UC s Formula Car Finishes Fourth in International Competition

Following their fourth-place finish in May at the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International Competition in Romeo, Michigan, they have again finished fourth, this time in a competition in England. The Silverstone competition had 118 teams pre-registered.

The UC FSAE Team, Bearcat MotorSports, is the top finisher from the United States and the only U.S. team in the top five. The top five finishing teams were as follows:

1. RMIT (Royal Melbourne)
2. Delpht (Netherlands)
3. Stuttgart (Germany)
4. University of Cincinnati (USA)
5. Toronto (Canada)

Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England, was the site of this year’s Formula Student Competition. Silverstone was opened as a World War Two airfield in 1943 and later turned into a motor racing circuit. It is now one of the world's most famous motor sport venues and is the home of the British Grand Prix.

“The Formula Student Competition is sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, in cooperation with the Society of Automotive Engineers, and is judged by the same set of rules and criteria as the Formula SAE competitions in the United States,” says Randy Allemang, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the UC-SDRL.

Team Leader BJ Stoney and eight other team members were able to make the trip, thanks to generous sponsors. Results of the Bearcat MotorSports Team in the individual events are as follows:

Cost Report/Presentation — 17th
Sales Presentation — 17th
Overall Design — 3rd
Skid Pad — 11th
Acceleration — 22nd
Autocross — 11th
Endurance/Fuel Economy — 5th

“The third-place finish in overall design is particularly notable,” says Allemang. “It is a reflection both of the design of the car and the ability of the team members to explain and defend their design, based upon both analysis and experimental data.”

The UC Team also won the Best Newcomer Award for the top finish for a team in the first year of competing at Formula Student.