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MICHIGAN FINAL DAY May 13, 2012

A little late, but here are day 4 updates.

The last day of competition is all about endurance. A 22km race with a driver change half way through. The car must not be touched during the change. It must restart under its own power, nothing can scrape the track, the brake light must last, no fluids can be dropped. Although this all sounds pretty simple, anyone who has taken part in an FSAE event can tell you how formidable a challenge this really is.

First driver for us was Andrew McIlroy. Almost immediately, the pneumatics regulator that manages our shifting failed. Despite the lack of shifting, Andrew still put down some good times. Our engine began releasing steam. We were given the "meatball" flag (a black flag with red circle) indicating that we have to go to the pits for mechanical inspection by marshals. Steam is acceptable so we returned to the track. The rest of Andrew's stint went off without a hitch.

In for the driver change. Tyler Oulett got in the car and attempted to start it. For reasons we are yet to determine or diagnose the car would not restart. We tried until the main fuse blew and it was done for sure. We suspect heat was a big part of what happened. Although this competition ended in disappointment, we are proud of many things. 

We performed well at all other events, but more importantly, we achieved our fundamental team goals.

1. Develop highly skilled and effective engineers - more team members attended this event than any other. The knowledge gained this week will be indispensable.

2. Ensure long term team success - our recruitment program has retained more first year members and ensured that they are better prepared to step up next year.

3. Have fun - even in the face of disappointment this 2012 team is one that will always be smiling, laughing and joking. 

We're not done yet! Barrie is in 2 weeks. Once we sort out our mechanical issues, this car will be a very serious contender. Stay tuned, racing season is just beginning.

MICHIGAN DAY 3 May 12, 2012

Alright here is day 3 info:

First off, we got through the sound and brake portions of the brake test with no difficulty. 

Next we went to the dynamic track for acceleration and skid pad testing. We had some difficulties, along with everyone else, with tack conditions. The new pavement has some dusty residue on it. When we were contemplating potential changes, a very helpful marshall gave us a couple hints. Maybe I'll post them here after endurance tomorrow! After we made a couple changes we threw in our second driver had a much easier time with the car.

Later in the day was autocross. Track conditions had changed drastically. It was hotter and cleaner. We stuck with our set-up from earlier events and both drivers said the car was shockingly responsive. 

We put down great times for all events and we are happy with our results

We will post an album with all of our photos and videos soon. There's just to many to sort through right now!

MICHIGAN DAY 2 May 10, 2012

Day 2:

Busy day. We started with business presentations. We encountered a projector issue but overcame with flying colours. Thanks to Vincey's brilliance we had Investment Packages for everyone. Feedback was good!

We moved on to design presentations. No doubt, we all got stumped at some point, but every presenter said feedback was good and most of the judge's questions were well answered. We're feeling very confident!

Next we pushed the car over to cost report review. As always, there was a whole slew of corrections and adjustments before the real scenario. They asked how we can cut 15% of the cost from our fuel system. Adam Bezzina rocked it and earned us a perfect 20/20.

Meanwhile, in between events, we were working our way through technical inspection. For the static portion, something amazing happened. We did not need to make any adjustments or modifications to our car. No zip ties. No foil tape. We arrived with a fully tech ready car. 

All our drivers passed egress with no major difficulties and after a small leak on first tilt attempt, we passed that as well. Unfortunately, we couldn't start the car in time to get sound and brake test, but we don't expect any delays tomorrow morning.

Big day of driving tomorrow! Acceleration, skid pad, autocross.

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