RIT Formula Team Hits the Racing Circuit
For members of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Formula SAE racing team, all-nighters are the norm rather than the exception each spring as they prepare for upcoming competitions.
“We’ll be ready,” promises project manager Anthony Capobianco, fourth-year mechanical engineering major, acknowledging recent sleepless nights. Only a few weeks before the first race of the season, the white board behind him in the Formula team office was crammed with a daunting list of reminders. Not far away was the metal frame of this year’s model—the skeletal beginnings of a future racecar.Students’ efforts culminate this week as RIT competes among 140 teams in the Formula SAE today through May 20 at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Mich.
This year, the team used a new diagnostic tool developed by a group of engineering students. Fernando Fiore, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major and one of the team’s drivers, led a team of engineering students in designing an engine dynamometer test stand used to examine and tune the racer’s engine. The device will also be used in RIT mechanical engineering labs.
“This is a very important project for the future of the Formula SAE team and the mechanical engineering department’s laboratory facilities, especially considering the growing automotive option,” says Fiore, the team’s chief engineer. The project was supported by Siemens Automation, which donated a custom German-built motor, valued at more than $25,000.
“We are very thankful for Siemens generous contribution,” says Matthew Mudge, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major, who arranged the gift. “To show our appreciation, this year the Siemens logo is proudly displayed on the racecar.”
Also new this year: For a change, graduating seniors on the team will be able to attend their own graduation May 26-27. In years past, the date of the annual competition has often coincided with RIT commencement ceremonies. Fiore is one of two team members graduating this year.
“I’m definitely glad to be here for it and be part of that experience,” he says.
Later this spring, the team competes in the inaugural Formula SAE West, June 14-17, at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Even though the racecar goes from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 80 mph, it won’t be driven to the Golden State. Instead, Store to Door, a Rochester-based mobile self-storage company, and Speed Transportation, have agreed to ship it.
“It’s a small way for us to repay the continued confidence both the school and the students—who trust us to store their stuff over the summer—show us every year,” says Rick Taylor, general manager of Store to Door.
And it sure beats pulling an all-nighter behind the wheel.
Note: Rochester Institute of Technology’s Formula SAE racing team competes in the Formula SAE May 17-20 at Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Mich., and in the Formula SAE West June 14-17 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. For more information, visit http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries.