Bitter Sweet Ending

Well we finished our car in time. Unfortunately the Friday before the competition we took it out on our track at school and did some test runs. Due to the experimental steering it posed some problems. In the middle of the turn the driver had some problems and broke causing him to lose control and the car rolled. It was a possibility to fix the damage before race day, but the risk of it breaking again was too high.

So we decided to go down to the competition as spectators. We had a fun time looking at all the other awesome designs and getting ideas for the upcoming year. Right now we have decided to flip the car around and make it four wheels instead of the three. We have started already on taking it apart and laying it out.

It was disappointing not being able to compete this year, but it was better than risking our driver and the other drivers health. We gained a lot of information from studying others designs. So if we are able to get an adviser to run this program at our school next year, then we will be able to have a better car.

Here are a few pictures that we took as inspiration.

Final Stages

The car is finally looking good. It is now in its final stages of completion. With less than two weeks until race day, it is a relief. There are a few minor things that are still to be worked on. The one major step is the outer shell. We are going to use mono-coat which is a clear plastic type material that can be stretched over the framework of the car. This will hopefully add some aerodynamics to the cars design.

The steering wheel.


The rear steering hook-up.


The front frame.

Catching Up

We were not able to get the car moving under its own power before spring break, so we are working diligently in order to get it done. We have begun running the wires and mounting the switches that are required for the competition, including and exterior shut-off switch. We also are constructing the sheet metal floor. And configuring a place that is easily accessible for the fire extinguisher. Another thing we are playing close attention to is the steering, because there were a few tweaks that were needed in order to get it working good. A couple of us have predicted that it should be running and drivable by Wednesday next week.