Top Picks [Archive] - FSAE.com Forums

Mike Shaw

04-12-2004, 07:42 AM

1. Texas A&M University
2. UTA
3. Cornell
4. Michigan State
5. UMC

I'd pick all the teams that made it to the Road & Track challenge last year.

We have all drivers from last year, plus a new one that has lots of experience in go-cart racing. Our driver selection process is amazing: we only pick from the best 8 from our school. We have 3 drivers that race with the A&M sports car club autox extensively, and two with actual racing experience (go-cart and sprint car).

we have been testing our car for the past two weeks, and will continue to do so for the next three. we have one of the best, most thought-out designs in the history of A&M FSAE and plan on making it to design finals.

our car is 30 lbs lighter than last year, and much more powerful. it's as fast through the autox, but needs more tuning and will be faster. we are currently making 70 hp on the dyno, and hope to get a few more hp out of the car. in every way, our car is better than last year's, and we finished 5th after the first 3 dynamics events last year.

we have put a major emphasis on reliablilty and weight reduction, and thus far in our tuning process, things have gone well with few problems. we are working on getting all the bugs out before competition.

Gig 'Em
Mike Shaw
Texas A&M Formula SAE
Teams Suspension

Mike Shaw

04-12-2004, 07:43 AM

not that i'm biased or anything... http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

vinHonda

04-12-2004, 08:40 AM

UTA second eh? Up there.

Wollongong will have a sorted car, as will Queensland. Watch out for the boyz down under. I also think GT will bring another fast car. MI state is a sure top contender.

But what I've learned is that it all comes down to an honest mistake of forgetting to tighten something, properly heat shielding something etc. that takes you out. In the end, the victors will be the teams that are most organized. So i can't really pick a top 5....but surely, i'd like for UofToronto to be in it!

Cheers

Vinh

Denny Trimble

04-12-2004, 11:00 AM

I think there are a group of 15 to 20 schools that are fast enough for the top 5, it's the ability (and luck) to complete Endurance that makes the big difference.

(UW was the top placing team of those who didn't finish endurance last year http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif )

Mike Shaw

04-12-2004, 12:32 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Denny Trimble:
I think there are a group of 15 to 20 schools that are fast enough for the top 5, it's the ability (and luck) to complete Endurance that makes the big difference.

(UW was the top placing team of those who didn't finish endurance last year http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif ) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

same with A&M. we were in the top 5 autox, acc, and skidpad, but the throttle broke after the first lap.

i just picked 4 random top condenders and put them after us http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif certainly UofW, GT, and wollongon will have good cars that will be in the top.

the teams that win: those who finish their car early (in April), and have time to test, tune, and work the bugs out. we have done this every year, and some years luck is on our side ('99, '00, '01), other's it isn't. sometimes we test too much, and things that will eventually break last through testing for 20+ hours, and break at competition. it's a matter of preparation, testing, and luck.

Charlie

04-12-2004, 02:46 PM

I agree with Denny, too hard to guess a top 5 with the event format (endurance failure means no top 5).

Its also hard to say, with turnover especially, if previous top-5 teams can repeat.

From what I've seen in person and on this forum, I expect UW, UOW, and GT to be contenders. My gut tells me that UTA and Ohio State won't both fail the enduro three years in a row, and that means they'll be strong contenders for the top 5. And when Cornell has an off year they still finish in the top 10. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Should be an interesting competition.

Ashley Denmead

04-12-2004, 06:39 PM

Dont under estimate the Australian teams coming over.......there should e at least one in the top 5 if not 2!!

cyas in 2005 http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Denny Trimble

04-12-2004, 07:21 PM

Yeah, I expect UOW and UWA to do very well.

Gumby

04-12-2004, 07:25 PM

Well now you're just leaving out the Canadian teams. I'd suspect to see UofT in the top 5, even though we'd like to beat them again (sorry Vinh I had to).

Ryerson University FSAE

vinHonda

04-12-2004, 08:07 PM

hahah! I'm not the one who said it! But those who have been following our progress closely will know....we're a young team growing! But let's just wait til May 19th to really see!

I wouldn't count out the canadians either. It may be cold up here, but I tell ya what, we're fighters. GO LEAFS GO!!

Now about ryerson beating us again.... http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif bring it!

cheers!

Vinh

Charlie

04-12-2004, 08:53 PM

See, I knew if the leafs made the playoffs, U of Toronto had no chance. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Gumby

04-12-2004, 09:25 PM

The gloves are off now!

and GO HABS GO!!!

Ryerson University FSAE

vinHonda

04-13-2004, 06:04 AM

Our paddock will be full of Leaf jerseys and flags! Hopefully we'll be able to catch the game back at the Marriot w/ a few german beers in hand!

Since my first year on the team, we have never been able to complete the enduro in pontiac, but did it (and got 1st!) every time we went to the UK..... the extra few weeks to tune out bugs helps. And we've been testing for a month now... it's my LAST year on the team... we HAVE to finish enduro in pontiac this year! and i promise we'll do it a lightning pace too! http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Cheers

Vinh

Ben Beacock

04-13-2004, 06:32 AM

everyone make sure to seal your electrics, cause we'll be rain dancing. If we can get it nice and damp (but not too wet), and the car stays together, we hope to make top 5 with the AWD. I'm not saying the car will be a brute in the dry, but some of the competitive advantage goes away.

Hey Vinh, did you make rain tires with your super glue compound?

Pico2

04-13-2004, 07:22 AM

Off topic.
Everyone knows the Leafs are going to win it this year. And I just think it would be fitting then to have a Canadian team win in Pontiac this year too!

Mad Ruska

04-13-2004, 08:07 AM

Hi Vinh,

Ok,Ok i will bring you 1 can of german beer to Pontiac. Just booked my fligth and the team send the car on thuersday this week. I hope things will go well.

My Top Picks for Pontiac this year:

I have no clue, but i know Stralsund will be Number 1 when we celebrate a Party!

Chears
Frank

Mike Shaw

04-13-2004, 08:18 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Frank Roeske:
Hi Vinh,

Ok,Ok i will bring you 1 can of german beer to Pontiac. Just booked my fligth and the team send the car on thuersday this week. I hope things will go well.

My Top Picks for Pontiac this year:

I have no clue, but i know Stralsund will be Number 1 when we celebrate a Party!

Chears
Frank <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

yall are all wrong. texas all the way!

dallas stars = win playoffs
texas beer = the best = shiner bock
FSAE champs = texans = texas a&m

vinHonda

04-13-2004, 09:43 AM

WOO HOO! German Beer! Can't wait to see u guys again! Following competition, we'll party it up again! Frank, where are you guys staying?

Leafs gotta stop tak'n damn stoopid penalties, and we should see them in the cup finals!

Ben, ya, we got our Avon rains made of the same 'super glue' as you have so nicely put it! My hope is nice dry conditions. Don't care what temperature, our car works in all!

We completed 4 enduro simulations on Sunday! Waiting to have some other Southern Ontario teams come testing with us!

Cheers,

Vinh

Michael Jones

04-13-2004, 11:02 AM

You're asking everyone to curse themselves here. I'm not even going to pick a hockey team, much less say if we're going to finish top 5, 10 or 50. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Whatever the case, I hope all the perennial potential contenders don't have fluke failures in endurance. It would be interesting to see what would happen if most people had a clear run vs. most not.

Actually, I'm really hoping that the weather freaking cooperates this year. Is it too much to ask that we get three or four days of relatively consistent and decent weather in a row? I'm very sick of freezing my waterlogged ass off in the middle of May.

Charlie

04-13-2004, 11:15 AM

Here's to good weather! http://www.teamnabr.com/ubb/graemlins/40BEER.gif

There's no way to guess the top 5. Look at last year. I would venture that only a few people would have put UOW in the top 5 last year and I know we would not have been on anyone's list. And Cornell, UTA, OSU, and Wisc-Mad would definitely have been on a lot of them.

RagingGrandpa

04-13-2004, 11:16 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vinHonda:
... another fast car. MI state is a sure top contender... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
What makes you take notice of MSU? IMO their car isn't special atall, they have a great driver and had good luck last year. Am I missing something?

Denny Trimble

04-13-2004, 11:51 AM

Yeah, they won the road and track challenge, including a 0-60 of 3.6 seconds.

http://students.washington.edu/dennyt/fsae/scans/pages/RT3.html

RacingManiac

04-13-2004, 12:24 PM

MSU finished top 3 last year, won R&T's shootout, and won our shootout here in Toronto as well....they seem to have a very nicely run team, I wouldn't be at all surprise to see them do well again....

And yes, not having rain running down my pants will be nice for a change....

Jackson

04-13-2004, 03:03 PM

It doesn't really matter as long as Detroit doesn't take the stanley cup. I'd like to see Vancouver, Philly or San Jose win it all...

I can say that our first year asses won't be in the top 5 -- And I'm ok with that. It is just damn fun to work on this stuff!

Brian
Washington State U FSAE

Frank

04-13-2004, 03:08 PM

In FSAE

i'd like to see a single cylinder car do well, and make the top five. Go Tokyo Denki !!!

I'm sure it can be done.

My favourites are Aurburn, and GT. I think they have a realistic outlook. (although im not sure about their progress)

As for formula student, I'm sure the Aussies are going to have at least 2 out of 5 of the top spots. There is safety in numbers http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I'm not sure on which specific Aussie teams it will be. RMIT are my favourites to win.

I hope that UQ will place top 3 in all FS2004, FSAE-A2004, and FSAE2005 http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Michael Jones

04-13-2004, 04:59 PM

I had picked Wollongong or Toronto last year as most likely to knock us off. Got one right in May and the other two months later. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I didn't figure on us falling to #9, but we were lucky to get that by the end of it. At least we know what not to do and people are a bit hungrier for it now.

Matt Gignac

04-13-2004, 08:51 PM

I've still got faith in the Habs, we've outplayed Boston in the last two games, outskated them, and outhit them sometimes despite our lesser size. Now if only we still had that home ice advantage... Otherwise, I'm going for Ottawa or Vancouver. Don't want Toronto to win or I'll never hear the end of it.

And as for FSAE... We have what will be a better sorted car than last year, more dependable, and some new interesting things, so if we can get the darn thing done soon, better watch out for McGill. Other than that, it could really be anyone's comp, depends which way the wind blows and whether or not Cornell messes up somewhere

Matt G
McGill Racing Team

vinHonda

04-13-2004, 09:01 PM

Well said Mike. How goes the testing? You guys are more then welcome to travel to Downsview if you wanna run a few consecutive days.

Did you see our 04 yet? Gonna run the Yuki/Yoko special tyre again?

Cheers,

Vinh

drivetrainUW-Platt

04-13-2004, 09:15 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ben Beacock:
everyone make sure to seal your electrics, cause we'll be rain dancing. If we can get it nice and damp (but not too wet), and the car stays together, we hope to make top 5 with the AWD. I'm not saying the car will be a brute in the dry, but some of the competitive advantage goes away.

Are you guys really considering running an awd system in the next few years? being on drivetrain team, i have considered some crazy ideas like that, really like how the transverse engine mounting looks in the car too. How was packaging for the components? Hats off to you guys if you do run awd, dont know how well it will fit the formula theme, but didnt CamAm (correct me if im wrong) have a 6 wheel car with 2 rear drive axels????
Mike Duwe
UW-P DRIVETRAIN 04

Jarrod

04-14-2004, 12:45 AM

there was a GP car with two driving rear axles it was a Williams FW07b or similar, I don't think it ever raced, but put in some impressive test sessions. There was some crazy stuff done in CanAm, so maybe they did one too. There was one with four engines and four wheel drive.

Jim400

04-14-2004, 03:49 AM

Yea the four rear wheeled F1 was a Williams, but it was the year after car the FW08. That's the car Keke Rosburg won the 1982 season. They bulit it to see if there was any advantage. It must of all come from the earier Tyrrells that had 4 front tyres in 1976 amd 1977. They stopped using them becasue they had problems getting there front tyres to work. And 1977 was Tyrrells first year to not win a Grand Prix. Williams tryed four rears to try to put the power down better. They could never race it becasue in 1983 6 wheel cars were banned. The only other f1 car with six wheels was the March of 1978, it never raced in F1 but was very profitable for the team. The team first made the car to attact sponsership for there F1 effort, they earned a vast amount throught exhibitions and royalties from Scalextric. But it ended up only being raced on loan to british hillclimbing legend Roy Lane. He won some hillclimbs with it, if it rained, in the dry the higher corning forces caused it to be unreliable, they had large problems with the gearbox casting becasue of the high forces generated by close coupled four wheel drive.

Now the fastest four wheel drive f1 was the Cosworth car of 1969, never raced like any other four wheel drive F1 car. It did have some intersting componets, a one off magnesium block and magnesium bulkheads. Now it lives in the Donington Museum with many other great F1 cars.

RacingManiac

04-14-2004, 12:19 PM

The P34 Tyrell eventually won races though(at least 3 I think), I think it wasn't the problem of getting the tires to work, rather to get the tire company(Goodyear at the time) to work for them as they used smaller tires to equate the same contact patch size while decrease frontal area(I think that was the reason they went for it in the first place). Goodyear couldn't make a compound specifically for that car and they dropped the design after...

Charlie

04-14-2004, 12:27 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RagingGrandpa:
What makes you take notice of MSU? IMO their car isn't special atall, they have a great driver and had good luck last year. Am I missing something? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wow. If thier driver and a bit of luck got them third place overall, then thier driver must be the next Micheal Shumacher, and they must have sold thier soul to the devil.

It takes a lot more than that to get into the top 3 in this competition. 'RagingGrandpa' how much experience do you have getting a team to that level?

Mike Shaw

04-14-2004, 02:58 PM

i've always heard that racing is, what, 60% driver and 30% tires? the final 10% is the actual racing vehicle.

so, if they have the right tires and a good driver, and a car that is reliable and will finish (where only 20-25% of entering teams even finish endurance), then they, michigan state, have 90% of the battle finished. they dont necessarily need a perfectly designed car.

i think it's quite feasable that a team with an average car can do well in teh competition, so long as they have good drivers.

we had a heavy car last year that didn't make it past the first round of design judging (510 lbs w/ no ARB for suspension tuning), and yet we were 3rd after the first 3 static events. we had great drivers and a decent car that handled predictably, and we did well.

in 1999, our rookie year, we had a ginormous car -- 600+ lbs -- and finished 14th overall.
we had good drivers with a reliable car, and that's what got us that far.

Gumby

04-14-2004, 05:03 PM

Vinh

We should be out shortly, we are getting the last parts of our drivetrain completed and then will be ready to test.....if only exams would stop and let us test more http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

RacingManiac

04-14-2004, 05:04 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Gumby:
Vinh

.....if only exams would stop and let us test more http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I hear that....

vinHonda

04-14-2004, 05:50 PM

We are using the exam break to strip the car down inspect all parts after over 100kms of racing and paint her. She'll be back up and running next week when my exams finish.

Let us know if you want to come to Downsview after the 23rd.

Cheers,

Vinh

RagingGrandpa

04-14-2004, 09:35 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Charlie:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RagingGrandpa:
What makes you take notice of MSU? IMO their car isn't special atall, they have a great driver and had good luck last year. Am I missing something? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Wow. If thier driver and a bit of luck got them third place overall, then thier driver must be the next Micheal Shumacher, and they must have sold thier soul to the devil. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I brought that up because I saw many other teams at competition last year that displayed better understanding of their vehicles and showed more innovation and overall quality in their designs. I know that MSU's driver has extensive carting experience, and that their vehicle was simple enough that it was very reliable. Had luck been on the side of some Cornell's, UTA's, UW Madison's, OSU's, etc etc etc though, I don't think we'd be having this conversation right now. Shit happens, and it happend to a good number of us last year.

PatClarke

04-15-2004, 05:36 AM

Quote....."Now the fastest four wheel drive f1 was the Cosworth car of 1969",

>Mmmm, not sure that is quite correct.

The Cosworth never raced. It was tested by Grand Prix driver Peter Arundell, and after evaluation of the test results, was promptly withdrawn from the British GP where it was entered a few weeks later. In 1969 Lotus, Matra and McLaren all made 'conventional' 4WD Grand Prix cars that essentially used 4 front wheels.
Invariably, in testing they all found they had to transfer more and more torque to the rear wheels to make them handle. When they got to the 30/70 split or thereabouts, and still wanted more, they were plagued by the limitations placed by the smaller contact patch at the rear. All but Lotus dropped the design fairly quickly.
Lotus pressed on with 4WD on their Pratt and Whitney turbine powered GP and Indy cars.
The emergence of wings in 1969 rendered all the 4WD cars obsolete. It is fair to say that Lotus built the fastest 4WD, and a sample of it and the Mclaren are lined up beside the Cosworth at Donington.
Oh, and the mag cased Cosworths were far from rare in the later years of that (The greatest race engine EVER)engines career.

Incidentally, this was not the first application of 4WD in Postwar GP racing. Probably the last competitive front engined car was the 1960 Ferguson with a 2.5 Climax engine, similar to that used by Jack Brabham in the back of his double WC winning Coopers (1959 and 1960). The Ferguson was very competitive, especially in the wet, and the design prompted BRM to build a rear engined car with Ferguson 4WD. By this stage, F1 was using 1.5 litre engines and there wasn't enough power available to take advantage of the increased traction. This car was later fitted with another of those 2.5 (or bigger) Coventry Climax engines and dominated the British Hillclimbs driven by sometime GP driver Peter Felday.

There endeth todays history lesson
PDR

vinHonda

04-15-2004, 06:02 AM

I don't think you can say anything about MSU's effort last year, the car was quick, their driver was quick which meant he had decent seat time, which means they got their car built early, which meant that they could test a lot.

I saw them in action at our shootout, that team is a well oiled machine. And my sources have caught a glimse of their 04 car at Florida State testing down south.....the same thing we planned to do. A team that has the idea and execution to test down south is a sure fire well organized and top team condenter.

I assure you, they are gunning for #1. This competition isn't about bells and whistles.....Delft's 200lbs. all carbon fibre car didn't pass brake.....won design, but never turned a dynamic wheel at Formula Student.

I tell my team all the time: make effort, not excuses.

Build a solid, reliable, quick car, quickly. And make your drivers comfy with it.

Also, I wouldn't fault other teams for lack of innovation.....esp if they finished on the podium last year!

Cheers,

Vinh

Frank

04-15-2004, 08:11 AM

VinHonda
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR> We are using the exam break to strip the car down inspect all parts after over 100kms of racing and paint her. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A BIG way of increasing your chances.

I'm from a NDT background, and I believe it is a powerful tool.

"Fluro Magnetic Particle" test all the steel bits that make your car work. (Do the critical frame areas if you're keen).

"Dye pen" test the critcal non-magnetic parts too.

There is no excuse for brittle fracture, or fatigue failures at the competition.

frau holle

04-15-2004, 09:29 AM

watch out for the european teams. there will be some fast and well organized teams at the competion this year. with some luck one of them will surprise you all.

to vinh and all the others good luck at the competion. you'll need it to finsh in the top 5.

cheers,
frau holle

student-racing team, stralsund (00-03)

ps: frank drink some cans of that wounderfull beer for me there ok?

Dick Golembiewski

04-15-2004, 09:30 AM

It looks as if I will be able to judge this year. It looks to be interesting...

- Dick

vinHonda

04-15-2004, 09:53 AM

I think we'll need more then just luck to finish top 5! But a solid car with good testing, drivers familiar w/ the car and a well organized team should do it http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I'm looking forward to seeing the European teams. Stralsund and us were neck and neck just before enduro at FStudent. They are a VERY well organized team.

Cheers,

Vinh

Mad Ruska

04-15-2004, 10:02 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vinHonda:
I think we'll need more then just luck to finish top 5! But a solid car with good testing, drivers familiar w/ the car and a well organized team should do it http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I'm looking forward to seeing the European teams. Stralsund and us were neck and neck just before enduro at FStudent. They are a VERY well organized team.

Cheers,

Vinh <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Vinh,

you really would like to have this german beer!!!
http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
But thanks, it was hard work starting 1999 in germany never see a FSAE car before!

vinHonda

04-15-2004, 10:48 AM

HAHAHHA! what can i say? i love german beer!

So let me get this straight, you're bringing your 2003 car to FSAE? and your 2004 car to Fstudent? Or is it the other way around?

Cheers,

Vinh

vinHonda

04-15-2004, 04:20 PM

Our entire team will be at the Marriot Courtyard. It's within crawling distance to Big Bucks.....necessary when you're so tanked u can't walk.

hahah Mclaren..... did you see our 'testing livery' 2004 car? Just like the BAR's!

Cheers,

Vinh

Mike Shaw

04-15-2004, 07:35 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vinHonda:
It's within crawling distance to Big Bucks.....necessary when you're so tanked u can't walk.

Cheers,

Vinh <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

meh, big bucks costs big bucks. too much $$$. i'd rather buy a 30 back of 'stones and some rum and coke. have a few drinks, watch the spurs in NBA playoffs, and hit up the clubs in pontiac, pick up a few detroit ladies.

last year we hit up "have a nice day cafe" and like 5 chicks were getting married and having bachelorette parties there. like 50 hot chicks, waiting for dudes to dance with. it was cool, till all the 30 year old rich dudes started buying drinks for all the chicks. suckers...i'll spend my money elsewhere, on myself.

the year before we hit up "clutch cargo" which was good till the chicks started dancing on stage and all the hometown boys started getting up in our faces. we left promptly, thought we might die that night.

Charlie

04-15-2004, 08:10 PM

I think I'll stick with Big Buck-

I was told I really enjoyed it last year!

Michael Jones

04-15-2004, 11:50 PM

LOL...the Pontiac ladies comment is bringing back flashbacks of the junior high prom party next to one of our rooms in 2001. A friend of mine was a bit too eager and had to be stopped from pursuing that easy yet highly illegal opportunity.

Big Bucks'll do. Certainly the beer's worth it. The steak is average given the cost. I've had better for cheaper. But it's tradition.

Again at the Hilton, I believe.

Car is still testing reasonably well, lots of little things getting worked out and a couple of major ones all resolved. Will be torn down for finalization and painting shortly. Not sure if we can get up to TO, Vinh, but I'll ask. Probably not though, rough time since our exams go into the week of competition and all. We have people doing them there.

If I can find my spreadsheet of team results over the last 11 years, I'll post it somewhere. There's good patterns to think of - strong teams, even when hitting rough spots, usually bounce back. That's why MSU is important and UTA is a constant threat, even though recent history in UTA's case hasn't been all that threatening.

I think there will be a new champion this year but I also think it's going to be very close. Perhaps coming down to fuel economy and final design scores, even. That would be cool.

Go Habs go. There, I fucked their meagre chances good. Did win handily tonight, though...although the double OT loss the other day was maddening. And the Flames went and screwed my second team over tonight. I might just have to cheer for the Leafs. Or, worse, Ottawa. Calgary, if they do it, aren't getting out of the second round.

In the minor leagues of hockey known as the USA, I suppose it'll have to be the Avalanche. San Jose might get somewhere and I'm happy they kicked the Blues out.

Tampa Bay in the East. Anyone but Philly or Jersey. Even the Bruins are acceptable. And I'm a lifelong Habs fan after learning what French I know listening to later games covertly on the radio in the late 70s after being told to go to bed.

Yes, I'm old enough to know Ken Dryden as the goalie of the Habs and not an executive with the Leafs. But not old enough to have seen him as Cornell's goalie in the late 60s.

RagingGrandpa

04-19-2004, 08:14 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Michael Jones:
If I can find my spreadsheet of team results over the last 11 years, I'll post it somewhere. There's good patterns to think of - strong teams, even when hitting rough spots, usually bounce back. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Interested, please post if possible.

Mike Shaw

04-19-2004, 10:04 PM

i can give a simple rundown of A&M's past 5 years, beginning with our rookie year in '99

1999: 14th place, rookie of the year
2000: 1st place - world champs
2001: 5th place
2002: major ECU problems, 46th place or so?
2003: 5th after first 3 dynamic events, 3rd in
Road & Track competition, 5th in
presentation, broken throttle cable in
enduro, 26th overall
2004: I'm keeping quiet on this one, don't
wanna spoil the ending...

Michael Jones

04-20-2004, 07:27 PM

Oops. Forgot about that - still have to track it down and update it for '03. Will do when I get the time, but you do see decent trends such as Mike shows above - consistently good teams are pretty clear, and while there's some movement up, there's generally not much slippage down - why the quality and number of top tier cars with a good or at least outside shot out there is consistently on the rise.

Should've picked us to win since the stab in the dark Habs pick has turned out OK so far. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Like them though, still a tough hill to climb, so I'm not saying shit.

vinHonda

04-20-2004, 08:53 PM

Bye bye Ottawa. Bring on the Flyers!!!

GO LEAFS GO!!!

Vinh

Daygo Nighthawk

04-21-2004, 02:49 PM

Can't say for sure on the UC San Diego car,
but its been built like a volvo so far.
Hopefully we'll make it through enduro,
and have a good showing at competition!

I'm anxious to see what everyone else came up with!

Aaron Harnden

04-23-2004, 02:17 AM

You'd be mad if you didn't back UOW and UWA. I hear 'sergio' (UOW's new car) is better than the world champ 'stumpy' in every way. And forget UWA's FSAE-A performance, the car is brilliant and the team's even better. You'll see what I mean at the comp.

Both teams have had many more months of tuning and testing than the US and Euro teams. I'm tipping one of them will bring the trophy home.

AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!

Michael Jones

04-24-2004, 06:24 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Aaron Harnden:

Both teams have had many more months of tuning and testing than the US and Euro teams. I'm tipping one of them will bring the trophy home.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This alone is a huge advantage to the Aussie teams - they can work out the details in FSAE-A and come here with a much more polished car if they plan it right - which both UOW and UWA sound like they're doing.

Testing and getting everything perfectly bulletproof is essential - we've already had a few interesting fuckups that are certainly better to know about now than...holy fuck, only four weeks until it's all done, isn't it. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_redface.gif

We've done a great deal of testing this year - we have access to a back lot at the mall for the first time during weekdays, and people have been out there driving since Feb. in all sorts of weather conditions. Probably more hours on the car right now than any other year I've seen.

I'm completely amazed when I see cars that are driven for the first time during brake test go on to complete endurance. Not many of our Feb 1. iterations could do that. Hell, in 2001, it barely did a donut before breaking.

Charlie

04-24-2004, 09:01 PM

Last year we had 3 weeks of testing, finished 3rd in Endurance.

Well, maybe 1 week of testing won't be so bad eh? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

Silsport

05-05-2004, 05:31 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vinHonda:
Bye bye Ottawa. Bring on the Flyers!!!

GO LEAFS GO!!!

Vinh <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Go Leafs Go......HOME. Have fun playing golf. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

vinHonda

05-05-2004, 07:42 AM

Alright, now we have more time to spend on our car/ competition program instead of watch'n leaf games http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Vinh

RagingGrandpa

05-24-2004, 10:14 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RagingGrandpa:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Charlie:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RagingGrandpa:
What makes you take notice of MSU? IMO their car isn't special atall, they have a great driver and had good luck last year. Am I missing something? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Wow. If thier driver and a bit of luck got them third place overall, then thier driver must be the next Micheal Shumacher, and they must have sold thier soul to the devil. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I brought that up because I saw many other teams at competition last year that displayed better understanding of their vehicles and showed more innovation and overall quality in their designs. I know that MSU's driver has extensive carting experience, and that their vehicle was simple enough that it was very reliable. Had luck been on the side of some Cornell's, UTA's, UW Madison's, OSU's, etc etc etc though, I don't think we'd be having this conversation right now. Shit happens, and it happend to a good number of us last year. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Welp it's all over, does anyone remember this post? Mmmm hmmm. Shit still happens.

Mike Shaw

05-26-2004, 01:21 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Mike Shaw:
1. Texas A&M University
2. UTA
3. Cornell
4. Michigan State
5. UMC

I'd pick all the teams that made it to the Road & Track challenge last year.

We have all drivers from last year, plus a new one that has lots of experience in go-cart racing. Our driver selection process is amazing: we only pick from the best 8 from our school. We have 3 drivers that race with the A&M sports car club autox extensively, and two with actual racing experience (go-cart and sprint car).

we have been testing our car for the past two weeks, and will continue to do so for the next three. we have one of the best, most thought-out designs in the history of A&M FSAE and plan on making it to design finals.

our car is 30 lbs lighter than last year, and much more powerful. it's as fast through the autox, but needs more tuning and will be faster. we are currently making 70 hp on the dyno, and hope to get a few more hp out of the car. in every way, our car is better than last year's, and we finished 5th after the first 3 dynamics events last year.

we have put a major emphasis on reliablilty and weight reduction, and thus far in our tuning process, things have gone well with few problems. we are working on getting all the bugs out before competition.

Gig 'Em
Mike Shaw
Texas A&M Formula SAE
Teams Suspension <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

2 out of 5 correct guesses for the top 5 isn't bad i guess, although i was off on the placement of A&M and Cornell.

look out for the november issue of Road & Track: you should see a nice purty picture of our car and team and a sweet article.

also look out for our 2005 team next year. 9 of the guys that volunteered on this year's car and attended this year's competition will be returning next year, looking to one-up our 2004 team and take the world championship from Cornell.

oh, and two of our drivers will be returning next year: vincent, who has many years of autox experience; and jordon, who ran a sub-59 sec times on several endurance laps, averaged times faster than 61 seconds, never hitting a cone or going off course!

not that i'm talking trash or anything... http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Michael Jones

05-26-2004, 03:40 PM

Best of luck, Mike. You'll need all those returning members - we're only losing 16 of 41 (including myself) this year, and actually gaining three old members who are returning for graduate studies or a year off to shore up their pathetic GPAs.

2005 should be quite the all-star team - similar to 2002, I figure, since 2004 was similar to 2001. Of course, I fear it may well be as dysfunctional as 2002 was as well. Should be a wild ride, but advance odds suggest we'll be in the running again. Stay tuned.

2006 is a conveniently scheduled off year, but whatever. I think Carroll Smith was right - a three-peat is damn near impossible.

Hell, I'll settle for three of four. Not a bad FSAE career.

For the record, my official picks in no particular order were:

Cornell
A&M
Toronto
MSU
Auburn

...with black horse Western Australia potentially messing it up, and GT, Missouri-Columbia and Wollongong ready to sneak in if any of the above f'ed it up. Congrats to Missouri-Rolla and Washington for screwing up my top five.

So, I got three of five. It's too bad MSU didn't finish - although the two wheel turn was a great trick. And Vinh, I suspect you'll go ahead and work to prove me semi-correct by trying to repeat at Formula Student?

Charlie

05-27-2004, 02:56 AM

I wouldn't have picked us- the car rolled for the first time on May 8th.

It took us awhile to get used to the car and track- but if Mike can brag I will too- we ran the fastest lap of the enduro. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif And cone corrected were 3 seconds behind the almighty red car... http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

mtg

05-27-2004, 09:34 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Michael Jones:

Congrats to Missouri-Rolla and Washington for screwing up my top five.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No problem, we're happy to do it anytime.

Denny Trimble

05-27-2004, 07:36 PM

I'll second that, Matt http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif 12 seconds behind Cornell over here... but further behind in points everywhere else. Big Red will be a good team to chase again, I'm sure.

We got our Monocoque done pretty late, less than 1/3 of the test time on it than last year's car. We're currently formulating plans for world domination next year...

Mike Shaw

05-28-2004, 09:55 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Charlie:
I wouldn't have picked us- the car rolled for the first time on May 8th.

It took us awhile to get used to the car and track- but if Mike can brag I will too- we ran the fastest lap of the enduro. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif And cone corrected were 3 seconds behind the almighty red car... http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wish that announcer jerk at the banquet would have annouced the teams that had the highest runs in enduro. All he said was teh times and that's it. What kind of crap is that !?!? I WANT NAMES (A&M was fastest IMO http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif )

Charlie: It was cool hanging out with yall at Big Bucks. Expensive, but cool. I drank a pitcher of their Black Stout, and i was feeling pretty good by the end of the night http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Congrats to your team, and your drivers were awesome. I hope they are coming back next year. We'll be looking forward to some good competition from Auburn, Cornell, UMR and UofW!