Bearcat Motorsports places 12th in Michigan race

Bearcat Motorsports, the University of Cincinnati's Formula SAE Team, came in 12th place out of 120 teams during the annual competition at Michigan International Speedway.

A German team from the University of Stuttgart finished first in the four-day event this month followed by the Graz Technical University in Austria. The highest placing U.S. team was the University of Michigan, which finished fourth, followed by Oregon State University.

Five U.S. teams placed in the top-10.

View the results.

The UC team also received a second-place Cummins Inc. Applied Technology Award for finding innovative ways to apply technology. UC was recognized for its application of frame nodes using additive manufacturing.

Bearcat Motorsports will compete in the FSAE North competition at Barrie Molson Center, Ontario, on May 30 and is on a waitlist for the remaining U.S. race at Lincoln, Nebraska’s, Airpark on June 19.

Bearcat Motorsports is the UC Academic Intercollegiate Competition student group that participates in Formula SAE, a collegiate design competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers and supported by major automotive companies and suppliers.

The competition involves the design, construction and testing of an open-wheel, Formula One style racecar. The students are involved in design, cost analysis and sales and marketing presentations as well as static and driving competitions against other collegiate teams from all over the world over four days.

This event is the first of the North American Formula SAE Competition season and is the largest in the world but limited to 120 university teams. This year 108 teams began the competition with 98 successfully completing the technical inspection. Those teams were allowed to compete in the driving events. For the third-straight year more than 50 percent of the field completed the endurance event.

Bearcat Motorsports will compete with a mostly undergraduate team in the second race in Barrie, Ontario, since the availability of the seniors on the team is limited by graduation and the academic calendar. The remaining U.S. race event, the Formula SAE Lincoln Competition, takes place June 19 in Lincoln, Nebraska, featuring 80 universities. Currently, there are other affiliated Formula SAE or Formula Student Competitions in England, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan and Brazil.

Bearcat Motorsports is partially supported by the University Funding Board, as one of several Academic Intercollegiate Competition groups. Other funding comes from the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science, the 1819 Innovation Hub and the UC Structural Dynamics Research Lab along with numerous local industry partners and FSAE Alumni (GE Additive, Valvoline, Marathon, Stearns Companies, Millenium Metals, Makino, Mubea, Performance Electronics, Lasercraft, Signal.X, Industrial Tube & Steel, Full Throttle Indoor Karting, Cincy SCCA, ANZA, HMS Motorsport, AIM MRO, Kutney Automotive, GE Aviation, Marque Engineering, Woodco Distributing, Gorilla Glue, Rockwest Composites, Powder Coating Specialty, Cylinder Works, SMC Clutches & Sprockets, The Modal Shop, Honda, Yamaha, Avid Signs, Kinetic Vision, Curbell Plastics, Northside Grinding, Finishing Technologies Inc., SKF, T&B Manufacturing Services and Vivid Wraps). 

This year’s team features 33 senior mechanical engineering students who earn class credit for participating. The team leader is Joe Tucker who worked with a technical committee to organize the activity and get things done on a schedule that began last August with the start of classes. The technical committee involved specialty team leaders along with the faculty advisors. 

The specialty team leaders are: Business, Ted Simmons; Tech Team, Akanksh Shetty; Frame, Andrew Ditmer; Electrical, Jacob Mueller; Suspension, Alex McIntyre; Drivetrain, Nate Blodgett; Engine, Will Imbus, Aero – Brodie Hensler, and System Integration, Eric Schaefer. The Driving Team included Brian Depauw, Ruchinda Gooneratne, Andrew Ditmer, Ted Simmons, Matthew Newberry and Brodie Hensler.

The 33 graduating seniors contributed many long hours and depended upon more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students and FSAE alumni, who volunteer their time when possible.

For more information, please contact team leader Joseph Tucker, graduate teaching assistant Ruchinda Gooneratne, or faculty advisors professor R.J. Allemang or professor M.L. Mains.

Featured photo at top: The Bearcats Motorsports team poses together at Michigan International Speedway. All photos provided.