In May, Wisconsin Racing gathered at the grounds of Michigan International Speedway (MIS) with over 100 teams, from both America and Europe, to compete for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Foundation Cup. The competition started in 1981 and the cup has been claimed by sixteen di! erent universities, including the University of Wisconsin in 2007. Other strong competitors such as Graz University of Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology and Missouri University of Science and Technology, returned to MIS this year. Also entered in the competition was the University at Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany) whose car had swept all three major Formula SAE competitions in Europe the previous summer.

This year the UW Racing team brought a vastly improved and extremely quick car to competition. The United Wisconsin Grain Producers E85 powered 210 tipped the scales at 393 pounds and delivered 82 horsepower, resulting in a power to weight ratio that was second best of all the teams entered. The 210’s single cylinder powertrain system was carried over from the previous year; however, major engine modi" cations were made to the KTM Racing Four Stroke powerplant with the help of key sponsor Forward Motion Engines. The team also incorporated a new turbocharger furnished by IHI. The powertrain system preformed very well overall at competition and made major strides over the 209.

The chassis group completely redesigned the frame and kinematics of the vehicle. The suspension system incorporated a new more complex upright design that was not physically manufacturable in house. However, with the help of sponsor Baum Machine the team was able to successfully implement the new design into the 210. The brake system also underwent a major redesign incorporating Tilton master cylinders, which combined with the new kinematics improved the braking performance by 30% up to 1.5 G’s.

Wisconsin Racing had high hopes for competition, posting faster laps times than the afore mentioned University of Stuttgart when the German challengers stepped onto hallowed Wisconsin ground for a week of testing. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared at the endof the four-day competition, Oregon State, a competitor of relatively unknown stature hoisted the trophy. Unfortunately, Wisconsin Racing could only muster a fourteenth overall place in the competition, largely due to issues with the electro-pneumatic shifting system that plagued the team throughout the weekend.

Despite the massive accomplishment of constructing a racecar completely from scratch, the team was quite disappointed with the result. We could attempt to sugarcoat the result by digging into “what could have beens,” but, Carroll Smith, one of the founders of the Formula SAE competition, states in his book Tune To Win, “Don’t make or accept excuses. The familiar ‘We’re a second slower than the lap record, but, if the engine were fresh or if we had new tires, or if the sun weren’t in the driver’s eyes, we’d be a half second under it,’ is nonsense.”

We will heed the wisdom of the late Mr. Smith. What we will say though is that the life of the 210 has not ended. In less than two weeks time, the 210 with make another appearance at the famed Hockenheimring Formula 1 track in Hockenheim, Germany to compete in Formula Student
Germany.

This competition in recent years has perhaps superseded the Michigan competition in stature. Here 78 international teams from five continents will compete for the trophy. This will be the first international trip for Wisconsin Racing since 2007. A few dedicated team members have remained in Madison throughout the summer months, further testing the car and improving its reliability. With a little luck on our side we could see great success across the pond.

A final note, we are making a strong effort to improve timely communication with our sponsors. We have now created a Twitter account (username: WisconsinRacing) and Facebook page (page name: Wisconsin Racing) for the team. Please begin to follow us on these social media platforms.

Also, keep on the lookout for a completely renovated website that should be online this fall. As always, please visit the multimedia page on the website and view the latest photos of the 210.

Thank you for your continuous support.