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Printer-Friendly ModeRacers enjoy family-like atmosphere
October 19, 2009 —
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a tight-knit group of students who is dedicated to being successful?
If so, perhaps it’s time to look into joining the Cardinal Race Team.
The team consists of nearly 30 members who put in hours of work each week putting together a racecar that will take part in a competition in May at the Michigan International Speedway.
According to social work major Rachael Vanderaa, a common misconception about the team is that the majority is made up of engineering majors.
“Any student is welcome to be a part of the team,” Vanderaa said. “We have a lot of business and accounting majors who work on projects as well.”
For the team to be successful, it counts on students to put in a great amount of work each week.
“If someone has 40 hours a week to put towards the team, that’s great,” Vanderaa said. “We also realize that people have jobs and homework to do as well, so it’s not a problem that some members are only able to put in a couple hours a week to the team.”
Communication can be a deciding factor in the success of a football or hockey team. It is no different for the race team.
“We hold weekly meetings with both the entire team and system leaders to keep everyone informed about what is going on,” Vanderaa said. “We are like a family, and that is due to the numerous hours we spend together.”
Although students make up the majority of the team, the team wouldn’t enjoy the success they have if it wasn’t for their adviser, Brooks P. Byam.
“Brooks makes it happen. He is our liaison between the school and students,” Vanderaa said.
During the competitions, the team competes in two different categories: static and dynamic.
The competitions consist of 120 teams from all over the world. In 2008, the Cardinals had the fastest car in the world, which earned them first place in the acceleration event. Vanderaa called it “our greatest team achievement.”
Building a racecar can be extremely expensive, which makes it crucial for the team to host fundraisers.
“We get the majority of our money from the school and rest from local sponsors and fundraising,” Vanderaa said.
On Oct. 26, the team is hosting a fundraiser at Bennigan’s on Tittabawassee near Bay Road. The event will take place from 4 p.m. until close.
“I could never get an experience that compares to this anywhere else,” Vanderaa said. “We are a family of students that have come together to attain one goal: build a successful car.”