By Taylor Erdman
Clemson Formula SAE (CUFSAE) is a student-led organization at Clemson that is focused on designing, manufacturing and competing with a formula-style race car. Each year, they design and build a new vehicle from the ground up that meets competition rules while also pursuing innovation. May 8-11, CUFSAE competed in the Formula SAE Michigan competition with their newest race car, the Tiger 24.
Michigan FSAE Competition
The Formula SAE Michigan competition was a chance for CUFSAE to showcase Tiger 24’s capabilities and their astounding efforts. 120 cars competed, making this one of the larger competitions CUFSAE has participated in. Of those 120 cars, the Tiger 24 displayed great competitive attributes finishing 20th in design and 60th overall.
In the midst of the competition, the Tiger 24 required an unexpected engine swap leading to some unforeseen challenges the following day. However, this situation led to new opportunities for learning and improvement, allowing the team to focus on future successes and ultimately strengthen their resilience and determination.
In the Pipeline for CUFSAE
This competition will not be the last chance for the team to display the Tiger 24’s capabilities. They will have the opportunity to further test these abilities in upcoming test days as well as competitions occurring later this year.
Upcoming Competitions:
- Pittsburgh Shootout (September)
- Michelin LPG Shootout (October)
- Barnesville Shootout (November)
There have also been changes to the team, as they have recently elected new team and division leads.
Tier 1 Leaders:
- Team Lead – Rajan Chitrao
- Chief Engineer – Ryan Bishop
- Production Lead – Alec Huber
- Finance and Logistics Officer – William Wei
Additionally, Rowen Smith is the new Sponsorship Coordinator for CUFSAE. With these changes to the team, Smith says that they will aspire to focus on reliability, better teamwork and earlier production for next year’s car, the Tiger 25, which will undergo design this summer.
A part of the Tiger 24’s success has been credited to the support of CUFSAE’s sponsors. The team has expressed their unwavering gratitude towards their sponsors, including the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute (RHBSSI), saying that the sponsors’ continuous assistance and investment gives the team added strength to keep pushing creativity and build the most competitive car they can. We at RHBSSI commend the CUFSAE team on all their successes to-date and wish them best of luck in their upcoming competitions this season.
Be sure to follow CUFSAE on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay current on all of the innovative things they are doing.
