Seattle Press on Line - UW Students Field Their Own Race Car

UW Students Field Their Own Race Car

Adam Smith and Amy Haas with driver. A third of the students are women.

May 18, 2000 -- A group of University of Washington mechanical engineering students have designed and built an SAE class racing car which they are entering in national competition sponsored by the "Big Three" auto makers in Pontiac, Michigan later this month.

More than prizes and recognition are at stake. The annual competition, which is entered by over 100 schools, provides a major recruiting venue for auto companies looking for new talent.

The 35 students have spent much of their senior year working on the car. They divided themselves into 5 teams to work on different aspects of the design and construction: frame, brakes and suspension, drive train, ergonomics, and engine.

The students designed and built the car from the ground up, class advisor Scott Martin said. Some parts, like the engine, were manufactured elsewhere, but mostly the students designed and produced the components.

The 500 lb. car is powered by a 600cc Honda motorcycle engine modified to fuel injection.

"It's not a go-cart," explained Lance McCann, spokesman for the class and a member of the drive train team. "It has full independent front and rear suspension and is designed for precision cornering and rapid acceleration. It can do zero to 60 in 4 seconds," he said.

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