So...why did YOU join FSAE?

[Mike Flitcraft]

Just as the above title states, why did YOU join FSAE?

My personal reasons were knowledge (wanted to know more about the technical fabrication and design), and fun (hey, it's got tires for cryin out loud).

What are yours?

[repeatoffender]

same reason as joining the engineering degree;

for the chicks

[Jersey Tom]

Sounded cool. Knew how to machine, figured itd be useful.

Smartest and dumbest move I've ever made, haha. Damn it wears you down.

I am sooo over the whole 'class' thing.

[kwancho]

Because our solar car shuts itself off if you accelerate too hard. That simply won't do.

[DustinJones]

It was the only project at our school that had an engine, everything else was pedal power or a tennis ball launcher. Plus who can turn down sitting an inch off the ground while driving a racecar?

[Wesley]

I like overanalyzing things.

I like cars.

Perfect combination. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Popee]

Because im a Petrolhead, and Id love to be involved in motorsports for a career. A pipe dream maybe, but what are we without dreams?

[Joy Pathak]

It's an addiction.

[JR @ CFS]

because at the end of it all, we produce a car which makes a noise that raises the hairs on the back of my neck and arms!

[J. Vinella]

Originally posted by repeatoffender:
same reason as joining the engineering degree;

for the chicks

repeatoffender you took the words right out of my mouth.

Designing and building a race car with other car nuts isn't a bad bonus either.

[Mike Cook]

To Dominate

[nzgenette]

Our team really wanted chicks on it so I thought what the hell, why not?

[MetalAndy]

Fun...plain and simple.

[Tony K]

I used to drag race so I figured it would be fun to learn how to turn... and not just left. I'm also decent at turning a wrench, so someone has to make sure the engineers don't hurt themselves.

Yeah, I'm with Tom on this one, smartest and dumbest move I've ever made. I'm glad I chose this route however, yet I wish there was some way I could get back the sleep and GPA points I've lost over the years.

[Buckingham]

Because if you tell someone that you once stayed up for 76 hours straight working on your basket weaving they would REALLY look at you funny.

[Homemade WRX]

one: the women
two: to lower my GPA
three: to have less time
four: good way to get rid of a girlfriend
five: to join a drinking team with a racing problem http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Wesley]

Where are all these women you all are talking about?

Did I miss the memo?

[nzgenette]

right here babe!

[Parker]

I joined because riding BMX was getting too hazardous to my health. That and because working on my own cars spending my own money was too expensive http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Once I was in though, whoa buddy. I think just going to the competition got me hooked, even though we weren't able to compete.

[fsae_alum]

Because I couldn't get my girlfriend at the time to break up with me.

Seriously though....where else can you design your own affordable racecar from the ground up, contstruct it, test it, and race it....all using somebody else's money? On top of that, it's an absolute blast!

[Wesley]

Originally posted by nzgenette:
right here babe!

Ah, my apologies, and a pleasure to meet you!


I second building a racecar with someone elses money. Thats as noble a goal as any.

[Jersey Tom]

Whoa whoa.. on someone elses money? Somehow I wind up dropping a good deal of money on the car each year..

Think I'm only up to $350-400 for the past couple cars. I hear guys from our '02 team are still payin off debt since they had a budget of 4-5 grand.

[Homemade WRX]

yeah, around here we end up dropping in lots of personal money...I'm out about $300-500 a year normally...
this year they were trying to get me to buy and ship one of the 250's from australia

[Kyle Walther]

its the lifestyle. hooked me as a freshman.


that and i'm awkwardly ugly, so this gives me an excuse to not have a girlfriend.. it lets me sleep at night. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

[repeatoffender]

Originally posted by Wesley:
Where are all these women you all are talking about?

Did I miss the memo?

well im still waiting for the promise to come through to fruition :P

[ben]

Initially it was to get the best possible leg up towards a motorsport career.

In hindsight - having had the opportunity to travel the world as part of an international series - I've realised that the atmosphere within an FSAE team is not something you're ever going to experience again. Motorsport is never your life to the same degree it is in FSAE.

Enjoy it while you can. I wouldn't say it gets worse when you leave but it is very different.

Ben

[ttk3]

Because we burn enough 100 octane to negate the efforts of our school's clean vehicle team.

...and most of ME classwork is boring as hell. I need an application.

[Homemade WRX]

Originally posted by ttk3:...and most of ME classwork is boring as hell. I need an application.
isn't that the truth

[Mike Flitcraft]

Originally posted by Jersey Tom:
Whoa whoa.. on someone elses money? Somehow I wind up dropping a good deal of money on the car each year..

Think I'm only up to $350-400 for the past couple cars. I hear guys from our '02 team are still payin off debt since they had a budget of 4-5 grand.

Sponsors man, sponsors. Your team doesn't have a system to re-emberse approved purchases for the team/car? We've got $200+ requires prior approval, all reciepts within 2 weeks regardless of item or amount.

Otherwise, thanks for the very kind donation.

[Sooner_Electrical]

its the lifestyle. hooked me as a freshman.


that and i'm awkwardly ugly, so this gives me an excuse to not have a girlfriend.. it lets me sleep at night.

I believe you have a girlfriend currently, and have had one (or three) pretty much the entire time you have been on the race team. Apparently Awkwardly Ugly is a good look, perhaps I should try it. I have been trying Devilishly Handsome with little success.

I joined the team because I was bored... I stayed on the team over the years because I have learned WAY more from this project than all my classes combined. Thing I have learned include: How to Weld, Machine (Manual and CNC), A manufacturing defect in the hub will eventually lead to a wheel shooting off and that is not good, Bondo dust is flammable, Home made Pogo sticks that go over 4 ft. high are very dangerous, Cannons are fun, Girls get it extremely mad if you say "right now the car is more important than hanging out with you"� you are better off just hanging up. These things I would have probably never learned had it not been for that sweet baby of a racecar.

[drivetrainUW-Platt]

Since the first time I saw MSOE's car back senior year of highschool, I just had to do it. I swore to myself I would never get a motorcycle because it would end up killing me, so this is the closest thing, plus the benefits are endless for careers and personal knowledge.

[Ian M]

Originally posted by Homemade WRX:
one: the women
two: to lower my GPA
three: to have less time
four: good way to get rid of a girlfriend
five: to join a drinking team with a racing problem http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I think this pretty well sums it up! I have learned so much and still probably don't know the half of it. FSAE has turned me into a racer for life.
It truly is a lifestyle. I had no interest in bikes until my freshman year when I fired up our F4i. Now I am hooked on cars, bikes, Formula One, MotoGP, and Grand Prix. In the rare occurance that I do watch TV it doesn't leave the Speed Channel, except for the occasional college basketball game (previous love).
I love FSAE and wouldn't have it any other way!

[number77]

I was looking into building my own car and found out about it. Now that there are so many egos involved with people wanting to drive the car, thinking their the best (none of these people actually work on the car), I will quit sometime soon. My amigo is getting a grade on building most of the car, so I'm just gonna stay on until he gets his grade.

[Alan]

Initially I joined to learn about race cars. Looking back I think I learned less about race cars and more about myself, group dynamics, and the joy of working with people who are as motivated to succeed as I am.

[John Valerio]

three reasons:

1) before i drove the car in my first year the team manager told me that there's no better feeling than being right at the limit in a car that you designed and built yourself. he was definately right.
2) (some people will get this, some won't) i love the pressure at competition of having to be a good driver AS WELL AS a good engineer/designer/accountant/salesperson/manager/everything.
3) i don't even know what i'd do with all the spare time without ridiculous formula hours.

[oduman106]

i joined 'cause i got bored with baja sae

[JaredC]

I'm a sucker for the kind of pain that comes about from doing consecutive all-nighters.

My personal record is around 40 hours in the workshop without sleep.

Our workshop record is 51 hours.

Mechs just don't understand what it takes to make a proper electrical system, and the deadlines the electrical team gets are ridiculous. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

I also like beer, and to a lesser extent, cars. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Andy K]

...because I had Porsche 911 posters on my wall when I was 4, idolized Ayrton Senna only to realize that at the age of 12 I was taller than most drivers out there. I figured I may as well build them instead. Did a career exploration program in HS, where I caught wind of the FSAE program.

FSAE has been life-altering... in my case, I'll be going to school 7 years longer than anticipated, with the same BEng result (long story)

[Bill Kunst]

Aaahhh, only 51 hours? I have that beat, at 65hrs, but I think there were a couple of guys when I was there that pushed 80hrs going into comp. They slept about 24hrs straight the first day of competition.

[jack Green]

hey guys ,i am join in now,
it is wonderful ,atractive and profitable
you can learn a great deal of things that you can not learn from the book .

[jack Green]

you are an energetic guy,