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2010 Unveiling A Success! (May 5, 2010)
Jayhawk Motorsports Places 3rd in California Competition (June 21st, 2009)
(Faculty Advisor Dr. Sorem receives prestigious award)
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The University's Society of Automotive Engineers club took third place over the weekend at the Formula SAE California competition in Fontana, Calif.
The SAE competed against more than 60 universities from across the country as well as from Asia and Europe in a competition that included designing, selling and racing its racecar, the JMS-90.
"It's a lot of hard work," said Robert Sorem, associate professor of engineering and faculty adviser for the group. "It takes about 20 students, between 60-100 hours a week and a lot of all-nighters."
Matt Petty, Chanhassen, Minn., senior and team captain, said it was a 10-month process to get the vehicle ready to compete.
"It started in August with a blank sheet of paper," Petty said.
Petty said the team set an April 1 deadline to test the car for the first time. He said that the SAE club had been competing in Formula SAE events since 1994 and that more universities had participated in recent years.
In the three-day competition, SAE competed in a static event, in which it had to justify its designs in front of a panel of judges. The University's SAE team took third in that event.
SAE took 13th in the sales competition, which gave the team enough points to take third going into the auto-cross event. Cars in this event were tested to see which could complete one lap of the speedway in the shortest amount of time. The event also included an endurance portion, in which a team member drove the car around the speedway 11 times.
SAE put up the second fastest time of 62.78 seconds.
"We were very happy; it showed how fast our car and drivers can be." Petty said.
With their second place finish in the auto-cross and endurance competitions, the team had enough points to finish third overall behind Oregon State University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The team received a trophy and $1,000. Dr. Robert Sorem won the Mentor Cup for his contributions to the SAE program since 2000.
"It was a big deal for him," Petty said.
"As a team, we were very happy with third place. It was a little disappointing because we wanted first place, but we know now what we need to do to win"
Jayhawk Motorsport gears up for California Competition (June 1st, 2009)
Jayhawk Motorsports will compete at the Formula SAE California competition June 17-20 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., after finishing third in autocross and making the semifinals of the design phase at the Formula SAE Michigan competition in May. The students, all from the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas, designed and built a Formula-style open-wheel racecar that competed against more than 100 teams from universities around the world at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.
"Our results in Detroit show the hard work the students have put into the program this year," said Robert Sorem, associate professor of mechanical engineering, associate dean of the School of Engineering and team adviser. "With the time we have before the competition in California, we have high expectations for our results there."
This year's car, JMS-09, runs on fuel composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Previous models have run on high-octane race fuel. The team conducted extensive research and testing and found performance benefits to match the ecological benefits of the renewable fuel source.
This year's Formula SAE team is larger than ever, with more than 25 underclassmen volunteers, 15 seniors who chose the team as their senior design project and six graduate-level volunteers. Jayhawk Motorsports is supported by dozens of engineers and professionals in the automotive industry. The project gives students of all levels and disciplines real-world experience prior to their college graduation.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally Visits Jayhawk Motorsports Shop (April 29, 2009)
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Ford CEO and KU Engineering Alumni Alan Mulally visited the Jayhawk Motorsports this week as part of a filming Ford is doing to tell "The Ford Story". Mr. Mulally spent about 45 minutes in the FSAE shop answering questions and learning about the program. He provided insite into the future of Ford and the automotive industry. He also gave advice on working in large engineering projects and reminded the team the hard work always pays off.
The team spent many late nights preparing the JMS09 vehicle for Mr. Mulally's visit. "I was up painting the wings 'til 5am" said Cameron Bryant, freshman volunteer, "I think he will be impressed with our quality work".
Mulally even took a seat in the JMS09 car. "Its pretty cool to have the Ford CEO sit in a car you helped design and build" said Phillip Twist, Sophomore Volunteer.
Mulally was very impressed with FSAE project and said "projects like these put students two or three years ahead of students who don't". He even talked about visiting the team at the Detroit competition in May. For all the team members who attended this will surely be an event to remember.
JMS Competes in FSAE Michigan Competition (May 12th, 2009)
Students from the University of Kansas School of Engineering will take the 2009 Jayhawk Motorsports Formula SAE car to Detroit this week to compete with more than 100 teams from universities around the world.
"For the past nine months, we have been working hard to design and build the fastest Formula SAE car," said Matt Petty, senior in mechanical engineering. "All of our hard work will show on the track in Detroit. This car has the potential to beat some of the best schools in the country and with hard work and working together we have the potential to win a Formula SAE event this year."
"The team puts in considerable hours through the design and testing phases, and that work pays off in the spring," said Associate Professor Robert Sorem, associate dean of the School of Engineering and the team adviser. "Every year, we are proud of the effort and dedication the students show to create a top-notch vehicle from the ground up."
KU's Formula SAE teams have a national reputation for excellence. The team had a streak of six consecutive years as the only team in the country to complete all aspects of the competition, which tests the performance and durability of the vehicles and pushes teams to reach the highest levels of engineering creativity. KU's team has earned three top-10 finishes nationally in the past five years.
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