Update: The Western Formula Racing Team placed second overall out of 90 teams in the Formula SAE® Lincoln race at the Lincoln Airport. The team was also third place for endurance and third place for design.
See photos from the Formula North race in Barrie
Combining business savvy with engineering expertise has literally made the Western Formula Racing Team built for speed.
Western Formula Racing is a student group at Western University that builds cars and enters them in competitions.
Racing a car designed by Bennet Heidenreich, an HBA & Engineering student, the team placed second out of 28 teams at the Formula North 2015 competition at the Barrie Molson Centre June 4-7, and 10th out of 120 teams at the Formula SAE® Michigan competition at the Michigan International Speedway May 13-16.
The team is currently in Lincoln, Nebraska until June 20 competing against 90 teams in the Formula SAE® Lincoln race at the Lincoln Airport. Follow the race on Twitter: @westernuFSAE
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“Working with the Ivey program has really helped us to get an edge on the competition,” said Heidenreich, who is one of several Ivey students on the team.
Nathan Huffman, the 2016 Team Leader, and Chris Kornas, the Vehicle Dynamics Lead, are also current HBA & Engineering students. The team also includes Ivey Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) students Dean Kernaghan, Julien Bertone, Milos Masnikosa, Kirill Kokorin, Brody Scott, Rex Sherratt, and Steph Blom.
“When you get to watch something you created perform well, it’s extremely rewarding,” said Heidenreich. “Being part of the Western Formula Racing Team is an amazing opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in class immediately and to push myself to learn more.”
In addition to applying his engineering knowledge, Heidenreich said the skills learned at Ivey were a huge help. Through Management Sciences courses taught by Ivey Lecturer Rafael Nicolas Fermin Cota he learned how to analyze the forces and kinematics (properties of motion) of the car’s suspension system. He is also working with Fermin Cota to develop a lap simulation program.
Additionally, the team has participated in workshops with Ivey faculty on team organization and understanding goals. Heidenreich also credits Ivey’s Leadership Under Fire course, which is modelled after the Basic Officer Training Course that Canadian Forces officers take, for helping him to better understand the relationship between a leader and team members. The business presentation skills gained at Ivey helped the team to pitch to investors.
After the race in Nebraska, the team is on to Hockenheim, Germany July 28-August 2, competing against 115 teams in the Formula Student Germany race. The Western Formula Racing Team is trying to raise $10,000 to cover the team members’ costs for the Germany trip. To make a donation, please contact fsae@uwo.ca.
For updates on the team’s results, please see Western Formula Racing.
Members of Western Formula Racing team with the winning race car.
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