UW Racing was happy to attend the annual Big Ten Shootout hosted by Purdue University on November 12th.  No trophies are given out at this event.  There are no cost reports, design presentations, or fuel economy scores.  Teams meet at Grissom Air Force Base for a fun day of racing and learning.  Thank you Purdue FSAE for continuing to host this event!

During one very hot June week at the Auto Club Speedway in California, the members of UW Racing kept their cool as they worked towards a 3rd place finish overall.  Keeping the momentum of a 5th place finish earlier in May at Formula SAE Michigan,  confidence in the design and reliability of the WR-211 peaked as the team took its second top 5 finish for the season.  A third place finish in the endurance event by seniors Greg Blaser and Andrew Baum ensured a strong finish for the team.

As work begins in the fall for the WR-212, the team will focus on refining many designs for the new season.  Building on the success of the past season, UW Racing will continue climbing the ranks of the Formula series.  We have learned many valuable lessons from years past that help us continually improve the performance of our car and our team.  We would like to give one final thank you and goodbye to our graduating senior members:

Greg Blaser, Tyler Schmitz, Matt Bradshaw, Andrew Baum, Luca Mantovano, Billy Kewer, Lucas Hartleben, Jason Kohler, Chris Rien, and Brenna Lamers.

Thank you to all our sponsors, friends, and family for your continued support of Wisconsin Racing! We share these trophies with you!

On the second weekend in May, the WR-211 put Wisconsin Racing back on the map with a 5th place finish at Formula SAE Michigan. This marks the first top five finish for the team since the 2008 competition but the 6th since the year 2000. The 5th place finish also makes UW-Madison the top finishing domestic team (1st place went to Global Formula Racing, a collaborative effort between Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg- Ravensburg and Oregon State). Notably, the WR-211 posted the best power to weight ratio at competition and was the fourth lightest car at only 325 pounds. The results for the top ten are listed below:

1. Global Formula Racing - DHBW Ravensburg/Oregon State (Intl)

2. Technical University of Munich (Germany)

3. University of Stuttgart (Germany)

4. Graz University of Technology (Austria)

5. University of Wisconsin - Madison

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

7. University of Applied Sciences Zwichau (Germany)

8. University of Akron

9. University of Kansas - Lawrence

10. University of Applied Sciences - Graz (Austria)

Wisconsin’s vehicle composition has undergone major changes beginning with the 209. This year, the team completed the transition to the lightweight vehicle concept by redesigning the entire suspension and chassis to utilize 10” rims and Hoosier tires. Besides the increased performance of the new tires, the wheel package reduced the vehicle weight by 21.5 lb alone. These massive and somewhat risky changes were not completed without challenges but the result was a remarkable performance increase from the previous year.

The WR-211’s powertrain package was refined greatly. The team continued its use of E-85 and reintroduced a full carbon fiber intake plenum, improving flow characteristics and reducing vehicle mass. Advanced simulation work was completed with Ricardo WAVE software and the powertrain group was able to acquire in-cylinder pressure data for the first time and making Wisconsin one of the few Formula Student teams to have access to in-cylinder pressure data. The powertrain package presented at competition boasted 82 hp.

Remaining for the team now is the Formula SAE California competition taking place on June 15th-18th. Global Formula Racing will be present at this event, as well as contenders from École de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal, the University of Missouri Science and Technology and the University of Kansas.  Two team from China will also compete in the event.

The photo gallery for the WR-211 can be found through the gallery link at www.uwracing.com.

The following video is a continuous time-lapse of the WR-211 coming to life in the shop.  The video comes from our shop cam, which can be viewed live at any time here:  http://www.uwracing.com/garagecam