Posted on November 12, 2024 by Sean M. Wood
Student in a auto cross car
Road Runner Racing, UTSA’s chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), recently traveled up Interstate 35 to Arlington, Texas, for a weekend of racing at Autocross. The informal event, hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington, provided an exciting opportunity for networking and competition.
“It’s a great way for us to connect with other design teams and discuss each other’s cars and design choices,” said Chapter President Kale Barger. “We get to tour UTA’s shop and spend Saturday racing. While it’s just for fun, everyone still wants to be at the top of that list when the times are posted.”
Autocross serves as a relaxed precursor to SAE’s annual automotive design competition held at Michigan Motor Speedway. Teams must build a car from scratch and defend their design to a panel of automotive engineers. Students can choose to compete in either the internal combustion or electric vehicle categories, and Road Runner Racing participates in the internal combustion division.
For the Autocross event, the team brought out a 2006 model. “We had a few issues with our car in the morning,” Barger said. “We only got a couple of track times before it stopped running. Over the next week, we diagnosed a problem with the water pump.”
Although Barger is a senior mechanical engineering major, he emphasizes that SAE is open to students of all majors.
“This is all about professional development,” he said. “Every class you take is applied somewhere in the design of this car. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved.”
— Sean M. Wood
