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Road Ready

Cardinal Formula Racing team prepares for testing phase, world competition

by Jason Wolverton
Vanguard News Editor

February 27, 2006 —

After almost a year of designing and wrenching, the Cardinal Formula Racing Team (CFR) knows that their pursuit for a world championship could boil down to a few decimal places; a hundredth of a second here, a second or two there, and a year's worth of work could be rendered meaningless. So while many students are preparing to head off for spring break, signifying the end of the first half of the semester, the members of CFR are coming to the realization that their quest is only just beginning.

The drive

The World Championships at the Ford Proving Grounds begin May 17. At the event, teams compete in various tests evaluating both driving and non-driving components. And while the team has faired well in the past in such areas as cost, presentation, and design, they understand that winning it all means finishing well in the four driving competitions.

"We have a very good race car that's pretty fast and comparable to most of the cars out there," says CFR Team Manager Hussam El-Jobran. A native of Toronto, the 26-year-old El-Jobran knows that the car is capable of winning and that the team needs to focus on doing one thing between now and May 17: driving.

Oddly enough, plans to renovate Pioneer Hall at the end of the semester may very well help the team do just that. The engineering wing is being relocated to the old theatre during the renovation, meaning that much of the team's equipment will be packed away around the end of April. As a result, the team has moved up their completion date in hopes of avoiding a last minute rush of trying to find equipment or not having access to machines.

"What that will do for us is force us to be out there driving as much as possible," El-Jobran says. "That's really what the team needs this year."

The team is hoping to begin driving by Wednesday. Once this year's car, the number 8, is operational, they will use it and last year's number 52 to practice. As they do so, they will make minor adjustments and modifications to this year's car to maximize its performance. At the same time, they will also be using the practice time to get an idea of who will be driving during the competition.

"We have a couple of people who have experience from previous years," El-Jobran says. "Otherwise we have no idea (who is driving)."

One possibility is Mike Wyciechowski, a 23-year-old mechanical engineering major who returned to the team this year after an almost two-year military stint in Iraq. Wyciechowski has a significant amount of driving experience from his previous years with the team and was named driving team leader as a result. And though he has the experience behind the wheel, he is not sure if he will actually be able to show someone how to drive better.

"It's really hard for me to think of a way to teach someone to drive by telling them things to do," he says. "The only thing I can really do is try to get them in the seat and get them as much seat time as possible because it's the only way they're going to get used to it."

One obstacle Wyciechowski admits many young drivers will struggle with is fear. He understands that some students are not acclimated with driving so fast and that many of them are hesitant because of it.

In addition, a driving mishap last year the Sunday prior to competition left a portion of the car damaged, setting off a mad scramble over several days to get the car repaired.

Regardless of the reason, Wyciechowki knows that getting over that fear is vital to the driver's success.

"I've been going fast on things since I was about eight years old so the speed factor doesn't really bother me anymore," Wyciechowski says. "But to someone who is new at it, they have to get past that before they can even think about being a better, more technical driver."

One inexperienced driver who may get a crack at driving in competition is Gretchen Schuelke. The 22-year-old accounting major and Midland native is in charge of purchasing and the cost report and marketing portions of the competition. Schuelke was surprised by the additional work she did on the car this year including getting behind the wheel once during the summer. And though she had never driven the car before, she welcomed the experience.

"I drove the fifty-two once over the summer," she says. "They laughed at me because I only went about 10 miles per hour, but I didn't care because it was fun."

And since Schuelke has shown a willingness to get behind the wheel, the team is more than happy to take advantage of one quality she has over some of her fellow members: her light weight.

The adage around CFR is that lighter equals faster and faster equals better. So even though Schuelke's previous experience is limited to a lap or two, she's ready to give it a try.

"If they teach me how," she says, "I'll go for it and do my best."

Light and fast

For this year's competition, CFR was committed to producing a car similar to last year's. The idea is that once a basic template and design is settled upon, the goal is to produce almost the same car every year with minor improvements and adjustments.

Utilizing a previous template allows the team to spend more time working on the smaller details rather than focusing on completely redesigning vital operating components of the car.

This year's number 8, then, is similar to last year's number 52, with a few minor modifications. However, those minor adjustments could mean the difference between an eighth-place finish and a world championship.

While many of the changes to this year's car are pending testing, the idea is to introduce several key changes which should improve the car's performance. A senior design team is redesigning the car's gear box, which is already one of its kind among the normal chain driven systems of the competition. The team hopes to utilize lighter gears and magnesium castings for the housing and differential carrier to decrease mass and inertia in the system.

In addition, another team is working on an electric pneumatic clutch system for automatic up-shift in the acceleration portion of the competition. The change aims to reduce driver work and driver error, making the shifting more efficient and, potentially, making the car faster in the process. This could be potentially beneficial for the team's younger drivers.

The team is also working with a new hybrid battery system that has the same power as a typical battery yet is 3.5 pounds lighter. In addition, they are trying an electric water pump instead of a mechanically driven one in hopes of giving some horsepower back to the engine and doing a better job of keeping the engine from overheating.

While the team hopes they can use these changes, they already have backup parts built in the event that testing produces less than satisfactory results. In the meantime, they will continue to focus on the little things and making sure every step taken is done so with caution.

"All we have to worry about is making sure we do things right," El-Jobran says. "It takes very little to get knocked out of the competition and pretty much throw away a whole year's worth of work."

And while there is always a chance of something happening, the team is confident in what lies ahead and will continue to focus on the upcoming World Championships.

"There's a good chance that we can finish very well this year compared to some of the previous years," El-Jobran says. "This could possibly be one of our best years ever."

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