UWA Motorsport 2009: June 2008

Untitled Document

UWAM Express

Issue #41 June 2008

From the Project Manager

It is time to really get cranking! Yet a sigh of relief is breathed by everyone at UWA Motorsport. It has certainly been a difficult month in terms of the car's progress, which has been slightly hampered by exams. Unfortunately June represents an clash between our university obligations and the design, testing and construction of the car. Yet the attitude amongst the team is still very positive. In the grand scheme of things, every other university racing team is having to face assignments and exams in the same way as we do, although probably at different times of year. It is good to know that everyone in this competition is in the same boat in this respect.

We are now well into the construction phase and are working hard to build another successful race-car. This time of year is always exciting thanks to the materialization of parts that have only ever existed on the screen of a computer. The biggest of these is the chassis, which until now, has only been viewed electronically. Now that it is emerging from its raw state to something that resembles the finished product, one cannot help but try and imagine what the final product might look like.

Similar things are happening in other sections of the team, with parts that were designed earlier being manufactured and assembled. But not all of the excitement is being derived from the car's construction. The organization for the Australasian Competition has started and I personally have taken great pleasure in making the arrangements in anticipation for the competition ahead. Things are certainly heating up, with exams out of the way and a straight road ahead, we are charging towards the horizon, with every intention to match and even out-do the effort put in last year.

Cheers,

Michael Talikowski
2008 UWA Motorsport Project Manager
talikm02@student.uwa.edu.au

Progress Report

Chassis Construction - The last update on the status of the chassis reported that prior to exams the chassis was ready to begin construction. This month has seen a big push in the construction of the chassis plug that represents the first of a number of steps that make up our monocoque chassis. The chassis plug was assembled in a day thanks to the efforts of a number of guys on the team.

Chassis Preparation - A lot of time and effort is involved in the preparation of the chassis plug. After construction, the more intricate work must start, where progress towards a dimensionally accurate plug moves at a slower pace thanks to the need for attention to detail. The plug represents the final shape of the outside of the car and must be perfectly shaped to achieve a superior end product. This step takes skill, patience and a solid work rate in order to reach the project time-line goals that we have set.

ziggy working

F1 in Schools Innovation Challenge Breifing

Apart from designing and building this years car, UWA Motorsport always makes time for the community. Our heavy involvement with the F1 in Schools Innovation Challenge saw the guy’s involved travel to Swan Tafe for a competition briefing. Everyone was given the chance to catch up with their respective schools and have a chat with the students about the progress of their cars. It was also a great chance for the rest of us on the team to see what the program is about on a larger scale, being shown what the winning teams from past have been entitled to, including traveling overseas to compete internationally. It certainly sounds exactly like a scaled-down version of what we do! The brief also explained the rules in detail and any information that students and teachers alike may find helpful, especially in their rookie year. Some of us couldn't believe the extent to which the competition is run and the complexity of the little balsa wood cars. The organizers also set up a track outside the lecture venue to demonstrate what these powerful little machines were capable of. They really amazed us with the speed at which they rocketed down the straight. We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with our students and seeing how their concepts and design have evolved.

dylan and students artur and students

Racer-roos visit UWA Motorsport

Thanks to the briefing session held at Swan Tafe, the very successful Racer-roos from Wesley College, who won the 2007 West Australian competition, came down to visit the UWA Motorsport Lab. Having seen what they can achieve with hard work and some thought, the boys wanted to visit the workshop and see where we build our world championship cars. Ayrton Sue, one of the mentors for the F1 in Schools Challenge invited the younger students to UWA to explain in detail the process we go through in designing our cars, and how closely it relates to what many of the school students were doing in their projects. It is no wonder that the boys from Wesley College are so successful with their high levels of technical knowledge and interest. UWA Motorsport attempted to trap the very switched-on visitors and have them help with the 2008 car, but unfortunately they had classes to attend!

ayrton with students artur on laptop

Champions Return Home

The champions who traveled to the FISITA World Championships in Detroit in Michigan have been slowly returning to Australia after having successfully represented the University of WA on the international stage. It was great to welcome back the hard-working boys and girls, with each getting an eager hand shake from all of us who stayed in Australia and watched on eagerly. Many were thrilled to see their faces in newspapers, articles and even on the channel 10 news, after all the hard work that they put in to win the competition. It seems everyone that has returned has settled back into Perth time and returned to their regular lives, a far cry away from the heart-stopping action the Formula SAE-East competition provided. Only Gurkaran Bansal, the 2007 project manager is still away, taking a well-deserved break before returning to Australia.

Victory Celebration - 22nd August

It is a good time to mention that UWA Motorsport will be hosting a Celebration Night that will be taking place on the evening of Friday 22nd August in the Hackett Hall, adjacent to the clock tower on the university campus. It is to celebrate and congratulate the team on its amazing success in the US and to thank sponsors for their unwavering support. Invitations will be sent out mid-July through the mail so keep an eye out for the postman!

Driver Training

A race team certainly wouldn't be a race team without the skilled drivers behind the wheel. This component of a racing team is essential and has been an enormous focal point for many of the past UWA Motorsport teams. For a few years now, a Driver Training program has been running that is aimed at finding good drivers, testing them and then putting them through a training regime which builds up their skills. This was done, and is continuing this year, with the program outlined below:

Firstly a message is sent out to anyone who is interested in driving for the team. This includes a call to all years and as usual, a large number of people were showing interest. Driver training starts with timed trials on karts, to see who has good car control around a tight track. All the potential drivers gather, with the driver training coordinator who this year is our Vehicle Dynamics Team leader, Brett Davies, at a Karting venue. Indoor Kart Hire have once again kindly allowed us to use their venue for the first stage of this important program. Indoor Kart Hire is located in O'Connor and they have helped us in this way in the past, letting us use the venue and go-karts at an excellent price. The group meets twice a week at the Karting venue, where initially the drivers have their times tested around the regular hire track to see how they fare against each other. A limited number of drivers are allowed on the track at any one time to ensure that crowding is avoided and that good driving can be spotted more easily. This occurs for a couple of weeks to allow people to settle in and show their true skill.

karting

Following this, the 'culling' begins; drivers with slower times are removed from the program, and applicants with a faster time remain for further testing. This then leads to the placement of cones onto the track to replicate more closely the types of winding tracks that Formula SAE would set up. This stage continues for another few weeks to give people a chance to show their abilities, and to see who should be removed. The program coordinator sets out a common track for the applicants and times are logged as before.
Once the large number of initial applicants is whittled down to approximately 5, they are put into the real thing. This involves taking out one of the older cars and visiting a flat piece of bitumen such as Tiger Kart, who kindly let us use an area of bitument at an amazing rate. A venue such as Jack's Hill near Barbagallo Raceway is used later when the drivers have become more accustomed to the cars and spin-off is less likely.
Once the final drivers are picked, they are entitled to a gym membership with the UWA Recreation Centre to build up their fitness and endurance. Any driver of high-performance cars will explain how a good level of fitness helps in the cramped, hot and extremely tiring conditions experienced by drivers.

02 driver training

There are other advantages to the annual driver-training program, one of which includes recruitment. Many people who don't meet the required driving standards are still eager to be a part of the team. Although they won't be the one racing the car on the circuit amongst other university race-teams, they can still play a major role in the car's design and manufacture. A substantial portion of the 2008 team experienced the driver-training program and then continued on to make up a large component of the core team this year.

Competition Preparations

With the amazing speed at which the year is progressing, we are already in the process of making arrangements for the 2008 Formula SAE-Australasian Competition held in Werribee Victoria, from 27th - 30th November. As mentioned previously, the competition will also coincide with the FISITA World Championship, meaning the winners will be crowned World Champions, similarly to what occured with us in Detroit in May.

Accommodation arrangements have been made, flights are being booked, transport for the car and back-up vehicle has been organized and testing venues in Melbourne are now set. Registration for the team is also complete, with the requested number `1' being our competition number. There is still a lot of planning and work to take place if we are to have the best chance at a successful campaign. This is certainly the experience of a lifetime!

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Spotlight on Sponsors

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world. Together with its subsidiaries and joint ventures, Goodyear develops, markets and sells tires for most applications. For over 100 years Goodyear has been the forefront of tyre technology and innovation. Through advance research in product development and testing in their very own proving ground that is capable of simulating any track condition possible, Goodyear has produced sensational tyre technology for safer and better performing tyres that fits almost every vehicle imaginable.

Goodyear produce tyres that have been designed and tested specifically for the Formula SAE competition. The 13" tyre that Goodyear has produced is said to be the best for this formula of racing. UWA Motorsport assist Goodyear in testing tyres and are extremely proud to be associated with such a prestigious and well-established company.

As Platinum sponsor to UWA Motorsport, Goodyear has been supplying these 13" tyres to the team and have provided amazing support before the FSAE-East competitions held in Detroit, Michigan.

THANKS GOODYEAR!

Contact Goodyear Racing:

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
1144 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44316-0001
Tel: (330) 796-2121
Fax: (330) 796-2222

Website: http://www.racegoodyear.com/

Windrush logo Windrush Catamarans is a compnay which specialises in composite materials that are applied in manufacture and repair projects. These include fiberglass work for race cars, carbon fiber yacht masts and repairs and even full watercraft hulls. Thanks to high quality level of craftsmanship and versatility, Windrush has earned a strong name for itself in the industry.

Windrush have provided UWA Motorsport with amazing support through their vast knowledge of composites and allowing the use of various resources at their disposal, often at short notice. UWA Motorsport would like to sincerely thank Brett Burvill and Billy at Windrush for their continuing support.

THANKS WINDRUSH!

Contact Windrush:
Windrush Catamarans
Brett Burvill
8 Blamey Place, O?Connor, Perth WA
Tel: 9314 1317

website: http://www.windrushyachts.com.au/
email: parts@windrushyachts.com.au

Principal Sponsor