BYU's first formula racecar rocketed around the Bean Museum parking lot yesterday for the last time before the car and its designers leave for the California Speedway. The unveiling gave BYU students and faculty the chance to see the car before it heads to a national competition.

"We want to show people what we've got and how we're representing BYU," said Ryan Blanchard, a recent BYU graduate and member of the formula racing team. "It's been a fantastic experience."

The Formula Racing team leaves early Monday morning for the Society of Automotive Engineer's design competition, one of the most prestigious university design competitions in the country. Spanning June 14 through 17, the events range from dynamic races to students answering professional engineers' questions. Although BYU has successfully participated in the society's Mini-Baja competition for the past eight years, this is the first time BYU will take on this challenge.

"I think we will do pretty well from the numbers we've gotten," said Ryan Williams, a team member and senior. "I don't think anyone's expecting us to blow away the pack. It is our first year."

The designers, a group of mechanical engineering seniors and undergraduate students, have worked on the car as part of their capstone project since September.

"The students are really the heart of the project," said Robert Todd, a mechanical engineering professor and director of the capstone project. "They've done an outstanding job."

Because this is the first run at this competition, the designers built the car from the ground up. Working with computer software, they designed the lightweight car to maneuver and race.

The car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and can brake within 80 feet from a speed of 60 mph. The car is complete with 20 sensors that communicate with a laptop computer, so its performance can easily be regulated. Tire temperature, handling and speed are all seen in real-time on the computer.

When the racing machine was completed, the designers were able to test-drive the car and race each other for the chance to drive at the competition.

"Driving the car was extremely rewarding," said Eric Peery, a senior from Orem. "It was exhilarating just to see everything come together."

While most of the team is preparing to present their project next week, some are already looking to the future.

"The next group of students will have all we've done," Williams said. "They can start testing right away."

Copyright Brigham Young University 8 Jun 2006