First Year Blog: Redhawk Racing

[boxsterb1]

A new post was just added to my blog of a first year team, check it out!

http://www.orgs.muohio.edu/miamisae/2006blog.php

[boxsterb1]

A new post was just added to my blog of a first year team, check it out!

http://www.orgs.muohio.edu/miamisae/2006blog.php

[Jersey Tom]

Top 10 finish in 2007 for a first year team.. definately an aggressive goal. Ballsy, even.

Good luck though.

[kwancho]

We also decided to go for 2007. 2006 really wasn't feasible.

[HenningO]

Why are everyone so scared of coming as "not-so-well-prepared" rookie team? You'll learn more stuff during the weeks of testing and competition then you'll do during your extra year.

We started designing our car in jan 04 and it was done in late May. We had about a month of testing which resulted in some failiures which we could fix before the competition. In july 04 we placed 4th in FS.

Obviously, it can be done!

Henning Olsson
KTH Racing 04-06

[RiNaZ]

hey boxterb1,
just thought i mentioned this since you guys are not going for 2006 and are on the 2 year plan. Try getting your hands dirty on SAE Mini-Baja. It requires less money, and less people and maybe less work (depending on who you talk to).

My school has been trying to enter the FSAE competition for 7 years and that was back in 99, so this year would make it 12 years of effort in entering the FSAE. Last year, a new SAE advisor transfer to my school from Colorado. He has extensive experience in FSAE and Mini-Baja, so he suggested Mini-Baja to us after we couldnt get enough budget for 03 and 04. We spent a lot of hours every night since february all the way to may. We didnt do too well, but at least, this year, we got enough money from sponsors to enter FSAE 06. And most of the money and sponsors came in after they see us spent many late nights in the shop.

the bad thing about going into a 2 year program is that, the team members tend to go into a slump or lose interest. And those who still fairly interested in the program would eventually spent most of their time here on this forum instead of doing some actual work. Dont get me wrong though, there are tons of good information here on the board, but reading and working on the car is two different thing.

p/s: i think we spent close to 4 grand on the baja car, and we didnt start design or having meetings till November (which is when the hurricane season was over).

[boxsterb1]

There are alot of other factors that have been imposed on our team that have required us to go to a 2 year plan. We have a Mini Baja senior design project, this is the second year for this, the down fall is it is for seniors. That is why I began FSAE because it is more interesting in my own humble opionion, and it is not part of a class and is open to any one in any major. The decsion to move to a two year plan was not entirely in our hands, alot of politics played agianst us, but we are determined to complete a car for 2007 no matter what. Losing interest is my biggest concern with the new schdule and that is why we are going to do plenty of team building activities throughout this year and next. And even though we are not building our whole car this year doesnt mean we wont start building sub assemblys and getting our engine fired up and start tuning it.

[Garlic]

I'm not a fan of the two-year plan and here's why: Usually it turns into a one-year plan with a year off beforehand. Students don't like to meet deadlines and without them they'll dream up great ideas but that's the easy part anyway.

If you do a 2 year plan, to get the most out of it you need to treat it as a 1 year plan with a year of testing and refinement. You'll be able to have time to rebuild subsystems if necessary.

But if you spend a year on design, you are blowing your year because, especially when you've never built one, you can't do a good job on design until you've testes something.

My advice is plan on finishing all major parts of construction before the summer break. Or, at the least, have design frozen and have construction started before summer.

Otherwise your extra year is just for daydreaming....

[kwancho]

Our schedule is looking like designing for the rest of this school year, building and manufacturing our ass off over the summer, and be rolling in the first quarter, and be "done" by April.

[Jersey Tom]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Last year, a new SAE advisor transfer to my school from Colorado. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

From Colorado... or Colorado State?

[JPS]

i agree with all the other comments, go for it this year.
If its not a question of money, why not?
you'll learn something and know how and where improvements can be made.

youve got 34 people in your picture.
my team has 5 and only one has been involved with FSAE before. we'll be in LA this year!

[RiNaZ]

Jersey Tom ... not sure, but he mentioned something about colorado boulder i think. Is that CU or CSU?

[boxsterb1]

The department did a 180 on us and gave us two options, quit or go for a two year plan. A lot of politics are at play, concern was shown that we would be competeing for resources with the Mini Baja team, we are moving into a new building in the summer and they are going to start preparing for that, there is a lack of advisors, etc. Basically we were given alot of BS and then forced into a position that we had no control over. All we were asking for from the department was machine shop time and input from advisors which we were not granted if we were going to do everything this year. Therefor e we have worked out an agreement to do the project in 2 years as opposed to not at all.

[Jersey Tom]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RiNaZ:
Jersey Tom ... not sure, but he mentioned something about colorado boulder i think. Is that CU or CSU? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's us, CU. I think I know who you're talking about now. Believe we sent down our 2003 chassis and assorted stuff to you guys.