UNM’s Formula SAE motorsports program has been ranked No. 5 in the country and No. 18 in the world, according to a poll issued by the Formula Student Combustion World Rankings. The competition, put on by SAE International, focuses on engineering and design education.
The rank marks a significant improvement from last year’s standing, in which the program came in at No. 7 in the country and No. 32 overall. This year’s ranking places the UNM program above such institutions as MIT and UC Berkeley.
John Russell, director of UNM’s Formula SAE program and Halliburton Professor of Mechanical Engineering, said the ranks are significant because they are based on quantitative points averaged over the last six events, with the most recent weighted more heavily and based on the difficulty of the competition.
“It means that we’ve got good teams and good students,” Russell said. “This is just purely according to the score, so they take the last six, add up the scores with the weighting factors and rank you in the world.”
It is also meaningful because it shows where the program stands in relation to other schools and how the program has developed over time based solely on the points earned at competition, he said.
The Formula SAE program is a club team that serves as part of the curriculum for UNM’s mechanical engineering degree. Students can choose to participate in the program as an alternative to their senior project.
The points are based on a multitude of criteria including weight, acceleration, fuel consumption, cornering and more. Russell said he is amazed by what his students have been able to achieve over the years with limited resources and essentially half the budget of larger universities.
UNM competes annually in Lincoln, Nebraska, a competition that has the second-highest rating in the difficulty of competition because it draws good teams from around the world, he said.
According to the official results from the SAE International competition, UNM has finished in the top 15 overall out of 80 international competitors in the last three competitions. LOBO Motorsports finished 11th overall in both 2014 and 2013, and 10th overall in 2012.
Russell said these consistently positive results can be attributed to the determination and skill of his students.
Estevan Piña, a senior mechanical engineering student, said production is already underway for the 2015 car. His current work involves machining essential components from solid blocks of aluminum and steel as well as practicing with older models in order to learn and make improvements.
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“I’m amazed by how well they handle,” Piña said. “They’re a blast to drive.”
LOBO Motorsports relies heavily on the experience and knowledge gained from previous years in order to make improvements on future designs. He said members of the 2015 team will be practicing by driving older models in G lot on the weekend of Nov. 29.
Tomas Lujan is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @TomasVLujan.
