Great Year for Terps Racing: Formula SAE

“Maryland is definitely being regarded around the competitions now as a top-tier school.”

Greg Schultz, Terps Racing Advisor

The Clark School’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2009 Terps Racing teams have had a very successful year, with both the Formula SAE team and the Baja SAE team placing in their final competitions in June.

Formula SAE (FSAE) is a series of competitions for universities at an international level, which are held at various locations across the country. Advised by Greg Schultz, adjunct associate ME professor, the UMD FSAE team journeyed to Fontana for the FSAE California 2009 races June 17-20. With the objective of creating a prototype formula-style race car that has potential for production, the team placed 4th in the overall competition and 1st in the critical endurance race. The team also finished 3rd in acceleration, 5th in endurance plus fuel economy, and 8th in design. "This is a real testament to the character and ability of our Terps Racing Team and their Advisor," says Dr. Avram Bar-Cohen, ME department chair.

"Overall, I was very pleased with the strong results from the students, as they worked very hard all year," says Schultz. "Maryland is definitely being regarded around the competitions now as a top-tier school." The FSAE team is comprised of team leader Tommy Doehner, James Ngan, Adam Satisky, Chris Watson, Brandon Kopetzky, Jessica Golladay, Herman Singh, David Aird, Dan Westerwick, Buck Stafford, Ajay Chandhok, JP Rock, Mike Pal, Jacob Osman, Ryan Heim, Evan Hartranft, Vasco Mateus, and Brian Baker. Mike Cook and Mike Stanley mentored the team. Seven of these members are returning for the 2009-2010 year.

When the team is not competing, FSAE is involved with design work and testing. "A lot of work is put in [during] the summer time to get a design on paper and details worked out. We are constantly designing pieces of the car even throughout the semester," says team member Brandon Kopetzky. In fact, Kopetzky adds that the design for the 2010 car is well underway. To prepare for the FSAE events, the team spends much time driving and testing the design in order to determine optimal race setup. Kopetzky adds, "Preparing for races is all about time management!"

Students interested in participating on either FSAE or Baja SAE can register for ENME408: Selected Topics in Engineering Design or join the Terps Racing Club.

For more information, please visit: www.terpsracing.umd.edu.

Published August 12, 2009