Early Registration?

[Moody]

Has anyone else noticed that there are a couple teams (Brasil & Queensland) registered beyond the first 15? My advisor called me this a.m. in a panic, and here I was thinking that registration started tomorrow morning ... ?

- matt

edit: tragic brain fart - today IS the 4th, not the 3rd, as my watch lies to me.

[Moody]

Has anyone else noticed that there are a couple teams (Brasil & Queensland) registered beyond the first 15? My advisor called me this a.m. in a panic, and here I was thinking that registration started tomorrow morning ... ?

- matt

edit: tragic brain fart - today IS the 4th, not the 3rd, as my watch lies to me.

[bigtoyota9]

NC State got 46 at 10:05 am

[Ben Beacock]

we're at 53 at about the same time.. up to 94 now at 10:10

edit: looks like the numbers are all messed up. There are triplicates and duplicates of numbers. 137 teams now

[DJHache]

Texas at Austin got 59 at 9:05-ish.

[Brian Smith]

cant believe registration is going so fast! its only 10:45 eastern and theres 135 teams registered! Brazil was registered last night along with the top 10 (right?). Are the top 10 automatically reserved a spot?.

[Ben Beacock]

140 teams in 74 minutes

the top 10 teams from Formula SAE got early registration as well as the top 3 from Formula Australasia and Formula Student.

[Big Bird]

I believe if you had a "reserved" place, you should have got an email from the organizers last week to confirm your interest. That is what happened with us through the Formula Student placements.

Cheers

[Kevin Hayward]

I'm not surprised after last year that it has filled so quick. Good to see 3 Aussie teams there ... but I don't think I saw the 'gongs on the list.

Anyway looking forward to the comp. Hope there is no tornado action again. Having to drive the endurance on a wet track isn't something I'd like to repeat.

Kev

UWA Motorsport

[Moody]

We made it in ... #100 at around 10:45 ET

See you guys in May!

[jwinkler]

We missed registration, is there any way we can get in now? Looking through the list it appears several teams that were there last year didn't get registered in time. Why is it SAE has 3 mini baja events that don't fill up, but only one formula event? Filling 140 spots in 74 minutes is crazy, obviously the demand is there, is it just a lack of sponsorship? Who else ended up not getting registered in time?

Josh Winkler
University of Colorado- Denver

[Denny Trimble]

They're planning on having a second event in California next year, because of the demand...

Oh yeah, check out the multiple numbers:

1 Cornell University Cornell University Formula SAE
2 Texas A & M Univ-College Station Texas A&M Formula SAE
3 Auburn University Auburn University
4 University of Missouri-Rolla University of Missouri-Rolla
5 University of Washington UWFSAE
6 Penn State Univ-University Pk Penn State Formula SAE
7 University of Akron Zips Racing
8 Dartmouth College Dartmouth Formula Racing
9 University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Racing
10 Ohio State University Formula Buckeyes
11 Northern Illinois Univ NIU Motorsports
11 Technical University of Braunschweig Lions Racing
12 University of Hartford Hartford Motorsports
12 University of Toronto University of Toronto Formula SAE
13 LeTourneau University LeTourneau Formula SAE Racing
13 Purdue Univ-W Lafayette Purdue University
13 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Panther Racing
14 Georgia Insitute of Technology GT Motorsports
14 Massachusetts Inst of Tech MIT Motorsports
15 RMIT University RMIT Racing
15 University of Calif-San Diego Triton Motorsports
15 University of Toledo Rocket Racing
16 McGill University McGill Racing Team
16 Queensland Univ UQ Racing
17 Ryerson University Ryerson Rams
17 SAE Brasil SAE Brazil FSAE
18 Kansas State Univ Kansas State University Formula SAE
19 Ecole Polytechnique De Montreal Formule SAE-Poly
20 University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign Racing Illini
21 University of Puerto Rico CRE
22 University of New Mexico LoboMotorSports
23 Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Formula SAE
24 Michigan State Univ MSU Formula Racing
25 Wayne State University Wayne State FSAE Racing
26 University of Kansas-Lawrence Jayhawk Motorsports
27 Oregon State Univ Beaver Racing
28 Minnesota State University - Mankato Maverick Motorsports
28 Shibaura Institute of Technology Shibaura Institute of Technology
28 University of Regina Cougar Racing
29 San Diego State Univ SDSU Racing
30 Drexel University Drexel University Formula SAE
31 University of British Columbia Formula UBC
32 University of Waterloo Waterloo Motorsports
33 University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland College Park
34 Washington Univ-St Louis Washington University
35 University of Calif-Berkeley UC Berkeley Formula SAE
36 University of Pennsylvania UPenn Red & Blue Racing
37 Carleton University Ravens Racing
38 University of Florida GatorMotorsports
39 University of Portland University of Portland
40 Lehigh University Lehigh University
40 University of Alberta University of Alberta Formula SAE
41 Iowa State Univ Iowa State University Formula SAE
41 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MRacing
42 Queen's University Ontario Canada Queen's University
43 Case Western Reserve Univ Case Formula
44 Bradley University Bradley University FSAE
45 University of Windsor Lancers Racing
46 North Carolina State Univ-Raleigh Wolfpack Motorsports
46 University of Western Australia UWA Motorsport
47 Lawrence Tech University (Inst) Blue Devil Racing
48 University of Louisville Cardinals
49 Texas Tech Univ Red Raider Racing
50 Univ of North Carolina - Charlotte 49er Racing
51 Carnegie Mellon Univ Carnegie Mellon Racing
52 Saginaw Valley State University Cardinal Formula Racing
53 University of Guelph Gryphon Racing
54 Rutgers University Rutgers Formula Racing
55 University of Michigan-Dearborn UM-D Racing
56 University of Cincinnati Bearcatmotorsports
56 University of Manitoba University of Manitoba
57 Binghamton University SUNY Binghamton
58 California State Univ - Sacramento CSUS Racers Group
58 Virginia Tech Virginia Tech
59 University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Racing Team
60 Brown University Brown Formula SAE Team
60 Oakland University Oakland University Formula SAE Racing
61 McMaster University McMaster Racing Club
61 University of New Hampshire UNH Precision Racing
62 Duke University Duke University Motorsports/FSAE
62 University of Delaware University of Delaware FSAE
63 Universite Du Quebec-Chicoutimi FSAE UQAC
64 Clarkson University Clarkson University Formula Knights
64 Milwaukee School of Engrg MSOE Motorsports
64 University of Minnesota-Minneapolis university of minnesota
65 Oklahoma State Univ Oklahoma State University
66 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst Formula RPI
67 Univ of Central Florida Knight's Racing
68 University of Arizona Wildcat Motor Sports
69 Southern Illinois Univ-Carbondale Racing Salukis
70 National Univ of Singapore NUS
71 Clemson University Clemson FSAE
72 University of Evansville University of Evansville Aces
73 Portland State Univ viking motorsports
74 Michigan Tech Univ Michigan Tech Univ
74 Sophia University Sophia Racing
75 Southern Polytechnic State Univ SPSU Racing
76 University of South Florida noBull
77 Arizona State Univ-Tempe Speed Devils
78 University of Applied Sciences Stralsund student-racing team
79 University of Colorado-Boulder Buffalo Racing
80 Columbia University Columbia SAE Racing
81 Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia Motorsport
82 Kanagawa Institute of Technology Kanagawa Institute of Technology
83 University of Utah Utes Motorsports
84 University of Missouri-Columbia MIzzou Racing
85 University of Texas-San Antonio UTSA FSAE
86 Western Washington Univ Vikings
87 South Dakota Sch of Mines & Tech Hardrocker Racing
87 University of Texas-Arlington UTA Racing
88 Tennessee Tech Univ Eagles Racing Team
89 Colorado State Univ Ram Racing
90 Universite Du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres uqtr
91 Kettering University Kettering Motorsports
92 US Naval Academy Navy Motorsports
93 UCAB FSAE UCAB
94 Universidad Panamericana Painalli
95 Tokyo Denki University Tokyo Denki University
96 Universidad Simon Bolivar Equipo F-SAE USB
97 Universite Laval Université Laval
98 Kokushikan University Kokushikan Racing
99 Monroe County Community Coll Monroe racers
100 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa Crimson Racing
101 Mississippi State Univ Bulldogs
102 Hoseo university challenger
103 University of Oklahoma Sooner Racing Team
104 University of Western Ontario UWO Racing
105 Brunel University Brunel Racing
106 Middle Tennessee State Univ Formula Raiders
107 Parks College of St Louis Univ parks racing
108 Mercer University Bear Motorsports
109 Universidad Central de Venezuela Team Fórmula SAE-UCV
110 Florida Inst of Tech Panthers
111 Yeungnam Univ Chun Ma Dream Maker
112 Old Dominion Univ Old Dominion University
113 University of Alabama-Huntsville Charger Motorsports
114 University of Southern California SC Racing
115 Kookmin University KORA
Oxford Brookes Univ Oxford Brookes Racing
Universidad De Oriente

[Jon]

Once registration is full (140 teams) it is closed.

It fills up fast because this is the only FSAE event in the US and, teams from across the US and the World want to get compete. There are >>140 teams who want to get in. Mini Baja has multiple competitions across different regions of the US, and therefore practically more open registration spots then there are teams.

[James Waltman]

SAE.org was really slow loading everything for us this morning. I started right about 10:00am Detroit time and was finally registered by about 10:20.

I tried all of the phone numbers I had for our buddies at U of Idaho but it looks like I didn't get a hold of Sam until too late. What are we going to do at competition without Idaho saving our asses again and again? Sam, can I finally convince you that a west coast competition is a good thing? I hope you can find a way in still.

It's really cool to see all of the international teams.

SAE just added this to the list of registered teams:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> FYI: NUMBERS MAY CHANGE! SAE is aware of the duplicate numbering. Once registration has closed or slowed down, we will be taking action to correct the numbers by reassigning those necessary. Please check back. Anticpated change completion by Friday, October 8th. Thank you.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Charlie]

Teams were probably registering so quickly, that numbers were assigned at the same time.

I feel bad for teams that can't make it (especially considering that there will be registered teams dropping out), but after last year it should be no suprise.

Good luck and hopefully I can make it to the 05 competition. Sure would be nice to be there without worrying about anything. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Lash]

Wow that was quick. Poor people that weren't quick enough.

[Daygo Nighthawk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Charlie:
I feel bad for teams that can't make it (especially considering that there will be registered teams dropping out), but after last year it should be no suprise. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't understand why they force it to be this way.
They should allow for teams to drop-out and get a partial refund or something of their registration fee, and have a registration waitlist (and pay $600+ to sae) for those teams who got there just a little too late.

[Charlie]

SAE has said this over and over agin, they can only handle about 120 teams in Detroit, so they register 140 assuming dropouts. Although I agree it would be nicer to maybe have 120 slots and allow teams to exchange entries, imagine the politics involved in that. And if you were on a waiting list up until the last minute, and didn't get in, that would be worse than knowing you weren't going to compete this year..

[vinHonda]

Wow. That indeed is a record number. But this event is HUGE. It takes time to organize a second event in Cali. SAE Board recognizes the need for more everything (resources, money, people, etc) into Formula SAE because of it's popularity. Just give it time.

I hope to be there in 05 too. I think I may be a judge. And Charlie, yes it'll be interesting without having the pressure of driving/and or worry about the car.

Cheers,

Vinh

[Eddie Martin]

Kev,

Wollongong obviously won't be going to the Detroit comp. After doing 6 competitions in our first 3 years we really stretched ourselves past our limit. Everybody from the first two teams has either burnt out or graduated. Next year the team will actually spend 12 months designing, building and testing a car.
A lack of man power has hurt and having two really poor performances at our last two comps has shown this.

Eddie Martin
UOW Racing Alumni

[ReadySetGo]

That was really quick! It's a shame there are only 4 teams from CA. I think everyone is gearing up for the west coast '06 event! Wish they would have had that this year as I will be graduated after the '05 event. Speaking of which, our graduation event is the same day as the endurance event http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_mad.gif!!!! Looks like I'll be on a plane for graduation then fly back for big buck! haha

Can't wait to see you guys there!

[El Nino]

Theres actually 5 teams from CA: you guys, UCSD, SDSU, Berkeley, and us. Down from 9 last year though, which really is a shame. Im surprised to see we will be the only LA area team this year and I feel bad for Pomona, CSUN, and Long Beach who have been our friendly competition. What happened guys?

[carcar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Eddie Martin:
Wollongong obviously won't be going to the Detroit comp. After doing 6 competitions in our first 3 years we really stretched ourselves past our limit. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Eddie,

It is a shame that UOW will not be returning to the states again. Maybe OU will come out there to spend sometime with you all. Remember we are keeping your garage warm while you are away.

Carly
OU FSAE Racing

[chinesefonz]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jwinkler:
We missed registration, is there any way we can get in now? Looking through the list it appears several teams that were there last year didn't get registered in time. Why is it SAE has 3 mini baja events that don't fill up, but only one formula event? Filling 140 spots in 74 minutes is crazy, obviously the demand is there, is it just a lack of sponsorship? Who else ended up not getting registered in time?

Josh Winkler
University of Colorado- Denver <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We have done the same thing. I was waiting on confirmation from our student association that we would be able to be reimbursed BEFORE competition so that I may pay off my personal credit card bill. I have to pay competition fees out of my own pocket until my school pays me back. I for one don't have 600$ just layin around... I guess we wait to see what happens friday when they repost the results. &gt;: O


How quickly did it fill up last year?? I thought teams were still registering a month after the first registration date.

[carcar]

Registration filled up with in 8 days for last year. This year it only took one hour. That is crazy. This is why there will be more competitions held in the future.

C

[prettychicka23]

What happened to CSUN you asked well we got screwed this year. We were ready to compete but we can't believe that it closed up in an hour. That is just not right.

[Jon]

I dont think it should've been a surprise to anyone that registration filled up fast. The surest way to ensure getting a spot was to be sitting in front of a computer at 10:00 am EST with a credit card and waiting for the registration to open up.

[J. Schmidt]

It seems now that FSAE registration is like an e-bay auction, with people hovering over the computer clicking the refresh button until the last minute ticks by. If more competitions aren't offered in the future paddocks in Detroit will be sold to the highest bidder. Just immagine if a registered team could sell their slot...

[RickyRacer]

Well, good luck to all of the California teams. We are in the same boat as Woolongong. We have not been competing very well. We have decided to take a year off and reorganize to design a much better car and be very competitive in '06. We have to make a good showing at the West Coast event, home town pride. We will probably still go out to the competition to check it out and go to the Claude Roulle seminar.(If he has one, which I hope he does)
Ricky Torres
Long Beach Team Captain

[Dave M]

Cal Poly Pomona is on the two year program, we're planning to go the west coast event in '06

[rcrchc]

UC Davis is also on the two year program this year.

[cms56351]

cal state northridge is a one year program and we are thinking of going to formula student next year

Cal State Northridge

[rjwoods77]

This is retarded. Will I have to raise another $5000 for travel fees to get to england to compete in an event that is 5 hrs from me. We are going to travel halfway around the world to compete in a competition that we should be able to participate in our own home country. I think that off-continent participation is cool, but at the cost of people in the country where the competition is hosted. Europe has Student, Asia/Australia has Australasia and we have ours. I think in a situation like this, I that teams that are in the home country shouldn't be bumped. A huge bunch of slots would open up if the oversees teams had to make way for in-continent talent(North and South America. Two edge sword though because they usually bring good competition. It doesnt matter if there are 2 comps in 2006 because the same thing is going to happen.

[rjwoods77]

Sorry for typos. I meant "instead of compete in a event....."

[Jon]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rob Woods:
This is retarded. Will I have to raise another $5000 for travel fees to get to england to compete in an event that is 5 hrs from me. We are going to travel halfway around the world to compete in a competition that we should be able to participate in our own home country. I think that off-continent participation is cool, but at the cost of people in the country where the competition is hosted. Europe has Student, Asia/Australia has Australasia and we have ours. I think in a situation like this, I that teams that are in the home country shouldn't be bumped. A huge bunch of slots would open up if the oversees teams had to make way for in-continent talent(North and South America. Two edge sword though because they usually bring good competition. It doesnt matter if there are 2 comps in 2006 because the same thing is going to happen. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Unfortunately, as has already been stated, FSAE can only realistically host 120 teams in detroit. There are greater than 120 teams. Only way to ensure registration is to do it right when it opens. Obviously a lot of teams had this idea since registration happened so fast.

When SAE opens up a Formula West in California, they should only allow teams to compete in one or the other. That would eliminate some of them registration demand.

Certainly it sucks not to be able to compete in Detroit, but the growing demand for FSAE means its recognition and reputation is expanding, which in the end is good for everyone involved.

[Kevin Hayward]

Rob,

I see your point about the American teams not being able to go to a comp. However if you acknowledge that FSAE in America is the equivalent of the world championship then you need to let international teams compete in the event. I think this will always be the case as I doubt a team winning in Oz or the UK will ever be considered number one in the world without winning in the US.

The second US comp sounds like a great idea ... I hope that one comp in the world still retains its status as the event where all the best in the world try and win. It would be awesome for that to be Australia, or somewhere not in the US but teams such as Cornell do not do the international events.

So basically why I am upset that a US team misses out because our team is attending I will not be trying to convince our project manager to pull us out of the comp.

Kev

[rjwoods77]

Like I said. Gotta buck up and raise travel money to go to England. In the mean time SAE seriously needs to come up with a plan for replacement of dropped teams if there are less than the 120. I know this is hard to do but they owe it to SAE affliated students to try to get as many of us in as they can. I dont think anyone realised that I would be like this. I wonder how many teams just shot off the entrance fee just to retain their place if they possibly show up. We are going to keep going "as if" in the hope something happens. We called SAE and they had a real shit attitude about it. But then again they are probably trying to react to the flood of teams calling in. Like I said. We hold hope and we go "as if". I mentioned England and some just looked at me weird but when I get an idea in my head I run with it. Would just be a shame if we had to go that far just to race. Damn shame. England would be cool though. Always wanted to go to the Donnington collection, motorsport valley, and eat shitty food. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif If I get real lucky I can meet Needles.

[ethanL007]

Kevin,

as a US team, I don't think you should feel any bit upset that you made it in and a US team didn't make it in.

After last year's registration process, as well as warnings at FSAE, it was pretty clear that the "Ebay" mentality was required to get a spot. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter; this is the way that SAE wants to administer it. I can't run a GSXR 1000 engine in comp for the very same reason. Everyone should know the rules, just as everyone must follow them.

[Denny Trimble]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rob Woods:
... I dont think anyone realised that I would be like this. ... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I feel bad for all the teams that didn't get in. It's a shame.

A two-year plan can be very successful. The WWU team in '98 did very well on a 2-year car, and the ETS car this year in Detroit and the UK was just amazing. If our team didn't get in to the US event, we'd probably wait until the Australian event to enter again, then bring the same car to Detroit / California and kick some ass. But, it might be harder to motivate students for a longer-term project, and the fundraising isn't trivial. But look at the number of Australian teams that make it over here!

Who knows...

[jack]

i agree with ethan, we had our advisor, and james on our team, at the shop at 7:00am (same as 10:00est), sitting at the computer. did we know that registration would fill up so quick? did anyone? of course not. the point is, if you were serious about going to detriot this year, that seems like the least you could do.

i also agree with kevin as FSAE in detriot being an "international" competition.

[Eddie Martin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by carcar:
It is a shame that UOW will not be returning to the states again. Maybe OU will come out there to spend sometime with you all. Remember we are keeping your garage warm while you are away.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hey Carly
Yeah it would be great for the team to go back but it is a completely new bunch of guys that need time to learn the ropes and going to the states hurts when it comes to building a new car.
After spending so many late nights working on the car in the OU garage you guys will always be welcome at our workshop. Hopefully you make it down to Oz in the next couple of years. If you keep crazy Greg under control and on track i'm sure you guys will do well. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Rob,
It was extremely clear to everyone that it was going to fill up that fast, i thought it would be full in about 30 minutes but i guess that is just the computer system. For the 2003 comp it took 3.5 months to fill up, 2004 took 8 days. Steve Daum made it very clear to everybody in the team captains meeting it would fill up quickly and what the situation would be when it got to 140. SAE can't do any more than that, they have been very transparent in the way they have gone about things.
Also if I was you Rob I wouldn't be hassling the poms about their food, people in glass houses. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Eddie Martin
UOW Racing Alumni

[B Dana]

This all sounds familar. At the University of Minnesota, we went through all of it last year. We finished 7th at FSAE '03, then we missed even registering for the 2004 event. Here were the stages of my reaction:

DENIAL - Can't be closed! it's only October!

DEAL MAKING WITH SAE - Maybe there is a waiting list? Some of those teams won't show so why can't we take their slot when they no-show?

ANGER - Smuther Nucker!

BLAMING OTHERS - This is our "home" comp; foreign teams are getting two comps and we can't even get to one! Stupid FSAE registration policy!

BRAVE FACE: We're keeping to the original schedule and how about Formula Student! It can't cost that much...

REALIZATION: We're getting nothing done here.

RATIONALIZATION: Two year design cycle is better anyway.

ACCEPTANCE: Nothing kept us from registering in time, we just didn't.

If you are still in the anger stage, ask yourself these questions:

Where does it say that participation in FSAE is a right?

Were the registaration rules unclear?

Did registration occur in accordance with the published rules?

In any case, for all the teams that did not make the 140, I feel your pain but don't be too hard on the organizers. They do an outstanding job every year.

Regards,

B. Dana

[rjwoods77]

I am new to the competition and new to the team. We had a stupid hangup with money. We will make the car anyway and try to compete somewhere. The scary thing is if this is the trend what will be done in the future. Are we all supposed to hinge this awesome learning experience based on who can speed dial?

[Chase]

A problem with picking up teams that couldn't make registration is that the ones that drop usually do so a few months before competition.
The problem with that is deadlines on certain reports and budgets etc. and to top that if a team were to get reregistered to Detroit and had already registered for Formula Student they would have to drop Formula Student or plan to go to both.

Also isn't there going to be a Formula SAE Brazil or something in the next year or so?

Maybe they could make a late deadline for reregistered teams, but you would still need those reports ready.

If they do allow such a thing to occur they would need to notify the teams who were up for consideration of being registering at an early date to be fair.

[James Waltman]

Looks like SAE sorted out the numbers.

From the list of registered teams at SAE.org:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> FYI: The numbering issue has been resolved. Please double-check your team registration for the revised car number. Thank you! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Ben Beacock]

yeah, we lost our nice 2-digit 53 for a beefy 120. less room for sponsors! http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_confused.gif
but anyways.. we should be lucky we even have a number.

[james17]

Just for the sake of conversation for those hoping to claim spots of teams that drop out, 140 registered last year and im almost positive 138 showwed up.

[Denny Trimble]

In the official results, 129 teams scored more than 0 points, and 134 were listed in total.

[Charlie]

So far I have not heard of any teams that were ready and prepared to register when registration opened, but couldn't get in. So while I feel badly for teams that are in shock now, it doesn't seem to be a situation that was unavoidable. Whoever was in charge just neglected to pay enough attention to deadlines.

I feel that SAE has been more than good to teams this year, by securing a SMALL percentage of spots for the best of the international teams (they deserve it! not just because they are good teams, but because they are dedicating a lot of time and resources just to get there), and securing the top ten to avoid something like UofMinn went through last year.

[Brent Howard]

B Dana,

If you finished 7th how did you miss registration as the top ten teams have spots held for them.

Brent

[Didier Beaudoin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brent Howard:
B Dana,

If you finished 7th how did you miss registration as the top ten teams have spots held for them.

Brent <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm pretty sure this is a new rule for 2005. There wasn't any locked place for the top-10 teams before this year, as far as I know. Maybe there were for top-3 or something, but not for top-10.

[B Dana]

Brent,

If there were held spots in 2004, nobody notified us. Anyway, I think reserving slots for top finishers is a good idea but I also know that until last year there really was no need to do it.

In 2003, it was 3 months before registration filled up; if you didn't get a slot you weren't trying very hard. Missing registration that was only open for just over an hour is another story; if you overslept you missed it.

I'm sure FSAE organizers have been flooded with emails telling them what a raw deal the 2005 registration was. I'm also sure that there will be changes for next year to address the issue. Having a comp in California will drastically alter the supply side of the equation at the very least.

Cheers,

B. Dana

[Brent Howard]

Nope, the spots were held in 2004 for the top 10 teams. Notice that 9/10 of these teams are registered and their registration number is identical to their place in 2003. that is because the spots were held for them. Also notice that there was no #7 car in 2004.

Brent

[Dan Deussen @ Weber Motor]

Brent,

In 2005 the top 10 US teams, the top 3 UK teams, and the top 3 OZ teams were invited to register early, and were therefore guaranteed a spot.

In 2004 there was no early registration and no spots were held. The car number 1 through 10 are always reserved for the last year top 10 teams, if they register or not.

[Charlie]

Brent, the top ten spots were not held in 2004. The numbers were, but the spots were not.

[Brent Howard]

Thanks Dan and Charlie,

I was under the impression that they were held.

Brent

[B Dana]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The scary thing is if this is the trend what will be done in the future. Are we all supposed to hinge this awesome learning experience based on who can speed dial? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Let me turn that last question around. What do people think would be a fair registration scheme considering demand is outstriping supply?

B.Dana

[Ben Beacock]

registration ideas:

1) if you can prove that you have been developing a car for a year already(and weren't at the last competition), a spot should be reserved so that a 2 year car doesn't become a 3 year one