SAE club at CBU revving up on the racetrack

Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2018) – Tyler Carlisle had one sentiment pop into mind when he finished a test run for his team’s race vehicle: fast!

“The car is really fast and thrilling to drive,” said Carlisle, a student member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) club at California Baptist University. “Having the opportunity to experience how the car feels and how it reacted to certain driver inputs has given me vital knowledge in improvements that can be made in the future.”

Students from SAE club at CBU took to the Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside over the weekend to conduct trial runs. The team continues to prepare for the SAE International race competition that will be held in June 2019. 

Prior to the trial runs, the team worked to ensure the vehicle was up to par by changing tires, tightening bolts and lug nuts and ensuring appropriate gas levels were met. They also attached GoPro cameras, which will help the drivers evaluate their and the car’s performance. These practices add valuable insights as the team moves forward with its design for a new car they are creating for the national competition this year.

The purpose of the trial run was to make sure everything on the car was functioning correctly and that all the drivers are adjusted to the vehicle, said Spencer Judy, mechanical engineering senior.

The Lancer team is scheduled to compete in the SoCal Shootout at the Adams Motorsports Park on Oct. 20. Several SAE teams from Southern California that competed in the previous SAE national competition will participate in the event.

Judy said the upcoming race will allow the team to pinpoint design elements to develop on.

“The more hours we put on the car, the more we know we need to improve on,” Judy said.

During the upcoming event, team members who oversee various design components for the vehicle also will have an opportunity to present to judges their concepts and work.

Katie Mast, a mechanical engineering junior, is the lead on the ergonomics design that includes the vehicle’s brakes, pedals and steering.

“All the leads will be tested on how well they know last year’s car and how well they know their own subsystem. They will gain experience presenting their knowledge to the judges while also learning what the judges are expecting from them,” Mast said.