changed or are these claims a load of bo**coks? Drive-by-wire was expressely prohibited I thought?

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/technology/mechanical/formula_student/isis.htm!

Yeah Brookes have quick drivers, but not from F3000! The rumours are otherwise true - can't remember the name of the F1 driver's son (the man himself only did a handful of F1 races, in the 70s, I think) but he left at the end of last year.

Brookes' main driver, James Gornall, is a former British karting champion (TKM in 2001) and BARC Formula Renault champion (2003). He's also helped Brookes to win the BUKC each of the last 2 years. He's a 'business & management' undergrad. The team's other endurance driver at FSAE '05, Craig Dawson, is a PhD engineering student who works for BAR and is leading the 750MC Hot Hatch championship. Craig won skid pad this year and was team manager for both the FSAE and karting teams.

Are you involved in BUKC, Marko? Were you at the Oxbridge Varsity race last month? I'd really recommend BUKC to all the UK unis as a great way of building up driver skill and having some fun.

Not a BUKC man I'm afraid - just do road-rallies in the most impractical vehicle I can lay my hands on every now and then!

Ideal for conering at speed:
http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/mac65/cuac/2.jpg
Ideal for turning around on backroads when you've gone the wrong way:
http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/mac65/cuac/mindwarp1.jpg

Been to Whitton Mill on the college vs college days but never uni vs uni. Too expensive for me as a 'just for kicks'/D-team/'beer-boat' event and I'm not good enough to run in an A/B-team.

I'm looking to set up a 2006/7 Cambrige FSAE team and will certainly be nicking our best BUKC guys for it; but we might have to rely on having red-hot engineers rather than red-hot drivers!

OTOH - the rules say "team members must be enrolled as degree seeking undergraduate or graduate students in a college or university." - but don't specify which univerisity. If your institution isn't doing FSAE, the car isn't ready, or you fancy a different car you can always defect to us...

The official results are up now.

Does anyone know the endurance breakdown by lap.

I still haven't seen the official results for award winners. This is my list from my notes at the awards banquette.
More information about the awards is available here.

Continental Teves Best in Class Brake Systems
1. Univ of Sal Paulo
2. UIUC
3. Toronto

Henkel Technologies Structural Foam Award
Wayne State

IMechE Best Engineering Design Award
Univ Western Australia

Ricardo Powertrain Award
1. Univ Western Australia
2. Waterloo
3. Toronto

Robert Bosch Corp Engine Management System Award
1. Cornell
2. Univ Wisconsin – Madison
3. Penn State

Visteon Powertrain Cooling System Award
1. Wisconsin
2. Drexel
3. Univ Missouri Rolla

SAE Motorsports Award (for first in acceleration)
Texas A&M – 4.049 seconds

Society of Plastics Engineers' Composites Division Award
1. Univ Western Australia
2. Waterloo
3. RIT

ArvinMeritor Suspension System Award
1. U Western Australia
2. Oxford Brooks
3. U Michigan Ann Arbor


Altair Engineering's William R. Adam Engineering Award
1. Univ Western Australia
2. UC San Diego
3. Oxford Brooks

Solidworks Fastest Time to Market Skid Pad Award
1. Oxford Brooks
2. Univ Western Australia
3. Texas A&M

Bruel and Kjaer Quiet Car Cup
Drexel

Polaris Intake Systems Design Award
Univ Western Australia

Lincoln Electric Welding Award
Northern Illinois Univ
Case Western

Goodyear Best Performance Award (Enduarance)
1. Cornell
2. Univ Western Australia
3. Univ Washington

Hoosier Tire Autocross Award
1. Texas A&M
2. Cornell
3. RMIT

William C. Mitchell Rookie Award
Case Western

Yazaki North America - Presentation Award
RMIT

Yazaki North America - Cost Award
Univ Michigan Dearborn

SAE Perseverance Award (Top 5 rookie teams with highest overall points)

Texas Tech
Portland
Case Western
Binghamton
Sal Paulo

Road & Track Triathlon Award
1. Texas A&M
?. Univ Michigan
?. Cornell
?. UTA
?. Univ Wisconsin

Carroll Smith Mentor's Cup Presented by SCCA
Make McDermott – Faculty Advisor for Texas A&M

Spirit of Excellence Award
Top ten finishers

SAE Foundation Cup honoring Neil A. Schilke (presented to first place overall winner)
Cornell

Dr. Bob Woods Cup (for SCCA Nationals fastest FSAE Driver)
Erick Kohler

WOW! I just realized our faculty advisor got the Carrol Smith Mentor's Cup.

Congradulation McD!

Our program would be nowhere without that man. Our team is who it is, and does as well as it does, because of the passion and involvement of Dr. McDermott, the head of our ship.

It's good to see him get recognized!

Agreed that it's good to see Dr. McDermott get the faculty advisor award.

I've talked to him off and on over the years. Most memorable was at SAE Motorsports in Indianapolis late 2002. He razzed us for denting the trophy (which we did en route to the conference, no less...oops.) He then proceeded to show us where A&M banged it up some time in 2000-1 and gave us a couple of tips on fixing it.

One hell of a character and I'm sure one hell of a faculty advisor. Good on him for being recognized as such. All winners of the Carroll Smith cup so far have been more than worthy of the honor.

James, as for your request for per-lap enduro numbers, I have a uber-sketch ballpark on most in the second run. I timed about 30 cars, five at a time, taking samples of laps based on the second hand on my watch. If I can find the pad I used and can make head or tail of the mess of numbers the above method generates, I'll pass them on.

Did have enough to have Ryerson, Washington Wisconsin and UWA in that order within 1s/lap of our time, with Washington and Ryerson potentially beating us by a shade. Pretty close to what transpired - the top five are within 8s total post-cone penalty. Very impressive.

Our first driver was about a 65.5s average, our second about a 63.5.