Race Updates

Garrett by Honeywell Volunteers for Formula SAE to Help Foster Next Generation of Engineers

For the fourth year in a row, Garrett by Honeywell employees volunteered at the California Formula SAE competition. Formula SAE is a worldwide competition that challenges teams of college level engineering students to design, build, and race their own vehicles, which are built according to a specific set of criteria. Teams typically spend eight months to a year building their vehicles and then showcase the results during the competition.

Throughout the four-day the competition, Garrett engineering volunteers served as judges and/or were on hand to help and advise students in a number of events including:

Design Report: Students present information to a jury of experts about their car's design and engineering concept.

Cost Report: The students assume that a serial production of 1000 cars a year will follow their prototype and a cost calculation is discussed with a jury.

Presentation: The teams demonstrate their ability to develop and deliver a comprehensive business case that will convince the executives of a mock manufacturing firm that the team's design best meets the demands of the amateur autocross racing market and can profitably be manufactured and marketed.

Acceleration: The cars are evaluated on their accelerating abilities from a standing start over a distance of 75 meters.

Autocross: The objective is to evaluate the car's maneuverability and handling on a tight course.

Skidpad: The students measure the car's corning ability on a flat surface while making a constant-radius turn.

Endurance: Over a distance of 1.1 miles the cars have to prove their durability under long-term conditions. The cars have to demonstrate acceleration, speed, handling, dynamics, fuel economy, and reliability.

Craig Gibbs, Garrett Aftermarket Technical Manager, served as the event announcer all four days. "This is a tremendous opportunity for students to work as a team and to experience real world challenges and obstacles at the different levels of a design and manufacturing business environment. Honeywell's support and involvement can help ensure this program continues to develop the next generation of engineers and business leaders." He continued, "Many of our past student interns and present day employees have been a part of this and other SAE educational competitions."

This year 48 teams from around the world participated in the competition. Countries included Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, South Korea, and United States. For more information about Formula SAE, click here.

Score Card: Top five Finishers

1. Rochester Institute of Technology
2. Oregon State University
3. University of Kansas - Lawrence
4. University of Maryland - College Park
5. University of Oklahoma