KU News Release

LAWRENCE — College students are used to going full-throttle during finals week. It’s especially true for about 20 University of Kansas School of Engineering seniors, but for this group, a checkered flag and a big trophy will signify finals week success.

These seniors, along with about 20 underclassmen volunteers, spent the school year designing, building and testing a Formula-style racecar — and this week they are competing in Detroit at the nation’s largest and most prestigious Formula competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

“Our goal is to win,” said Matt Petty, a senior from Chanhassen, Minn., majoring in mechanical engineering. “We’ve had four top 10 finishes in the last five years,” between this competition and another big one in California, Petty said.

The work begins in August, designing every aspect of the car from the ground up. It’s not until the second semester that the actual manufacturing begins. And KU’s program is unique in that a majority of the components and custom parts for the car are made on campus.

“It’s really cool to say that we make 80-90 percent of our components. Most teams have to buy a lot of off-the-shelf parts because they don’t have the resources to build them.” Petty said. “At KU, everybody can get a really great hands-on experience.”

Team members will be put to the test on how the car performs and how they present it. The must explain to a panel of experts how they designed the car and why it’s better than the others at the competition. The team is also put through a mock sales presentation, where they must pitch how they’d get the car out on the market, and they are tasked with determining the costs to mass-produce their vehicle.

The team is also evaluated on four racing events. The car is put through a series of figure eight maneuvers, which test the car’s suspension and gauges how well it corners. The car is tested on its acceleration in a 75-meter drag race. The autocross portion of the competition is a one-minute race around obstacles. And the endurance test is a large-scale version of the autocross competition that is 20 minutes long and tests fuel economy.

“That is really the true test of the vehicle,” Petty said. “Not only is it able to be fast but withstand all the different things that can happen during a 20-minute race.”

Team members spend countless hours in the shop designing, refining, tweaking and improving the car in preparation for the competition. Petty said most of the students who dedicate so much time to the car during the school year won’t wind up pursuing a career in racing, but the yearlong effort still drives home a strong message.

“It really pushes innovation and it teaches you to push your designs — in whatever field you’re in. On a racecar, if one bolt fails, the whole vehicle fails, so it really teaches you how critically you have to design everything and how you have to think about everything on there,” Petty said.

Team members are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents names and high schools (when available) and team assignment.

ATCHISON COUNTY
From Atchison 66002
Jon Griffith, senior in mechanical engineering; son of David and Veronica Griffith; Pleasant Ridge High School, Easton; suspension team member.

BUTLER COUNTY
From Andover 67002
Jon Hill, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Lary and Diane Hill; Andover Central High School; chassis team member.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Baldwin City 66006
Sam Pippert, junior in mechanical engineering; son of Larry and Lisa Pippert; Baldwin High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Baldwin City 66006 and Lecompton 66050
Cameron Bryant, freshman in mechanical engineering; son of Tracy Rockers, Baldwin City, and Mike Bryant, Lecompton; Baldwin High School; volunteer/test team captain.

From Lawrence 66044 and Espanola, N.M.
Len Necefer, junior in mechanical engineering; son of Edward Necefer, Lawrence, and Maggie George, Espanola, N.M.; Armand Hammer United World College of the American West, Montezuma, N.M.; volunteer/test team member.

From Lawrence 66046
Tim McClintock, senior in engineering physics; Council Grove (Kan.) High School; bachelor’s degree from Laguna (Calif.) College of Art and Design; power train team captain.

From Lawrence 66049
James Borner, sophomore in preparing to major in fine arts; Durango (Colo.) High School; volunteer/test team member.

ELLIS COUNTY
From Hays 67601
Mark Adams, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Alan and Elaine Adams; Hays High School; chassis team member.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Leawood 66206
Cole Helbert, freshman in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; son of Tammy Johnson; Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park; volunteer/test team member.

From Leawood 66209
Adam Jeffries, freshman in mechanical engineering; son of Kevin and Laura Jeffries; Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park; volunteer/test team member.

From Olathe 66061
Nick Roberts, nondegree-seeking graduate student in engineering; son of Steven and Karen Roberts; Olathe North High School; bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from KU, summer 2007; volunteer/test team member.

From Olathe 66062
Hans Walther, freshman in mechanical engineering; son of Klaus and Alina Walther; Olathe Northwest High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Overland Park 66204
Rusty Benson, sophomore in aerospace engineering; son of Theresa Benson; Shawnee Mission West High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Overland Park 66212 and 66215
Steve Hinton, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Laura Miller (66212) and David Hinton (66215); Shawnee Mission South High School; power train team member.

From Overland Park 66223
Josh Rasa, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Gael and Sabrina Rasa; Blue Valley High School, Stilwell; power train team member.

From Prairie Village 66208
Kyle Hamer, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Douglas and Rebecca Hamer; Shawnee Mission East High School; suspension team captain.

From Shawnee 66216
John Solar, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Rick and Debbie Solar; Bishop Miege High School, Roeland Park; suspension team member.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
From Leavenworth 66048
Patrick Rielly, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Robert and Anne Rielly; Leavenworth Senior High School; suspension team member.

PRATT COUNTY
From Pratt 67124
Chris Hedden, doctoral student in aerospace engineering; son of Richard Hedden; Pratt High School; bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from KU, spring 2007; volunteer/test team member.

RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan 66502
Jeff Dickinson, sophomore in mechanical engineering; son of Robert and Torry Schaeffer; Manhattan High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Manhattan 66502 and Wichita
Matt Mantyla. SEE SEDGWICK COUNTY

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Derby 67037
Jared Anderson, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Kevin and Belinda Anderson; Derby High School; chassis team captain.

From Maize 67101
Steven Heger, senior in mechanical engineering; son of John and Lori Heger; Maize High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Wichita 67205
Alex Vincent, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Rolland and Jennifer Vincent; Wichita Collegiate School; suspension team member.

From Wichita 67207 and 67230
Ashton Bitner, senior in mechanical engineering; daughter of Vicki Hamer (67207) and Tony Bitner (67230); Wichita High School Southeast; power train team member.

From Wichita 67212 and Manhattan
Matt Mantyla, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Margo Ottman, Wichita, and Kenneth Mantyla, Manhattan; Maize High School; power train team member.

Michael Simon, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Joe and Kim Simon; Wichita High School Northwest; volunteer/test team member.

From Wichita 67226
Colin Snyder, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Alan and Beth Snyder; Wichita High School Southeast; team systems engineer.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Silver Lake 66539
Trent Strunk, freshman in mechanical engineering; son of Michael and Kathleen Strunk; Silver Lake Junior/Senior High School; volunteer/test team member.

From Topeka 66606
Clay Cooper, junior in mechanical engineering; Topeka High School; volunteer/test team member.

COLORADO
From Centennial 80015
Ethan Ames, freshman in design; son of William and Jane Ames; Regis Jesuit High School, Aurora, Colo.; volunteer/test team member.

MINNESOTA
From Chanhassen 55317
Matt Petty, senior in mechanical engineering; son of David and Elizabeth Petty; Chaska (Minn.) Senior High School; team captain.

MISSOURI
From Lee’s Summit 64082
Adam Suppenbach, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Michael and Julie Suppenbach; Lee’s Summit Senior High School; power train team member.

From Wildwood 63040
Amy Erdbruegger, senior in mechanical engineering; daughter of Mark and Joy Erdbruegger; Eureka (Mo.) High School; suspension team member

Blake Slagle, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Morris and Bretta Slagle; Eureka (Mo.) High School; power train team member.

NEW MEXICO
From Espanola 87532 and Lawrence, Kan.
Len Necefer. SEE DOUGLAS COUNTY

OKLAHOMA
From McAlester 74501 and Okmulgee 74447
Phillip Twist, sophomore in mechanical engineering; son of Kevin Twist, McAlester, and Sherry O’Mara, Okmulgee; Morris (Okla.) High School; volunteer/test team fundraising chair.

TENNESSEE
From Memphis 38125
Alexander "Zandy" Woodruff-Hall, junior in mechanical engineering; son of Jacqueline Hall; Houston High School, Germantown, Tenn.; volunteer team member.

TEXAS
From Houston 77079
Alex Gladbach, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Joe Gladbach, Stratford High School; chassis team member.

JAPAN
From Urasoe
Hideki Onaga, senior in mechanical engineering; son of Seiji Onaga; chassis team member.

NIGERIA
From Lagos
Edirin Aghoghovbia, freshman in electrical engineering; son of Titi Aghoghovbia; Lawrence (Kan.) High School; volunteer/test team member.

SAUDI ARABIA
From Riyadh
Faisal AlMadani, senior in mechanical engineering; chassis team member.