MOMENTUM - September 2023 - 32

STUDENT GENERATION
university on the racecar.
Alex Butman, a mechanical engineering major who was
graduating from UCLA, said while the team isn't on a
shoestring budget, it is not swamped with backers, either. " We
really don't have a ton of sponsors. "
All over the paddock, it seemed like last-minute solutions
were the order of the day. Underscoring the cooperative spirit
among teams, there was a steady stream of announcements
about teams seeking help, often for seemingly mundane items
that were no doubt critical to passing inspection. " Lawrence
Tech is in need of one square foot of gold foil tape for a fuel
pump, " one such announcement said. Another: " Purdue
University, your parts are ready at the machine shop. "
UCLA's Butman recounted a situation the team faced at the
2022 competition, in which he found a quick solution for an
ill-fitting brake pedal attachment. " I cut the handle off one of
our screwdrivers, " he said. " And it's still in the car [this year]. "
EXPERIENCE AND RECRUITERS
Over at the autocross course, which occupies a mostly flat
section of the MIS apron, teams that had passed inspection and
all their safety tests were lining up to get a few practice runs in
ahead of the official competition. Gary Godula, a longtime
FSAE volunteer and director-at-large for Detroit Region SCCA,
said the competition teaches essential workplace skills.
" This is really an immersion into project management, " he
said. " But more than that, the real benefit of being here on site
is recruitment - the access to recruiters, " he said.
Godula, who was in charge of the test area, said the best
teams come in with a plan. " I ask every team 'what is your test
plan?' Are you just scuffing the tires, practicing acceleration?
Understand why you're practicing, " he semi-shouted to be
heard over the din of a car on the course. " If you're going to
break something, break it here while you have time to fix it. "
Godula relishes being able to teach young engineers about
precision when it comes to crisis maintenance. " It's like, how
fast can I teach them to change out a broken rod end without
losing their alignment, " he said " By counting the threads, not
moving anything you don't have to, and measure everything. "
THE END
When the scores were tallied, Illinois won the competition with
863.3 points out of a possible 1,000. It was the team's second
consecutive win at Formula IC. Finishing in second and third
were, respectively, Wroclaw University of Technology from
Poland and Ohio State University.
Liberty University and Bradley University finished 98th and
108th respectively.
For more information about Formula SAE, go to https://
www.fsaeonline.com/ n
This article is a lightly edited version of one written by SAE Media
editor Clint Clonts. Click here to read the original.
32 September 2023
The UCLA team finished 6th
Formula IC 2023.
in the Endurance Event and 10th
overall at
Oklahoma State's
Hannah Kennedy
with the tools of
her trade. She's
the team's
outreach and
public relations
co-leader.
UCLA team member Alex Butman solved a last-minute problem in the
2022 competition with the handle of a screwdriver.
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