Editor’s note: This is the latest installation in a yearlong series about ASU's Formula SAEFormula SAE is a student design competition organized by the International Society of Automotive Engineers (now known as SAE International). team. Find links to previous stories at the end of this article.
Well, they didn't have a completed car to do a pace lap, but the student engineers building a Formula-style car for competition in Nebraska did make it to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.
Motorsports fans were drawn to the club's tents at PIR, where their in-progress car was displayed, along with a race simulator that drew participants young and old.
After the moment of respite, it's back to the workshop for these students, who have a race car to finish and test before the national competition in June.
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Holden Walker, 12, of Phoenix, dons a helmet to race the Mazda Raceway Leguna Seca course inside ASU's Formula SAE tent at Phoenix International Raceway on April 2. Around 20 members of the Formula SAE team came to show off their chassis in an effort to generate excitement, and perhaps funds, for the project. They brought a Project Cars video game and connected it to an old chassis.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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ASU junior Abraham Sharaf (left) talks with people about the Formula SAE car at Phoenix International Raceway on April 2 before the start of the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, a Verizon IndyCar Series race. Many of the ASU team members worked on the car overnight, getting the suspension, engine, floor and side panels attached.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Interested passers-by stopped to learn about the nuts and bolts, as it were, of ASU's Formula SAE car at Phoenix International Raceway.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Around 20,000 people attended the April 2 race, with many stopping to learn about the ASU team's car.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Race fans of all ages were able to drive the Formula SAE team's simulator car. The Project Cars video game it was connected to features popular racetracks and various race cars.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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A steady stream of interested people stopped to get up close and learn about ASU's Formula SAE car. The team is prepping for a national competition in Nebraska in June.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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During a lull between visitors, chief engineer Wes Kudela — an ASU senior in mechanical engineering — takes the wheel of the car simulator.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Visitors check out the Formula SAE team's creation, which is starting to look decidedly more like a car.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
Previous stories in this series:
Oct. 14: Tempe Drift: How an underdog student engineering team is building a race car from the ground up.
Nov. 4: Racing time and money to build a fast car.
Dec. 10: Braking bad: Pressure is on for ASU student engineers building race car
Dec. 17: No brake: ASU team powers through to edge closer to race car
Feb. 1: Coming into the home stretch
March 8: Starting to look like a car
March 29: One step closer to PIR
March 31: Going full throttle for PIR
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