The MSU Formula Racing team unveiled its new race car on Monday after more than a year of design, construction and testing.
The green and white race car, No. 41, was on display for the public and for the team's sponsors, which include Ford Motor Co. and Bell Tire, said project manager Adam Zemke.
The unveiling didn't include a test run, but Zemke said the best opportunity for the public to see the car in action is at the Society of Automotive Engineers' 2006 Formula SAE student competition Wednesday through Sunday at Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Proving Ground in Romeo, Mich.
According to Zemke, the competition includes designing the car, building it from scratch, testing it and finally racing it.
"This is not just considered a racing competition," Zemke said. "It is a racing-based engineering competition."
The team began work on the car more than a year ago. Although a lot of the time was spent testing the car for competition, Zemke said "the heart of this competition comes from the design and building of the race car.
"The design cycle takes up to 12 months," he said.
Throughout the past year, the team worked 24-30 hours a week on the project — often putting in more hours later in the spring semester, Zemke said.
"Since spring break ended, some people have put in up to 50-60 hours a week," he said.
Robert Huehl, a mechanical engineering senior and chief engineer on the project, said some people have sacrificed a lot to finish the car.
"There have been several nights where people have just slept over in the shop," Huehl said.
The student competition is one of the bigger Formula SAE competitions in the country, Zemke said.
"We sometimes only need two or three drivers, but for this event we might be using up to five," he said.
The intense endurance section of the race on Saturday will be the most important part of the competition, Huehl said. The section includes 22 laps on a kilometer-long track with a driver switch halfway through the race.
"Many cars don't even finish the race, so if your team can finish that part, you should be able to finish in the top ten of the competition," Huehl said.
Lead driver Darin Coveart said that once the car is done, drivers practice as much as possible so that there are no mistakes when the competition begins.
The car can go more than 100 mph easily, but team members said they will be competing at speeds of 50-60 mph.
"We test at the commuter lot (on MSU's campus) and a couple other tracks as well," said Coveart, a mechanical engineering senior.
Huehl said drivers who spend quality time in their cars will fare better in areas of the competition, such as the endurance section.
"With the race, testing the car as much as possible becomes very important," he said. "When you get to things like the endurance part of the race, you will be able to tell what teams have practiced and which teams haven't."
