Formula SAE West 2008 Competition: - Updates, Pictures, Stories, and More.

[Wes H]

Who else has a picture of this:

I can see that at least two people on the left side of my frame may have caught it. The girl with the 1d should have nailed it.

I would love to see more pics of this. All of us at Brooklyn Poly had a great time and were honored to take rookie of the year especially in such a strong field. We cant wait to come back again next year and compete again. Congratz to all the winners.

Wes

[Steve O]

Originally posted by Marshall Grice:
I don't remember who it was, but at least you didn't fail endurance due to your brake over travel switch triggering on your first lap.

Yeah, I guess that is a good point... I made sure ours was adjusted properly before we went out. Either way, if you DNF for a wheel falling off or the BOT triggering you still DNF. It was just so anticlimactic...the muffler! At first I heard it get louder and thought that maybe we just lost the silencer tip and they wouldn't notice, but when they pulled me off and I saw the whole muffler hanging there, I thought it was kind of funny for a brief moment.

I have pictures of the events that I will post for everyone as soon as I can get our DNS to work properly.

Steve
U of Hartford

[Gasperini]

Murphy doesn't want to give us a break.

I think Murphy lives at West.

[mtg]

Originally posted by Marshall Grice:
I don't remember who it was, but at least you didn't fail endurance due to your brake over travel switch triggering on your first lap.

Was that possibly South Dakota State?

[Yellow Ranger]

I know OU had a similar BOT problem in Michigan last year...

[Julian Choquette]

Pictures here:

http://www.etudiants.polymtl.ca/fsae/gallery/view_album...albumName=fsaewest08

[MikeDutsa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPKqDIMkQv4

short video i threw together.

[JR @ CFS]

Hi all,

Just to say thanks to everyone who helped us out during the competition. It's tough enough flying the 8000 miles across the "pond" from Sweden, but when you forget to fill out the Carnet document properly and can't bring any tools or spares, it makes it a little more interesting. All the teams were fantastic in that respect. Even when they had their own problems to deal with, they were willing to lend a hand! It's why I love FSAE!

In the end the positives were that we lost weight since FSUK07, our car didn't overheat, it rode like it was on rails during sprint and enduro and we won the sales event.

The downsides were the understeer during skidpad (we finished 4th in FSUK07), the fouled sparkplugs during accel (top 10 FSUK07) and getting the meatball during enduro...we missed a top 10 by 2.5points in the end!

FSAE West differed from FSUK in good ways and bad.

Tech inspection was fantastic, a far more relaxed (but still thorough) affair, unlike the crucifixtion experienced at FSUK. I think once a team has begun their inspection in the bay, it should continue until it is over and done with. FSUK is good in this respect.

The course was fantastically fast (and challenging) and far more fun that the FSUK track which favours the light singles immensley. Some dubious marshalling, but on a whole, good.

Some of the criticism I heard in the run up to and during the design event by some judges was not what I would call constructive, more destructive. This is an educational program after all...we have a restricted amount of time to learn what we can and I think some judges expect us to know what they, people of immense experience, know. I'm not disrespecting/criticising their engineering knowledge, simply their pedagogic approach to dealing with undergraduates at the beginning of a long (and hopefully successful) career. This criticism is not directed at all judges...some of them were fantastic and gave credit where it was due. Toledo had the most fantastic comeback to a comment made by a certain judge, but that's for them to tell

The meatballs during the endurance;

http://public.fotki.com/makofoto/200...a/img0971.html

Well, our first driver was checked in the queue for the enduro and passed with no problems. During our changeover our second driver wasn't checked for rule conformance with distance to the head rest and as a result, we got meatballed. You could say we were in the wrong and it was our fault, but we had checked this problem constantly after what had happened to Helsinki and took action to make sure it wouldn't happen. I discussed this at length with several of Cincinnati, Pomona and Toledo and we agreed that SAE should do a deal with a HANS device manufacturer/distributor to provide them at discounted prices, that way when worn, there is no question of nonconformance. And if safety was such a big issue, it could simply be made compulsary...much like the 2inch roll over rule all around was made compulsary late in many teams design/manufacturing phase. At the end of it all, these people are volunteering to do this and I sincerely salute them in making the hard calls...but in a few years time, it will be us having to make the same calls.

Now I am finished and done with FSAE, it will be nice to be a spectator once again (I need to have a short break before I volunteer). FS/FSAE experience definitely got me my job, so I have a lot to thank for it. I look forward to seeing a few teams from across the pond at FSUK and if you need a hand with anything, just keep an eye out for me (I'll be in my red top with a Swedish blondie on my shoulder and no doubt a Swedish flag attached to me somewhere )


P.S.

Oh a message to Miki from DUT...can I please have a copy of your photos from the awards ceremony. If anyone else has any, I would greatly appreciate them.

[Osth]

I look forward to seeing a few teams from across the pond at FSUK and if you need a hand with anything, just keep an eye out for me (I'll be in my red top with a Swedish blondie on my shoulder and no doubt a Swedish flag attached to me somewhere Big Grin)

Please give us some updates about FSUK this year Jonnie if you go there, as our 08 team isn't really focusing on communication with the outer world .

PS. Very nice work with the sales, finally a win for Chalmers again!

[MH]

Originally posted by jonnierice:
P.S.

Oh a message to Miki from DUT...can I please have a copy of your photos from the awards ceremony. If anyone else has any, I would greatly appreciate them.

I took the pictures with the camera of Michigan State, cause my batteries were gone. But with a bit of luck they will send them to me soon, so you can have them. Couldn't you shave a bit before the awards? It blackened the photo!

See you in England!

Miki Hegedus
Delft University