At Texas Autocross, students race cars they built themselves
The University of Texas at Arlington’s 22nd annual Texas Autocross, in which college teams compete with formula racing cars they designed and built themselves, will feature 16 teams and 38 cars racing across campus on Oct. 7-8.
The Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) teams compete against the clock, not for prize money, but for bragging rights on the track. Every year, students in the UTA racing program build an FSAE car from scratch to compete against other universities across the globe.
Students on UTA’s team hail from all over campus, including engineering, liberal arts, architecture and science. Established in 1982, the program is one of the most successful in the world, having won eight championships in the United States and three abroad.
Bob Woods, adviser to the FSAE program and the Dr. Robert Woods Distinguished Chair in Automotive Engineering Endowed by Paul E. Andrews Jr., has been involved in every Texas Autocross since its inception.
He said this year’s event is the biggest yet.
“What is great about this event is that team members share ideas with each other. There’s a camaraderie among the nearly 400 students who will come to this Texas Autocross,” Woods said. “It is also impressive to see so many different designs of the cars and the enthusiasm that the students bring to this project. The Autocross is a great opportunity to see what FSAE is all about.”
Universities sending teams to the Texas Autocross include UT Arlington, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State University, Louisiana State University, University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, University of Missouri, UT San Antonio, UT Dallas, Wichita State University, University of Houston and Texas State University.
Racing kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, and lasts until noon on Lot 49, between Mitchell Street and Doug Russell Road. Racers and sponsors will break for lunch and then resume racing from 1:30=5 p.m. Sunday racing starts at 9:30 a.m.
Spectators are welcome to the free event.
The program has claimed innovative changes in the automotive industry, including moveable wings to reduce drag and an all-electric FSAE racecar. Woods said there would be two electric FSAE cars competing at this event.
UTA was also the only U.S. team to compete in the recent Global Electric Vehicle Challenge, a two-phase competition involving more than a dozen international teams. UTA placed third in the aerodynamics category; second in the electromechanical design and controls category; second in the electrical systems, battery and battery management category; fourth in the quality of report category; and fourth place overall.
Sponsors of the Autocross include Mouser Electronics, Taylor Race, Sawyer Composite, E-Control, TTI, Liqui Moly, Matt Travis and Red Bull.