Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo A&M Society of Automotive Engineers entered 'The Howdy Car' as a part of the 2009 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. [Click to enlarge]

For the A&M Society of Automotive Engineers, building a racecar starts with the decision of what car to use, next comes the inspection and disassembly of the parts, then finally comes putting it back together to create the lightweight, balanced racecar with a strong engine designed to win.

And this team did just that, placing fifth out of 58 teams in their entrance into the 2009 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. For the competition, teams attempt to build the best racecar on a set of guidelines.

This was the first time the organization has ever entered this competition, and Jake Sieverling, a sophomore engineering technology major and a member of the organization, said receiving fifth place the first time was something to be proud of.

"To get fifth place in the company we were in was a huge honor as well as winning the Editor's Choice Award," Sieverling said. "The editors of the magazine were very impressed with the effort we put forth and that was very unexpected and humbling."

The challenge was not just for college universities, for only A&M and Georgia Tech University provided a car for the contest.

The idea to enter the "Grassroots Challenge" came about when members of the organization decided designing racecars was one thing, but building the racecar was another. The racing team created a plan to get students hands-on experience by entering them in the contest.

The team's car for the challenge is a 1993 Honda Civic the A&M Racing team calls "The Howdy Car."

Eduardo Idarra, a senior engineering technology major and crew chief for the team, said they made a great showing this year and plan to return with the "The Howdy Car" in peak performance condition.

"We have a better idea about what the judges will be looking for in the competition," Idarra said. "'The Howdy Car' is going to be going back because it did so well its first time out."

The organization will also be constructing another car for new volunteers to work on while "The Howdy Car" is being worked on.

The Automotive Engineers is an organization run primarily by students, and focuses on preparing students for careers working with automotives on an engineering level. The organization puts an emphasis on the technical skills of building a racecar.

Sam Craven, a senior engineering technology major, was the project manager for the competition and said not only will this organization provide a stage for students to display their technological skills, but it will also help guide students.

"My involvement with the Grassroots Challenge from build to competition has been the most rewarding of my college career," Craven said. "No experience is necessary. We teach you everything you need to know."

Meetings are at 7:30 p.m. the first Monday of every month in the Engineering Physics Building 202.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools