Students bring Formula One car to MIS

July 19, 2022 (Volume 45, Number 19)
Article by Michele Coffill

mini Formula One car on racetrack with driver in helmet and three students standing behind it

Pictured are members of the Laker Racing Team at the Michigan International Speedway. From left to right are Billy Mullins, Gabe Ptaszek, Joseph Long and Kyle Lentine (in car).

Photo Credit: courtesy of Annika Mattson

For the first time since 2019, Grand Valley students designed a race car and competed against 48 other collegiate teams at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Nicholas Baine, associate professor of engineering, said the four-day competition in mid-June proved a mixed bag for the Laker Racing Formula SAE team. The throttle body failed inspection, Baine said, so the team was not able to participate in the track events like acceleration, skid pad and autocross.

"We did well in the cost and business presentations, which are part of the static events," he said. "We are looking forward to redesigning that body part and competing again next year."

The Society of Automotive Engineers hosts the annual event, held for the first time since the pandemic. Engineering and business students collaborate to build a miniature Formula One, open-wheel race car.

Learn more about the Laker Racing Team online.