Kennesaw State University’s Formula SAE racing club hosted the fourth annual Formula South Invitational Saturday, turning the Marietta campus’s lots 28 & 30 into a real live race track.
Schools including KSU, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and seven others were there to test the student designed and built SAE racecars before the national competition in May. With an acceleration of around zero to sixty miles per hour in under three seconds, these cars are fast and the danger is real. EMT’s were on hand just incase, but fortunately were not needed, even when the Georgia tech car crashed.
The crash was caused by a loose clamp according to a KSU Formula SAE alumni, who now works at Georgia tech. The loose clamp caused the throttle to stick in the open position. Even though they had to sit out of the Acceleration event, Georgia Tech came back swinging in the second half of the day. They took the second fastest time in the Autocross round behind Florida Atlantic, but were penalized for having clipped a couple cones in the process.
Unlike the acceleration round that focuses on the cars’ velocity, the Autocross round requires the cars to maneuver, as well as go fast. The track that covered all of lot 28A, and some of North Hornet Drive, was marked out in orange cones that made two “S” shape patterns and a long straight away that allowed the drivers to really open up the engines and make up some time.
Georgia Tech was not the only team to experience technical difficulties. Several teams had to take advantage of the lunch break to make repairs to their vehicles. The down time was not wasted. A DJ and several team sponsors were on hand. Spectators could check out some of the sponsors booths, get their photo taken inside a slick black Porsche, or get a bite to eat.
The final event for the day was the Endurance challenge. The cars are pushed to the max in the 22 kilometer, 13.7 mile, trial. This is an important event because in May the teams will go up against others from across the nation. The Endurance round shows whether their Formula SAE car is up for the intense competition. Unfortunately, the car from Mississippi State had to drop out after losing parts on a sharp turn.
KSU came back strong after some mechanic failures nearly kept them out of the Autocross round. At the end of the day KSU came in third overall. Second place went to Georgia Tech. First place, and a special trophy for having made the longest trip to compete, went to Florida Atlantic University.
Even with the risk of crash or breakdown, the program comes with great benefits. According to alumns Andrew Yun and Scott Walker, the graduates who participate in the Formula SAE teams have a 100% employment rate. One was even hired before he graduated. Megan Sabato, an alumni from the Georgia Tech SAE team was there with Porsche. After graduation she went to work for the German car manufacturers’ USA division in Atlanta. As a part of her job she got to represent the sponsor at the event and enjoy visiting with the team.
All the proceeds from food sales from the Delta Techops grill went towards the Robert Glenn Allen scholarship fund. The scholarship is in memory of Professor Allen who began working with the new Mechatronics program when it began at Southern Poly State University in the early 2000’s. He passed away in 2012 due to brain cancer and is remembered for his work through the event and the memorial endowment scholarship. Saturday’s event raised $1,323 to go toward the scholarship.