A group ofGriffithEngineering students are living university life in the fast lane after their racing team secured trophies at a national meet held in Melbourne recently.
TheGriffith Racing Team (GRT)enjoyed successat the recent FormulaSAE-A competition held in Winton, Victoria.
FSAE is an international engineering and design competition that tests all aspects of a student’s knowledge in an engineering project.
GRT placed fifth overall in the Internal Combustion competition after placing 1stin Cost and Manufacturing, 2ndin the Acceleration category, 2ndin Endurance, 4thinSkidpad, 6thin Business, and 10thin Design.
The competition attracted competitors from far and wide, including teams fromMonash University, University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong, The University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, Tokyo Denki University, Sophia University Japan, Technical University Munich and many more.
GRT’s 12 members also faced off against much larger teams, such as Monash’s team of 90 members.
Studentswere required to design andanalyseevery component thatwas used to build an open-wheel racecar, from the complete steering and suspension system, to the brakes,andthe entire electrical system that operateda fuel-injected4 cylinderengine.
Alongside theengineering design, studentsranthe team like a business, whichrequiredsponsorship proposals, sponsorship engagement, brand exposure, timeline management, budgeting, team meetings, team moral, risk assessments and manufacturing processes.
The competitionalsorequiredstudents to cost every component on the vehicle as if they were producing 150 vehiclesayear. This includedthe amount of turns required on each nut and bolt, the quantity of cable ties and the manufacturing processes used for all components.
Team member Ross Bakersaid”the effort from this teamresulted in the success at this years’ competition”.
“Italso allowedmeto secure a paid summer internship at atop tier engineering firmbecause of my work in GRT,” he said.
“I believe this is one of the only experiences at Griffith University that incorporates all aspects of engineering and business into one project, and I am thankful that GRT has provided me with the opportunity to develop such a diverse and valuable skill set.”
Former Griffith students who have gained employment in the motorsport industry as a result of their involvment with GRT include Jason Sherring (Nissan Motorsports); Jack Anderson, Ben Jackson, Dylan Lovriha, Sean Lowndes (all PWR); and Jake Weringhaus (Pace Innovations).
Griffith School of Engineering and Built EnvironmentSenior Scientific and Technical Officer Geoff Turner said the weekend was the culmination of “two years of hard work, late nights and dogged determination from our students and they did us extremely proud”.
“The comradery and compassion between all of the teams involved is simply amazing to watch as they offer any help that they can to assist and encourage each other,” he said.
“WhatIhavewitnessedsince becoming involved in Formula SAE is that this whole experience not only produces Engineers from Griffith that are a cut above the restprofessionallybut it also gives them the skills to make a positive contribution to society.”
Next year heralds the introduction of Griffith’s Electric Vehicle program within Formula SAE as well as building onthe team’sInternal Combustion Vehicle success.