UWA Motorsport 2010: January 2008

UWAM Express January

UWAM Express

Issue #36 January 2008

From the Project Manager

On your mark, get set, go!! UWA Motorsport 2008 is off to a flying start. It seemed like only a few days ago that we were all in Melbourne, celebrating our success in winning the Formula SAE-A Championship. We were all on cloud nine and still could not believe the result. The countless hours of hard work certainly paid off and we couldn’t be happier with the result.

I had only started to experience the first few days of January 2008 after having returned from a holiday when I get a call from the workshop. It was time to rally the 2008 team and no time was being wasted, with many of the team already making plans for the coming year.

First things first, we needed to fill team positions and ensure the strong UWAM organisational structure was adhered to. We all gathered in one of our computer rooms at university and wrote the positions of the team up on a white-board. Many of the places were filled quickly as a lot of us have been thinking about our positions in 2008 well before the 2007 season was over. We spent a lot of time that evening discussing and deliberating about who will best fill the spots but thanks to the strength and motivation of the team, it was not a difficult task.

This newsletter primarily covers the introduction to the 2008 UWA Motorsport team members. We hope to have a deep involvement with our university, sponsors, supporters, up-and-coming engineers, the community and anyone else who wants to be a part of this amazing student organisation.

It is now the end of January and we have settled nicely into our positions on the team. As we head deeper into the year, we learn more about the team dynamic, about the car and more importantly, about ourselves. This is truly looking like a learning curve of a life-time. It’s time to get strapped in, grip the wheel, and enjoy the ride!

Best Wishes,

Michael Talikowski

2008 UWA Motorsport Project Manager

talikm02@student.uwa.edu.au

Meet the Team

It is time to meet the people who will make up the 2008 UWA Motorsport team. Below is a brief description and picture of the final years with their relative positions on the team. These are the people who will carry on the tradition of excellence into 2008 and it is in full confidence that we get started with UWAM2008.

Michael Talikowski – Project Manager

Michael has been on the team since July 2007 and started by doing a 3^rd Year engineering project on a potential driveline concept. After using his manual skills in helping construct the chassis, he took on the task of making the side-pods for the 2007 race-car.

For 2008, Michael has taken on the role of Project Manager, having big shoes to fill with the likes of Jason LeCoultre, John Lowe, Aaron Yeak and Gurkaran Bansal being his most recent predecessors. Michael takes on the role with the full knowledge that he has a strong team to back him up. Mike, as he likes to be called, goes by the philosophy of leading by example.

Warrick Carden – Technical Director

Warrick started working for UWA Motorsport since the beginning of 2007 and was in charge of the cooling system of the 2007 Championship car. Warrick has excellent manual skills and has been elected the technical director of UWA Motorsport, a very prestigious position. Warrick manages the four areas of the race team including chassis, power-train, electrical and vehicle dynamics. This is a huge task but there is no better man for the job than Warrick.

Alex Li – Finance Manager

Alex got involved in the team while working on his 3^rd year engineering project unit. This involvement flourished and Alex is now a trusted member of the team, who manages the finances of UWA Motorsport. This is a critical position and Alex has an important role to play in the competition when it comes time to write the cost report. It is great to have Alex on the team.

Nigel Wade – Electrical Team Leader

Nigel is studying mechatronics engineering and got involved on the team in mid-year 2007. Nigel has a vast knowledge on anything electrical or electronic. This makes him an asset to have on a team who’s car has an extremely high level of electrical sophistication. Further to this, thanks to his university degree covering a mix of mechanical and electrical engineering, he has a perspective from both sides of his degree which is very important.

Michael Larcombe – Electrical Team

Michael joined UWA Motorsport at the beginning of 2008 and is working with Nigel on the electrical and electronics systems of the car. He is also studying mechatronics providing an important marriage between the mechanical and electronic parts of the car, something that may have lacked in the past. Michael also has experience in coding which is vital due to some systems on the car requiring such knowledge.

Luke Sala Tenna – Powertrain Team Leader

Luke began working on the team in 2007 and took an immediate interest in the Powertrain section of the car. In 2008, Luke was elected team leader of Powertrian and set about focusing on goals of ensuring the drive-train is light-weight, gives improved driveability and also rear packaging. Luke has settled right into the role and has made big leaps in getting the Powertrain side of things into full swing.

Alex Vo – Procurement and Powertrain

Alex joined the team half-way through 2007 and immediately got involved in helping out wherever he could. Alex is now in charge of designing the lubrication system which is a critical part of a reliable engine. His aims are to ensure a consistent oil pressure even under heavy lateral acceleration (cornering). Alex also looks after procurement requirements of the team, a vital component of the team’s efficiency.

Richard Lu – Powertrain

Richard began in 2007 after having done a 3^rd year engineering project with UWA Motorsport. Richard took a keen interest in Powertrain early in his time with motorsport and now is in charge of dyno tuning and also the exhaust system. Richard has a very important job of getting the most out of the CBR600RR motorcycle engines, getting improved drivability while also thinking about efficiency and fuel economy.

Slobodan Slavujevic - Powertrain

Slobodan is in charge of the differential in 2008 after having started with UWA Motorsport in 2007 doing a 3^rd year engineering project. His keen interest in the driveline showed through and he is now heavily involved in the design of the rear of the car specialising in the differential housing and internals. Slobodan is a hard worker and will benefit the team greatly with the design of his differential.

Brett Davies – Vehicle Dynamics Team Leader

After having taken part in driver training early in 2007, Brett gained a genuine interest in the team and began what turned out to be a very steep learning curve. His rapid progress earned him the vehicle dynamics team leader role, a very prestigious position. Brett is looking at some interesting suspension ideas, which is no easy task thanks to the highly complex nature of vehicle dynamics. Brett is a credit to the team thanks to his dedication and knowledge of his field.

Luke Ormerod – Vehicle Dynamics

Luke began in his 3^rd year of engineering in 2007 and started out by helping out wherever needed. In 2008, Luke joins Brett in the designing of the suspension and steering system of the car. He is investigating different steering and suspension systems, giving him enormous experience in how race-cars should be set-up. Luke’s ability to learn quickly makes him a valuable team member.

Artur Gruszecki – Safety Officer/Vehicle Dynamics

Safety is a very high priority to the UWA Motorsport team leaving Artur with an extremely important job. He administers all aspects of safety including training, procedures, injury prevention and chemical safety. Artur is also on the Vehicle Dynamics team, looking after unsprung mass reduction. Artur started working on the team in 2007 and was in charge of the steering system, overseeing its design, manufacture and implementation on the car.

Dylan St Jack – Vehicle Dynamics

Dylan started with UWA Motorsport in 2007, his first year of university. He is an extremely eager and outgoing team member, who showed his commitment early and accompanied the team to Melbourne in 2007. Dylan is currently in his second year of studying mechanical engineering and is in charge of the steering wheel for 2008. His aim is to redesign it to ensure correct ergonomics and maximum performance. His solid work ethic and dedication make him a valuable UWA Motorsport member.

Ayrton Sue – Race Engineer

Ayrton started working on the team in 2005 and has provided valuable input into the car’s set-up and tuning. Ayrton has a vast knowledge base on race-cars and is often in charge of running the cars on track. Ayrton will be accompanying the 2007 team in the Formula SAE Championships in Detroit, USA. This experience will provide him with invaluable experience for the 2008 team and further add to his already large knowledge bank.

Peter Marsh – Driver & Vehicle Dynamics

Peter has been on the team since about 2003 and has provided UWA Motorsport with an implicit knowledge that can only have been gained through countless hours working and racing cars. Pete is an active race-car driver, racing his own Mazda RX-7. His input into the team has been invaluable, making Pete an extremely valued team member. Further to this, Pete is one of our main drivers, providing amazing consistency, driver feedback and information. We all value Pete’s membership.

Matthew Argy – CAD Manager

Matthew has been on the team since early 2007 and was involved in the power-train section, helping out wherever needed. Argy, as we like to call him, is currently CAD Manager, ensuring the file management system for our computer model of the car is working correctly. Argy’s expertise in this field is a great help and we value his contribution.

Ziggy Pang – Chassis Team

After completing a project in his 3^rd year of engineering on the exhaust system of the car, Ziggy is now heavily involved in the team focusing on composites. His interest and knowledge of composites came from being involved in the manufacture of side-pods for the 2007 car. In 2008, Ziggy is the chassis designer and is in charge of the car’s shape. He is a very dedicated team member and valued by everyone at UWA Motorsport.

Denis Streltsov – Chassis Team Leader

After starting in 2007, Denis made a strong contribution to the team by helping out in various areas of the car. In 2008, Denis is the Chassis team leader, leaving him in charge of ensuring the chassis is designed and built on time.

How you can help!

Have you ever considered supporting UWA Motorsport? We have a plethora of sponsors who all enjoy the satisfaction of being part of a world-class race team. Every year we work extremely hard to achieve the results that UWA Motorsport has seen. But this would not be possible had it not been for the support that sponsors such as those listed below have shown us.

Sponsors of UWA Motorsport can choose a number of different levels of support including Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each of these earns the sponsor varying benefits and levels of exposure for the firm. Please see our ‘Becoming a sponsor’ section of the new UWA Motorsport website for further information on sponsor levels.

If you are interested in supporting the team in 2008, please feel free to contact our Project Manager, Michael Talikowski on 040 227 5740 or talikm02@student.uwa.edu and he will be more than happy to answer any questions regarding sponsorship.

Spotlight on Sponsors

LF Performance is a Perth based Performance Workshop, specialising in wide-span vehicle performance upgrades, with particular emphasis on Race Rotary Performance Engineering and sports car manufacturing.

LF Performance, led by operations manager Mike Ng, boasts over 20 years of trade and race experience grafted from study and research both locally and internationally. It is this knowledge base that has provided Mike and LF Performance with the edge, earning LF Performance status of being the premier race car fabrication and preparation company in Western Australia.

UWA Motorsport would like to thank LF Performance for their help with our aluminium welding requirements over the years and their generosity and support.

Contact LF Performance:

LF Performance
17 Sevenoaks St

Bentley Western Australia 6102
Email: lfpp@bigpond.net.au
Tel: (08) 93506881
Fax: (08) 93506878

http://www.lfperformance.com.au/

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Principal Sponsor