INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — IUPUI'S motorsports program continues to bring students unique educational opportunities. Students in IUPUI's summer vehicle dynamics class recently spent half a day at the Auto Research Center (ARC), one of the motorsports industry's leading test facilities. Students were given a tour of the facility and participated in a day of testing and analysis in conjunction with the ARC staff and Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR), which IUPUI sponsors.
"Seeing an IndyCar on the 7-post chassis rig allows students to see a track replay on the car and really appreciate the movement on the vehicle."— Tom Brown
During their time at the ARC, students were able to see how engineering is applied in the motorsports industry in various ways. One of the highlights of the day was seeing Sarah Fisher's No. 67 IndyCar tested on a 7-post chassis rig. This truly one-of-a-kind educational opportunity was the culmination of the vehicle dynamics class and the direct result of a partnership between IUPUI, SFR and the ARC.
The summer vehicle dynamics class at IUPUI is co- taught by Pete Hylton, IUPUI's Director of Motorsports, and Henri Kowalczyk from the ARC. The class combines dynamic theory, computer modeling and lab work. A tour of the ARC gave students the chance to observe data acquisition and analysis on the ARC test stand first-hand and better understand the role testing facilities play in the motorsports industry and the services the ARC provides.
"Being out of the classroom allows us to take the fundamentals of engineering we learn in class and see how they are applied in real world applications," said Cy W. Rice, a senior at IUPUI. "Coming out to facilities like the ARC also allows us to become more familiar with various segments of the industry. Experiences like this add a whole new level to education and they are truly invaluable."
The partnership between IUPUI, SFR and the ARC is beneficial to all involved. The trip to the ARC was not only valuable to IUPUI students, but also to SFR as the ARC provided an expensive test on its 7-post chassis rig at no cost to the team.
"Seeing an IndyCar on the 7-post chassis rig allows students to see a track replay on the car and really appreciate the movement on the vehicle," said Tom Brown, Chief Engineer at SFR. "For SFR, this test allows us to maximize the mechanical grip of the car. We can do so much more in this type of testing than we can out on the track."
The trip to the ARC is an excellent example of how IUPUI students are being exposed to engineering in various applications. An applied engineering approach has been the objective of the IUPUI Motorsports Program all along. Hylton, who was appointed as director of the program three years ago, involved motorsports industry advisors in designing IUPUI's motorsports engineering curriculum. He now utilizes experts like Kowalczyk from the ARC from the industry as adjunct faculty. The latest addition to the motorsports program at IUPUI is Andy Borme, a race engineer with experience in Formula Atlantic, Indy Cars and Formula One. He will be coming to Indianapolis this fall from the Toyota F1 team to take a new position at the front of the classroom.
SFR's 2009 IndyCar Series season continues August 1 at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition (HD) at 8 p.m. (EDT) on VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com, with broadcast coverage summaries available at www.indycar.com and www.sarahfisher.com.
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About the Auto Research Center (ARC):
The Auto Research Center, LLC is a specialized research facility, which sells time in its various test rigs and provides design and consultancy services to automotive and racing clientele. The majority of the ARC's current customer base involves professional automotive racing teams and major automotive manufacturers for the purpose of seasonal development of their competitive racecars. The ARC also develops and sells vehicle dynamics software and computer modeling programs for the purpose of trackside simulation.
About the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI:
The mission of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI is to be one of the best urban university leaders in the disciplines of engineering and technology recognized locally, nationally and internationally. The school's goal is to provide students an education that will give them the leverage to be leaders in their communities, industry and society.
Website: http://www.engr.iupui.edu
