Formula Buckeyes compete at Michigan International Speedway

A team of students from The Ohio State University have traveled to Brooklyn, Mich., to demonstrate its Formula One-style race car at the Formula SAE-Michigan competition.

The competition, sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers-International, is being held Wednesday, May 14, through Saturday, May 17, at the renowned Michigan International Speedway.

Formula Buckeyes race teamOhio State’s Formula SAE team, Formula Buckeyes, is racing against approximately 120 other collegiate teams from around the world. The competition specifies that student teams must design, build and drive their vehicles. These Buckeyes are not newcomers to the competition—last year they placed 18th overall out of 104 competitors in Formula SAE-Michigan.

The Formula Buckeyes SAE race team consists of students from a variety of majors including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, welding engineering, business administration, marketing, and art and technology. Through this variety of talent and dedication, the team funds, designs, fabricates, and races a high-performance, open-wheeled race car.

The competition is divided into two sections. Static events include a business presentation of the car, the team’s budget and the engineering principles behind the car’s design. Dynamic events include a one-lap autocross event, a skidpad event in the shape of a figure-eight, an acceleration and braking test and a 22-lap endurance race.

Ohio State’s car can zoom from zero-to-60 miles per hour in three seconds. Unique to Ohio State’s vehicle is a carbon fiber monocoque chassis—in lay terms, a combination body-chassis that is very strong while being very lightweight.

New to this year's entry is an aerodynamics package which includes custom- made carbon fiber front and rear wings. The wings generate over 250 pounds of down-force at 60 miles per hour. This translates into higher gripping power through turns, which results in quicker lap times on the track.

The Formula Buckeyes are one of five student motorsports teams based out of the university’s Center for Automotive Research. Students in these programs learn hands on skills for designing, fabricating, racing, managing and marketing competition vehicles, applying classroom concepts to real-world problems.

Contact: Holly Henley, marketing and communications, henley.53@osu.edu