October 28, 2004

Wolfpack Motorsports Starts with Design Engineering

Katherine Guerra changes a tire on the f-car at the FSAE competition in Michigan, outside the Pontiac Silverdome, May 2003. (Photo:  courtesy Dr. Eric Klang)
NC State takes part in the FSAE competition in Michigan. (Photo:  courtesy Dr. Eric Klang)
The entire drive train can be removed from the Mini-Baja — a new and “awesome” improvement developed by this year's team.

One laid-back professor and nearly 30 students comprise the engine room of Wolfpack Motorsports — a unique program in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at NC State.  This past summer, both of the program's vehicles scored top-five finishes (out of 140) in the design portion of their separate international competitions.

The Formula SAE is a scaled-down Formula One car that houses a 600cc motorcycle engine and is honed for tight turns and ear-pinning acceleration.  The Mini-Baja is a roll cage with big wheels and a fully removable drive train that is welded with mud-slinging and durability in mind.

Each vehicle is built from the ground up during the school year by different teams of roughly one dozen MAE students under the guidance of Dr. Eric Klang, associate professor in the department.  The first semester is largely spent in front of the computer, designing and modeling everything from the brake pedal to the chassis. 

Building and testing (and repairing) dominates the second semester — culminating in a complex, multistage competition attended by engineering programs from all over the world.

While both vehicles experienced “component breaks” during competition this year, hampering their overall competition standings, Klang said the mechanical advances the teams achieved were significant and will help move the program forward for next year's participants.

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