Racing @ RIT: Formula SAE

The RIT Formula SAE Racing Team is a group of about 35 students that is dedicated to the design, development, and fabrication of high tech racing vehicles from the ground up. The team welcomes students from all majors and with all levels of experience who are eager to learn and devote time to the skill of racing. They are committed to providing a constructive learning environment and plenty of hands-on experience to new members.

Andrew Dodd, fifth year Industrial and Systems Engineering student, is the Chief Engineer for this year's F23 car. He considers his involvement in Formula SAE to be one of the greatest experiences of his college career.

"Learning what it is like to design a system, manufacture it, assemble it, test it, and then re-evaluate," Dodd said, allows students the opportunity to fully engage in the process.

"This semester had been tough," he states. This is when the team spends the most time manufacturing the vehicle in both the Mechanical Engineering and Brinkman labs. For this year's car, the team is focusing heavily on increasing durability, while still incorporating designs from the past four years to create a vehicle that will hopefully maintain their streak in the top 10 for the autocross event.

"Thankfully, the car has been driving under its own power for a couple weeks now. Those first drives have been pretty promising," Dodd affirms.

At this year's Imagine RIT, on May 2nd, the team will unveil F23 at 11:00 a.m. at the Sentinel statue in front of Eastman Building. Visitors will be able to see the car in action before the team embarks for competition season which begins in Michigan on May 13. The team is also excited to be unveiling their car next to Baja SAE at this event.

If interested in learning more about the team, visit their website at RIT RACING.