Lovingly, a few students wiped dew drops off their self-made formula racing car Monday, following a heavy rainfall - allowing the green gleam of the car's fresh paint to shine all the brighter.
Starting Wednesday, the student-built race car will compete in the Society of Automotive Engineering International Competition at the Pontiac Silverdome.
Last year, MSU placed third overall.
After dedicating a full year to creating, building and designing the car, the MSU Formula SAE team is optimistic about racing its newly designed car against those from schools in 139 countries.
"It's the best car we've had yet," said Nick Periat, an engineering arts senior at MSU and the project's chief engineer. "It can reach up 105 miles per hour - it's faster than any previous car we've had."
The yearly competition goes on for five days and features various events, including best design, endurance and acceleration. Four drivers will race the car in the competition.
Before MSU's team ventures to Pontiac, its drivers practiced training on old cars throughout the previous year in preparation for the five-day international competition.
The club's 40 students are made up of a variety of engineers, ranging from freshmen to doctoral students.
Members are then divided into individual groups where each focuses on a specific part of the car.
The first component designed is the car's frame, which the team focuses on how it is going to fit all the different parts into the shell.
After the frame is planned and designed, the focus shifts to creating the formula car's suspension.
The suspension remains important since sharp turns are made at an accelerated speed, and racers cannot afford to lose the car's balance.
"You must have a well-tuned suspension, especially because we drive fast by cones all the time," Periat said.
The groups meet on weekends, when its work on the car doesn't interfere with classes, and they are able to experiment with the best techniques for the final product.
"It gives you a hands-on experience - everything you learn in class is theoretical," said Jeff Bosscher, one of the team's leaders and a 2004 MSU graduate.
And the car doesn't come cheap.
Major sponsors such as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Company and Chrysler all contributed to the estimated $30,000 it took to build the car. Personal donors and other companies also contributed a fair amount.
Meanwhile, the drivers are glad to be able to pursue the hobby they love.
One of the drivers competing this year is recent MSU graduate Scott Kleman.
He commented part of the joy of working on such a project is how you "get to work with other team members in order to build the car to your personal liking."
Team members continue to hone their craft, as the judges this year decided to add another event, which calls for an explanation of why the team built the car in the way it did. The competition features eight contests.
"It's definitely not a one-sided event," Kleman said.
