Auburn University Engineering Department is hosting a Formula 1 / FSAE War Eagle Motorsports event at Barber's Motorsports complex on Saturday, January 23, 2010. "Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds and Auburn University's War Eagle Motorsports are putting together a competition practice for University Eligible cars that have passed FSAE tech. Cars will be teched, noised, and braked. Teams will have the opportunity to run through all four dynamic events in one day to practice the demands of keeping up with a competition schedule. AutoX and Endurance will run on Barber's road course. Beginning in 2010, university teams are "sharing" the costs of the event (insurance, ambulance, set-up)," according to Peter Jones, Chief Engineer for the Auburn FSAE team. This is a request for SME members to volunteer to help on Saturday.At least four (4) of our SME members have volunteered to host our first SME road-course tent event. While there we'll share FLAGMAN and CORNER MAN duties. Sounds like a great time. If you'd like to volunteer to show up at 7:00 - 7:30a Saturday morning, when our training session begins, please, contact Blane Vines - blane.vines@bhamfast.com to make your reservations. As always, we'll have some light refreshments. You may also contact Blane by phone at 205-595-3511 to register.
Auburn War Eagle Motorsports, GTMS Ga Tech, University of Louisville FSAE, and Southern Poly are among the schools invited to compete. FSAE is a Formula 1 understudy division.
Good weather is likely (the probability for snow is low). Bring rain gear if you have the gear. Bring an outdoor chair if you have a comfortable favorite. Blane will be able to send you all pertinent information.
Four SME Birmingham members attended a brisk, windy winter University Formula1 testing & trials competition between War Eagle Motorsports (1 car), GT Motorsports (1 car), and Louisville FSAE (1 car). Our duties, outline approximately 1500 cones around 1.8 mile track with BLUE CHALK. Seven or Eight of us, including 2 Eagle Scouts circled the track, outlining as many cones as practical.
With Approximately 25 volunteers stationed at 17 turns, our job was to serve as "Corner men" and "Flagmen" , to reposition cones, and to radio activity to the control tower. The drivers job included dancing these super-cars around a track, mazed by cones, without tumbling any cones from the BLUE CHALKED BOXES.
Louisville's team drivers seemed to score the better times. Auburn's team drivers improved with every pit-stop, until they seemed to match Louisville's best combination of time less penalties. GT kept engineering the diagnostics on the motor until finding that a high-rpm-idle served them best. All three teams showed well.
All of us met new acquaintances, we all made new friends. We should be able to continue building our relationships with these FSAE Motorsports groups, while helping to support, in some small way, the Major sponsors, such as Honda, Mercedes, and a host of others who have brought FSAE forward.
Food ... yes the food and festivities were excellent. So many people worked many hours to make this trials event a grand showing for active, participating volunteers. We commend everyone involved, especially the student engineers who average working 15 - 40 hours per week, all year for their teams in preparation, engineering, building, breaking down, testing, and trialing their cars.
Any high school student in America with aspirations to become an engineer, especially those considering MotorSports will find a great set of people, all with organizational team spirit and know-how to produce, to compete against over 250 worldwide universities participating in the FSAE program.
SME Birmingham looks forward to future eventful trials with the FSAE and with Barber Motorsports.
Thanks to all of you for a terrific day at the races.
Pictures taken by a GT member, Warren Vannus may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wvannus/sets/72157623169862085/
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