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University gears up to host Texas Autocross Weekend 2008

Written by Sylvain Rey

Tuesday, 22 July 2008 08:48 PM

UTA will host a summer autocross competition Saturday and welcome 10 university Formula SAE teams — although this race could be deemed more lax and informal compared to other competitions, UTA Formula SAE team members said.

“The summer race is kind of relaxing, there is no stress,” said alumnus and driver Denver Stone. “It is a driver’s race. It is more for sharing knowledge. The rest of the year, we keep everything secret.”

The Texas Autocross Weekend 2008 will take place in Lot 49.

Richard Fielder, alumnus and driver, said it doesn’t matter who wins this race.

“Normally, there is stress. We compete for a place to win. With this race, there is no winning place,” he said. “It is for fun.”

Bob Woods, mechanical and aerospace engineering professor and team adviser, said the summer-weekend competition began between bordering states.

“The Autocross Weekend started as a Texas and Oklahoma event,” he said. “On Saturday, we would drive, and on Sunday we would go to a regional event.”

But he was surprised at that first race’s popularity.

“In 2001, we had someone from Canada,” he said laughing. “Since then, we have hosted the race every year.”

This year, 10 universities will participate, with one other remaining a possibility.

The weekend will comprise two main events. On Saturday, the teams will race in Lot 49.

On Sunday, the teams will go to Pennington Field in Bedford and compete in an event hosted by the Equipe Rapide Sports Car Club.

However fun the race may be, the drivers prepare themselves as they would for regular competitions.

“It is called an autocross, the track is different every time,” Woods said. “You walk it an hour, and then drive three times. The fastest time counts.”

The race involves drivers swerving around cones without hitting them.

“The car comes half an inch from the cones, as fast as it can,” Woods said. “It is precision at the absolute limit of control. It is amazing. I don’t know how we do it.”

The race is also an opportunity for new drivers to become familiar with similar competitions.

“It is a good chance to experience an endurance track, and we have new drivers who drive for the first time,” said mechanical engineering junior and pilot Ali Karimloo. “This year, we have four new drivers.”

Mechanical engineering junior Josh Hahne is one of those new drivers. This will be his third time driving a racing car and he’s looking forward to the race.

“This is very exciting, I love racing,” he said.

The UTA team has typically fared well in this event, and expectations are high.

“We’ll probably do better, cars get better and better,” Woods said.

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 September 2008 03:24 PM )

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