An Spartan Racing newsletter for Sponsors, Faculty, Professionals, and Students

Volume 4 Issue 3

Writers and Editors: Ross Fraser, Matt Mohr, Dustin Decker,

Robby Sampson, Morgan Crouch

SAE.SJSU@GMAIL.COM

On October 9th Spartan

Racing let SR-3 out of the stable and took her to Marina,

CA to compete in an American Auto-X series event.

Organizers were nice enough to let us set up a booth next to

the registration trailer to display our car. In addition,

entrants offered to give our program donations and in

exchange we offered to work their track assignments for

them. We were able to enjoy some racing while raising

some money for our program. When given the opportunity

to run SR-3 our drivers consistently proved that the car was

one of the fastest on the course. By the end of the day we

were less than 2 seconds off the pace of the fastest car.

Overall, it was an awesome weekend. We enjoyed the

hospitality of all the AAS organizers and competitors!

To celebrate San Jose State

University’s homecoming the

school held a special event by

Tower Hall called Fire on the

Fountain. Spartan Racing was out in full

force with last year’s Hybrid car and

Formula’s SR-3. Nearly 20 student

organizations gathered, each with a craft or

game for students to participate in. Ross

Fraser found a simple design for a catapult,

built only with a small piece of dowel and a

bobby pin, that can fling a fruit loop 20 feet.

The rest of the day was spent either getting hit

or hitting others in the face with cereal. We

were promised fire, and after dark we weren’t

disappointed when the fire dancers came out.

The day was a lot of fun but in end the real

gain is that more and more people around the

University are learning about Spartan Racing.

Upcoming Events: Nov 13 & 20 SCCA Autocross Oakland Coliseum Nov 18 Gunn High School Tour

This month we packed up the crew and

headed back to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the last event of the 2011 race

season; the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV. This event is said to be the largest

gathering of Porsche race cars and drivers in the world and after attending this event

I can see why. There were hundreds of Porsches of all types and generations either

for show or to race. It was amazing to see a field of 30 cars, all Porsches, but

different models and years battling on the same track. I thought I would get tired of

these German gems quickly but instead the event reignited a childhood love for

these iconic sports cars. -Ross F.

In an effort to spread out love of education on November 18th Spartan Racing will be giving

a shop tour to students attending Gunn High School in Palo Alto, Ca. We will be showing

off the vehicles and discussing our program. We always hope that visits like this encourage

an interest of engineering or racing in these students.

Last year the Spartan Racing Formula Suspension Team realized the need to redesign the steering

column for SR-4. The previous design used a U joint to make a downward bend which lead to sloppy

steering and some instances of binding. The team came together and decided the most practical

alternative is a small gearbox that will increase reliability while reducing friction and compliance in the

steering system. With off-the-shelf boxes costing in excess of $400, and turnaround times as long as 3

months, we decided to design and manufacture our own gearbox that will cost and weigh less. This task

would be impractical without the support of Pat Shue of Applied Industrial Technologies. Pat is helping

us design this mechanism and is also supplying us with the bearings and miter gears that will be used in

the gearbox. Shue and Applied Industrial Technologies have been long time team members of the

Spartan Racing by supplying us with wheel bearings and other components since the team’s beginning in

2007. Thank you for your support.

During October the Formula Team spent hours on end working on the design of the various components

that will make up our 2012 challenger, SR-4.

The Powertrain Team has made major strides with the designs of both the intake system and the final

drive system. The major components for the intake system have been designed and developed, including

the new-for-2012 dual-stage intake runners. In addition, a new clutch-type differential has been

purchased. The final major milestone for the Powertrain Team is that an engine has been sourced and is

currently being purchased, which means testing of the oil and cooling systems can begin once it arrives.

The Chassis Team is currently transitioning into the manufacturing phase. Metal for the frame, hubs,

and chassis brackets will be arriving within a week thanks to a generous donation from Inland Metal

Industries. Manufacturing of the welding jigs will begin this week so that when the tubing arrives back

from being laser cut and bent, frame manufacturing can begin immediately after.

The Composites Team is beginning testing layup techniques as well as various designs for structural

floor panels to increase chassis rigidity. Preliminary sidepod designs have been completed and are only

waiting on radiator sizing and placement, and exhaust muffler placement for the design to be finalized.

By the next update, we will have begun frame manufacturing and will hopefully be well under way with

powertrain development and testing.

The Spartan Racing Hybrid team started the year off with THREE members. After the first

month devoted solely to recruiting new talent, we have several enthusiastic new members.

Unfortunately, we have none that are devoted to design. We are currently attending Formula

meetings and collaborating with them to get our team up to speed on designing key compo-

nents of this year's vehicle.

We are making the grand announcement that we are going all electric. The new Spartan

Racing Electric Team determined that the increased simplicity and reliability of a single

propulsion method will help with our design restraints. Going electric also helps set us apart

from our Formula counterpart and will surely teach us important lessons about designing the

electric cars of the future.

As you can see we are going through a big transition with resources running low. This next

month will be pivotal to our success. Our next step is to tackle the rather long list of important

decisions to make so we can get started on design. We recognize that this will likely be a hard

year for our team, but we are up to the task.

Baja has completed the first tube

bend for the 2012 vehicle. The main

roll hoop, which is planned to be 6”

above the tallest drivers head, has

been bent. Baja has also began to

purchase parts for the vehicle. A

Yamaha locking differential was

bought and is currently being

incorporated in the design of the new

gearbox. After these early purchases

it become painfully obvious that

funding is continuing to be one of the

main concerns for the team so far this

year. With even more parts and tools

to buy, we will be focusing our

efforts on gaining sponsorship, and

repairing shop equipment. The CNC

machine commonly known as Charlie

is having its motors and controls

replaced by Matt Mohr, Max Ratner,

Stefan Herkevitz, and Dustin Decker.

The next steps for Baja is to bend

some more tubes and get started on

frame construction, purchase even

more parts and continue searching for

support.

Messages from our SPARTAN RACING Alumni:

-communication -researching -problem solving -organization

Make a Difference

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Project-based learning is proven to produce students that are motivated, energized, and focused. Supporting our program provides our student members with opportunities to be the directors and managers of their own learning. Becoming a Sponsor means that you are fostering experiences that our students will never forget, as they learn knowledge by using it in exciting and challenging ways. Please join us in our advancement, we are prepared to present to you what our enriched relationship may hold.

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General Motors

Account email: SAE.SJSU@GMAIL.COM

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