Help: Team Setup

[EliseS2]

I learned about FSAE my Junior year in high school and knew I wanted to do it then. Every school I visited, I made sure to visit the FSAE team. For some strange reason I decided to attend Marquette Univeristy in Milwaukee. The FSAE team had about 8 members. By Sophmore year we were down to four (as you know only 2 including me did anything). This whole time the school gave us no support and tried to kill the program, which caused us to lose members. So first semester junior year me and the other active memeber decided to do baja (it was his senior design project). So I helped design and build the car, but my second semester I cooped and was not on campus. This past fall I was also cooping and I wanted to start SAE back up again when I came back during the spring.

So spring comes around and I am intent on starting the team over again. Suddenly I get an email from some random person about the first SAE meeting of the year. So I was intriuged and attended. It turns out that the school has finally realized that SAE is worthwhile. The school approached this guy, Jason, and asked him to start it up again. I had never met Jason and he had never attended any SAE meetings in the past. So the school gave him money for tools. They are also giving us access to the nice new machine shop. I was very excited. Finally we were getting help and something can come out of this.

As usual tons of people have shown up to these first meetings. Of course we are not actually doing any work so we are not losing many members. Jason plans on having 3 teams within SAE. Team 1 would be a regular competition baja. A second team would be a baja car that would not be used in competition. A third team would just do random small projects.

Now no one wants SAE to succeed more than me. But I truly beleive that this will spread us too thin. He thinks we have a team of 40 in our first year. I am the only one currently on the team that has any experience with these cars. I do not think we have anywhere near enough experience to keep a team of 40 together. Let alone the money to build 2 baja cars and money for random projects.

Does anyone else think this is unrealistic to have 3 teams? Jason has also said that he would not commit as much time as we did for FSAE. He is expecting around 4 hours of work a week for the competition team.

[EliseS2]

I learned about FSAE my Junior year in high school and knew I wanted to do it then. Every school I visited, I made sure to visit the FSAE team. For some strange reason I decided to attend Marquette Univeristy in Milwaukee. The FSAE team had about 8 members. By Sophmore year we were down to four (as you know only 2 including me did anything). This whole time the school gave us no support and tried to kill the program, which caused us to lose members. So first semester junior year me and the other active memeber decided to do baja (it was his senior design project). So I helped design and build the car, but my second semester I cooped and was not on campus. This past fall I was also cooping and I wanted to start SAE back up again when I came back during the spring.

So spring comes around and I am intent on starting the team over again. Suddenly I get an email from some random person about the first SAE meeting of the year. So I was intriuged and attended. It turns out that the school has finally realized that SAE is worthwhile. The school approached this guy, Jason, and asked him to start it up again. I had never met Jason and he had never attended any SAE meetings in the past. So the school gave him money for tools. They are also giving us access to the nice new machine shop. I was very excited. Finally we were getting help and something can come out of this.

As usual tons of people have shown up to these first meetings. Of course we are not actually doing any work so we are not losing many members. Jason plans on having 3 teams within SAE. Team 1 would be a regular competition baja. A second team would be a baja car that would not be used in competition. A third team would just do random small projects.

Now no one wants SAE to succeed more than me. But I truly beleive that this will spread us too thin. He thinks we have a team of 40 in our first year. I am the only one currently on the team that has any experience with these cars. I do not think we have anywhere near enough experience to keep a team of 40 together. Let alone the money to build 2 baja cars and money for random projects.

Does anyone else think this is unrealistic to have 3 teams? Jason has also said that he would not commit as much time as we did for FSAE. He is expecting around 4 hours of work a week for the competition team.

[RiNaZ]

Maybe i didnt read your post well enough, but i dont understand why you are having 3 teams within SAE? The thing i dont understand is, why build 2 cars, one for the competition and the other which will not be used in the competition?(a backup car?). Or maybe you get enough fund from the school to build 2?

In my opinion, if you dont have any experience or have any experience team member, you should start out with Mini-Baja. The basic design of a Baja car is pretty much lay-out in the rule book. So there arent too many research that you have to do compare to formula. And the best thing is, it cost a whole lot less to do Baja than a formula car. These days, i think it's hard to be competitive in Formula SAE if you dont have CNC mill or some advance machining tools. With Baja, it's pretty much everyday tool that you probably have in your garage like drill press, handsaw etc (we even did our frame jig using wood! but of course, strongly not recommended).

One thing you could do though, maybe you can try searching some school around there that would donate a formula or a baja car to you. Some schools dont have the space for old Formula or Baja cars, so maybe you could convince your engineering dept. to pay for the shipping. It's a great motivating tool to have a complete car in your machine shop. So next time your team captain tells you that 4 hours a week would be enough to build either a formula or a baja car, you can show him how a complete car (or half complete) looks like, and maybe he'll change his mind after that.

My team is very fortunate this semester to get a team advisor who has 9 years of experience in Baja and formula. He helps out a lot in terms of giving advice on what works and what not. How often do you find a prof. who goes to 3 students meeting in a day? My team advisor for my previous years wouldnt even show up more than once per semester. So, getting a team advisor who is dedicated is a plus if you could find one.

p/s: just in case you're wondering, there are some school out there that would donate old FSAE and Baja cars, all you gotta do is ask, maybe do a presentation of somesorts. Thanks a bunch to U of Colorado for donating us their old FSAE chassis!!!

[EliseS2]

We an old formula car (2003) that has seen better days, but could run again. We have a running Baja car from (04). I spent a huge amount of time on the Formula car. The Baja car I helped with design, some of the manufacturing, and was at the competition.

I of course want a Baja car for the 06 competition, I have no delusions of graduer that a formula car is possible in the next three years.

The best part is that since FSAE is dead, we finaly have a CNC mill and have acess to it!

[Dick Golembiewski]

As someone who has seen SAE student design projects from every perspective save headquarters staff (and I threaten to do that once and awhile...) I'd be happy to speak with you folks. The last time I did so was in 2000.

I have one last pre-season test on Friday. We start our season at Sebring next month. I'm sure we can work around my schedule. I'll be sitting in on MSOE's presentations next Friday. I'm told that they are in danger of losing their FSAE program as well.

Be sure to check with Dale Wiza of the SAE Milwaukee Section.

As of right now I don't know if I'll be judging FSAE this year as we have a race at Mid-Ohio that weekend.

- Dick Golembiewski

[drivetrainUW-Platt]

Hey,
never knew Marquette was trying to get a team together! I'm sure MSOE or Madison would be willing to give you a hand, and us down at
UW-P, we are always looking for local teams to compare notes with so drop me an email duwem@uwplatt.edu

[EliseS2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dick Golembiewski:
As someone who has seen SAE student design projects from every perspective save headquarters staff (and I threaten to do that once and awhile...) I'd be happy to speak with you folks. The last time I did so was in 2000.

I have one last pre-season test on Friday. We start our season at Sebring next month. I'm sure we can work around my schedule. I'll be sitting in on MSOE's presentations next Friday. I'm told that they are in danger of losing their FSAE program as well.

Be sure to check with Dale Wiza of the SAE Milwaukee Section.

As of right now I don't know if I'll be judging FSAE this year as we have a race at Mid-Ohio that weekend.

- Dick Golembiewski </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dick

I would be very happy to host you at Marquette. During the week at around 7 pm is probably the best, but any other is probably open.

I am very suprised that MSOE may lose formula. They seemed to have a very consistant team that was improving. I am very intrigued that you came to speak in 2000. I have read what you have wrote about team set up multiple times, and they must not have listened to you at all.

My email is john.dupreenospam@mu.edu

-John Dupree

[EliseS2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by drivetrainUW-Platt:
Hey,
never knew Marquette was trying to get a team together! I'm sure MSOE or Madison would be willing to give you a hand, and us down at
UW-P, we are always looking for local teams to compare notes with so drop me an email duwem@uwplatt.edu </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

We have had a team for the past couple years. 2001-2003 was formula and 2003-04 was mini-baja. This year nothing is happening, we are just preparing for a Baja car next year. I am the only memeber on the team that has built either type.