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Thread: FSAE Registration

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    FSAE Registration

    Hey everyone,

    My name is Phil Piper and I am the chief engineer for Bulldogs Racing over at Yale University. I've been lurking around the forums for the past 6 months or so but I haven't really spoken up until now. Registration was today, and it was just as tumultuous as I heard from previous years. I'm sure these forums get a post like this every year, but as far as I can tell registration could really use some rethinking.

    It was my first time registering a team so I setup shop 30 minutes early and reread the FSAE registration instructions. Everything looked good to go until about 10 minutes before 10am EST, at which point the registration page stopped refreshing. I left it for a few minutes to no avail, so I refreshed the page hoping to get back into the system; no such luck. It wasn't until about 10 minutes after 10am that I got in, at which point Formula Electric was filled up.

    Bulldogs Racing is now fifth on the waitlist. It is what it is, but I don't feel like that registration process was completely fair. We've been working on our car since January (we took a design year) and are already in the process of manufacturing a chassis and battery box because that's what it takes to get a rules-compliant electric vehicle. However I now have to return to the garage and take responsibility for not getting the team into the competition. Additionally I'll qualify this next statement by saying that by no means am I completely in tune with University of Texas at Arlington's registration process. However UTA are first on the waitlist and they're a FSAE powerhouse that has been working on their electric car for the past two years. I can only imagine that they, along with many other teams had similar problems with the SAE website.

    Maybe I missed something, or didn't have the right strategy for navigating the registration website. But is that what registration should be about? Here are three fairly simplistic solutions to get around this web hosting problem. The first is to do a better job hosting the website such that it can handle the registration load. The second is to have a set registration window (perhaps 30 minutes) that allows prepared teams to register for the competition. Then randomly select the teams that make it in (and maybe take the top 10 from last years competition). The third is to do what Formula North is doing with the registration quiz.

    I guess when it comes down to it, the issue is that there are more teams than there are spots. Fixing that would be the million dollar solution. Either way let me know what you think about potential amendments to the registration process.

    Phil

  2. #2
    Hello Phil,
    We are sorry that your first time registering for Formula SAE caused you some heartache. We did notice that Yale University, Bulldogs Racing is registered for Formula SAE Lincoln and on the waitlist for Formula SAE Electric. Can you confirm these are two different teams or did the team perhaps accidentally choose Lincoln instead of Electric?
    Thanks.
    FSAE

  3. #3
    Junior Member
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    We only have the electric team for 2016. There was a miscommunication such that another teammate was registering for FSAE Lincoln thinking it was FSAE Electric while I tried to register for FSAE Electric. Just our luck that we got into Lincoln at 10:05 and Electric at 10:10! We're dropping the Lincoln spot and crossing our fingers for other electric teams' misfortune (sorry guys!!!).

    Phil

  4. #4
    Phil,
    Thanks for your confirmation on the registration mishap. We will delete the FSAE Lincoln IC registration.

  5. #5
    Semi-related:

    Last year did everyone get off the waitlist? I know there were still not 20 cars at competition, let alone having 20 cars ready-to-race.
    If I were you guys I would continue with the project and expect to get off the waitlist.

    If there are teams registered that don't finish a car, and teams on the waitlist with a finished car by the time competition rolls around, it would be a huge shame. We as a team decided that if we ended up in this situation we would go to competition anyway and attempt to talk our way in by having a ready-to-race car amidst what will likely be ~10 cars that can't pass tech (BTW I really hope I am wrong about this and we end up with 20 cars passing tech).

    How does the waitlist work in terms of document submission?
    Penn Electric Racing

  6. #6
    Junior Member
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    That's awesome advice Adam. I'm going to talk with our president about that tomorrow haha. We're in a pretty good spot having procured two motors (Emrax 207), two controllers (Bamocar D3 400-400), and a chassis over the summer. So there is no way in hell we are dropping/delaying this car (also because its my senior year).

    To my understanding all documents must be submitted by the deadlines by waitlisted teams, otherwise they are taken off the waitlist. Additionally I'm not sure how many teams got off the waitlist last year, but the 2015 program does show 20 electric vehicles.

  7. #7
    phiper,

    From my long experience in FSAE if you are signing up for a competition like FSAE Michigan or FSAE Electric, where the demand outweighs the spot available, you need to be ready for registration. My advice for registration is to have at least 5 people with 5 different SAE accounts with computers with divers internet connections. We usually have everyone set up 45min before the registration time. I try to have 2 people on the different school networks, one person connected via 4G and one or two other people at home or at work. In my 6 years in FSAE we have never failed to register for a competition.

    That beeing said. I agree with you that the registration should be different. I like the method involving a rules quiz like Formula North or FSG. To their credit, SAE has made some improvements over the years, including putting registration for other CDS competitions on other dates(Baja sign up was 2 days ago) allowing the servers to do a little less work. They also have preregistration for teams who have placed well the year before.

    Regarding the waitlist. if you are in the first 10 teams i wouldn't lose hope. Our Baja team got a spot 2 years ago from the 6th on the waitlist 3-4 weeks before the competition. They were prepared and willing and unlike the 5 teams before them so close to the competition.
    Also if you can, sign up for multiple competitions(if $$ permits) and maybe only go to . Formula North now has an Electric category and its only about 1000$ to register. It can be a good run warm up competition. I would love it if more teams gave our schools electric team a run for their money and make them work for a top 5 at FSAE-E and FN.

    Good Luck,
    Daniel
    Formula SAE
    Montreal Polytechnique 2009-present
    Cost guy 2011-present
    Rules guy 2012-present
    Secretary 2013-present
    Assistant Director 2014-2015

  8. #8
    I notice that several teams that did not make it onto the Michigan list, including some from the Mid West, e.g. Oakland U., Grand Valley State, and Akron, have entered the Lincoln event. So it appears that all the IC teams have a competition, or the ability to enter one.

    And the option for FSAE-E teams on the wait list is to enter the Formula Hybrid competition. There is a class for electric vehicles. Registration for the electrics opens on Monday October 12th.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Royce View Post
    I notice that several teams that did not make it onto the Michigan list, including some from the Mid West, e.g. Oakland U., Grand Valley State, and Akron, have entered the Lincoln event. So it appears that all the IC teams have a competition, or the ability to enter one.

    And the option for FSAE-E teams on the wait list is to enter the Formula Hybrid competition. There is a class for electric vehicles. Registration for the electrics opens on Monday October 12th.
    Are the Hybrid electric car rules finally the same as the SAE electric car rules?
    Trent Strunk
    University of Kansas
    Jayhawk Motorsports
    2010-2014

    Now in NASCAR land. Boogity.
    Opinions Are My Own

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by theTTshark View Post
    Are the Hybrid electric car rules finally the same as the SAE electric car rules?
    There is still a 44km endurance event.
    Jay Swift
    Combustion Powertrain
    Global Formula Racing 2013-2014

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