Following many late nights and weekends over the past nine months, Texas A&M engineering students saw the fruits of their labor when they won the Road & Track Cup for the second year in a row at the 2005 Formula SAE competition in Detroit, Mich.
The Formula SAE competition is held annually in late May in Michigan and consists of three days of competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International. This year more than 120 teams from universities such as Cornell and the University of Texas at Arlington as well as teams from 12 countries participated in the competition.
Dr. Make McDermott, associate professor of mechanical engineering and team adviser, also received the Carroll Smith Mentor's Cup award in route to guiding the team to the Road & Track Cup this year.
Teams earn points based on car performance in tests of acceleration, skid pad traction, autocross, endurance and economy of operation. Additionally, teams are judged on the basis of cost, overall design, and an oral presentation of their business case.
McDermott said that "the competition marks the culmination in all the studies and projects for the students. It is as much a project management challenge as a technical endeavor for the students, but it is enjoyable to watch them succeed."
The team won the autocross and acceleration competitions and placed third in skid pad, but unfortunately was not able to complete the endurance race due to a broken pull rod, a small part costing a mere $6.
By winning the Road & Track competition, the Aggie team will be featured in the November 2005 issue of Road & Track magazine.
This year's team was made up of students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution. A few other "auto enthusiasts" devoted time as well.
The Mentor's Cup McDermott received was to compliment, "outstanding contributions made by faculty advisors to the young engineers students' Formula SAE competition." McDermott said he was "overwhelmed" to receive the award.
Texas A&M students first participated in the competition in 1999, finishing 14th while winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Texas A&M won the overall competition in 2000 and finished second in 2004.