The Formula Buckeyes had a strong showing at this year’s FSAE competition in Brooklyn, Michigan. They not only produced a car that was aesthetically pleasing to many spectators and judges, but a car that performed well, placing respectfully in both the static and dynamic events. After a three year hiatus from the Michigan competition, the Formula Buckeyes improved on their 27th place finish in 2010 and ended up with a 18th place finish- the first top 20 finish for the Buckeyes since 2009.

The team found themselves sitting pretty throughout the competition. Unlike many of the other teams whose cars required immediate attention after dynamic events, car 39 stayed in one piece the entire competition- a first for this car and compared to the experience of Germany last year, a surprise to the team. If there was an award for reliability, car 39 deserved it. The biggest battle for the Buckeyes was the weather. Each day had windows of opportunity for clean runs, with rain and cold winds finding its own time throughout the day. The Buckeyes did a great job of planning their runs accordingly.

With the great results of the Michigan competition, the Formula Buckeyes are ready to roll into Formula North and keep the success coming! Car 39 will dawn a new number for Formula North, 24. See you in Canada.

2013 FSAE Michigan Results:
Design: Tie-10th
Presentation: 27th
Cost:101st
Acceleration:42nd
Skidpad:25th
Autocross:44th
Endurance:12th

The “formula gods” flexed a small portion of their abilities by bringing down some rain, reminding everyone how crucial adapting to the changing weather conditions will be for this week’s competition. Luckily, the rain didn’t cause any major issues with today’s events and the Formula Buckeyes are prepared for whatever else the weather brings. With the ability to quickly change between racing slicks and intermediate race tires, the car will be ready to take on the competition.

Today’s events were mostly concerned with car safety and equipment inspections. Long waits in the hot sun were common for all the teams at Michigan International Speedway today as their cars were required to undergo rigurous inspection of their critical safety components. With over one hundred teams and each inspection taking over thirty minutes, not all cars made it through the inspection and now find themselves waiting for tomorrow’s end to these tidious inspections. One of the major inspection checkpoints is EGRESS, which involves the driver being able to exit the car in under five seconds in the case of fire.

Other inspection points include the roll hoop, bolt requirement checks, and various electrical components. The schedule for Thursday involves finishing up technical inspection and a driver’s meeting for all teams as they begin practice and brake testing. Tomorrow is also the business team’s opportunity to pitch their cost scenario, an integral part of the static events in this competition so wish them luck!

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The Formula Buckeyes set off for Michigan International Speedway today as they
compete in the FSAE Michigan competition this week. The four hour drive went
smooth with no complications as both car 39 and car 3 from Rennteam Uni Stuttgart
arrived for early check in this evening. This year, the Formula Buckeyes are hosting
Rennteam Uni Stuttgart for the Michigan competition. Both cars are in their respective
paddocks at the speedway for the night, waiting to be revealed after another year of hard
work and determination. Tonight was early registration with tomorrow starting technical
inspection for the Buckeyes at 10AM. Checkout the gallery below of today’s events and stay
tuned for more updates as the competition begins. You can also follow on facebook and
like our page to get updates! Like us on Facebook Here!

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The Formula Buckeyes would like to thank our newest sponsor, ReadyMadeRC, for their donation of video equipment. With ReadyMadeRC’s contribution, car 39 will now be sending a live video to a ground station via a wireless transmitter and receiver. This live feed is a first for the Formula Buckeyes and creates many possibilities for learning how the car is responding from a driver’s point of view. The plan is to use the equipment with aiding in driver training. With the live feed, the team can closely watch the car as it travels the course and relay suggestions to the driver. The video system also allows for the recording of the live feed, allowing the Formula Buckeyes to discuss different driving tactics for future events. ReadyMadeRC specializes in RC hobby components, especially first person view systems, and is located in Lewis Center, Ohio. The Formula Buckeyes are happy to have ReadyMadeRC on board and appreciate their sponsorship!

Formula Buckeyes would like to give a special thanks to Mike Phillips at Phillips Racing Engines in Grove City, Ohio for his work on our race engine. Mike Phillips is a one man operation and has given our race engine a serious boost in performance. The Race Engine now contains titanium valves as well as cylinder head modifications that increase cylinder flow from intake to exhaust. The Formula Buckeyes are officially on the home stretch to FSAE Michigan. With the May 8^th start for FSAE Michigan coming up fast, initial testing shows marketable improvements to car 39.  

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The Formula Buckeyes would like to thank our newest sponsor Xi Computers.  For more than 25 years Xi Computers has been specializing in providing high-end engineering workstations custom tailored to the end users specific needs.  By custom engineering each product to the customer’s demands, Xi Computers provides a much better value and performance than a generic one size fits all solutions from larger companies.  They provided excellent customer support, working with us to understand what applications we would use on the computer and their experts selected components that would provide a the perfect level of performance based on our usage.  Finally, they offer factory overclocking which helps squeeze extra performance from components while maintaining OEM reliability and support.

Pictures are of Junior Nick Steurer, suspension team member, designing a new upright for the 2013 Formula Buckeyes Racer.  The faster computer allowed Nick to work more efficiently and perform faster, more detailed FEA analysis of the new design.  This allowed a 30% weight savings over the previous design because it allowed him to run more iterations than previously possible.

Parker Hannifin is the world’s leader in motion and control technologies. Supplying major corporations with componentry to help make their products work, Parker does so with a keen eye for detail. Parker products are not only top of the line, but they lead on innovation to make their products out of the reach of the competition.

Parker pneumatics has taken on a role with our team bringing us to new levels with our pneumatic shifting system. With state-of-the-art cylinders and an all-in-one solenoid valve, we are certain that this shifting system will outdo any that we’ve run in the past and will be highly competitive with the competing schools.

The new shifter will allow our car to reach new heights with a lightweight design and an efficient operating pressure.  The staff at parker has been extremely helpful with determining of which components we would need and everything they have done is greatly appreciated.

The Formula Buckeyes are excited to start the beginning of the new school year with an appearance at the Autumn 2012 Student Involvement Fair! Dirty Thirty made it back from Germany just in time to attend.

Come join the Formula Buckeye team for an info session on our team, project and goals for the 2012-2013 season! We will be holding our meeting on Wednesday, the 29th of August from 7:00pm to 8:00pm in Scott Lab room E100.

Many team members will be on hand to present the vehicle, sub-systems and potential projects for incoming team members to involved with. There will also be time to ask questions and talk to team members afterwards.

We hope to see all of you there and look forward to seeing you again!

The FormulaBuckeyes suffered a agonizing defeat. After 8 laps on the endurance track the number 30 car pulled in for a driver change. A shift paddle had broken on the steering wheel and engine temperature was a big concern. However the car nonetheless passed the scrutineers inspection, but to our great dismay the engine would not start. We held our breath praying to hear the roar of the engine but heartbreak set in as seconds passed. A DNF appeared on the jumbo screen next to Columbus, OH USA. A sad end to the tremendous efforts exerted by this team.

As the graduating seniors hand over the reigns the pass down valuable wisdom and experience. An infrastructure built by the combined 20 years of experience and hard work is inherited by young and ambitious leaders. Car 30 has had a rough life. Since inception the car has taken a year and half to get to this point. This competition has really been the first time the “Dirty Thirty” car has seen heavy testing. But with problems identified refinement and execptional performances are soon to come. Expect to see this team going places as they continue learning, designing and racing while they prepare for success in Michigan 2013.

A special thanks to our Seniors whose sacrifice and commitment to this team cannot be overstated. Their families recognize that dedication and we all know they will succeed wherever they so choose. Jared Martin, Nick Rumberger, Adam Wrobel, Dave Elms, Rob Reid, Kyle Harbaugh, Brian Claus, and Bruce Bryan you shall forever be remembered in the annals of formulabuckeyes history.

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