Top of the Morning, June 9, 2023
Jun. 9—Four years ago, the University of Illinois didn't have a winning entry in the North America Formula SAE competition.
Now, the team dubbed Illini Motorsports is the best on the continent, beating more than 120 competitors from the U.S., Canada and Central America — with a chance for more hardware.
The UI team, which numbers about 30, won the Formula One combustion competition at Detroit International Speedway in late May.
"There are different competitions within the competition," said Mark Pinson, the supervisor of the Engineering Students Design Campus. "They'll have competitions for drivetrains, competitions for integration because there's a lot of computerization involved in this, competition for frames and efficiency."
Teams place in each category. An overall No. 1 is decided by points, with Illini Motorsports outdistancing the No. 2 squad. There was a timed race that added to the point totals.
The students designed their own cars and built them during the school year.
The UI also has a Formula One electric team that is competing in Detroit starting Monday.
"We're hoping for great things from them," Pinson said.
An off-road Baja team just returned from a successful competition in Oregon.
"Our training program is really second to none," Pinson said.
