Hello from Lincoln, Nebraska and the 2016 Formula SAE Lincoln competition! We're updating this page all day long - if you're just joining us, read from the bottom up! Live results are available at results.fsaeonline.com. Keep clicking refresh for the newest, um, news!
4:34 pm - Tomorrow is the toughest test for a Formula SAE machine - the Endurance test. We'll be back live here on SCCA.com to keep you up to date on the developments!
4:33 pm - The winner in the EV category was the quickest of the day. The students from Czech Technical Univ of Prague turned a lap of 56.989 to top the five cars that ran in that category.
4:32 pm - Unofficially, the top 10 today are:
Missouri University of Science and Tech:57.089
Ecole De Technologie Superieure:57.155
Univ of Illinois - Urbana Champaign:57.23
San Jose State University:57.823
Iowa State Univ:58.201
Auburn Univ:58.339
Texas A&M Univ:58.682
Univ of Akron:59.133
California State Poly Univ - Pomona:59.17
Univ of Wisconsin - Madison:59.351
4:30 - With Grand Valley State on the course, the clock has expired! That will do it for today and this year's FSAE Lincoln autocross session.
4:21 pm - We are nine minutes away from the shutdown, but it's going to take a big effort for someone to dethrone the top spots.
3:36 pm - We've got a new leader! The Missouri University of Science and Tech just dropped a 57.089 on their final run - it's going to take a huge time in the final 55 minutes to get the win today.
3:30 pm - The top 10, with an hour to go - and anyone coming to the line is going to have to beat a 59.351 to move in.
Ecole De Technologie Superieure
Univ of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
San Jose State University
Auburn Univ
Univ of Washington
Texas A&M Univ
Univ of Akron
California State Poly Univ - Pomona
Missouri University of Science and Tech
Univ of Wisconsin - Madison
3:22 pm - The tone this afternoon is much different than this morning. Because of the length of the autocross course, it's a much more driver-dependent event than the slalom or the acceleration tests. As such, there's a more intense look in the eyes of the drivers as they come to the starting line.
But that doesn't mean there's not time for a thumbs up!
3:08 pm - We have a new quickest time of the day - and it's come in the EV class for electric cars! They've come all the way from Prague in the Czech Republic, so they better be fast - but the Czech Technical University of Prague rattled off a 56.986 second run.
3:03 pm - It's busy in the autocross paddock - runs firing off left and right. 61 seconds will just ease you into the top 10, so competition is tight.
Five teams are under 60 seconds, still led by ETS Montreal's 57.1 second run. Illinois (57.2) and San Jose State (57.8) are all in the same range; Washington and Wisconsin are both in the low 59's.
2:48 - the University of Illinois drops a time that's good for second place on their run - a 57.2. Just behind ETS Montreal.
2:37 - San Jose State is the defending champion, and currently third in autocross. We have to believe some of that is the support they've gotten from the San Francisco Region and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca... right?
2:34 - ETS Montreal clearly got their issues sorted earlier today. The Taylor Swift powered machine is absolutely rolling through the autocross, dropping the fastest time on the course in 58.233!
2:20 pm - Times are starting to fall dramatically now!
First, it was the the University of Texas-San Antonio slotting in behind Toledo with a 63.581. Then ETS Montreal laid down the lead time, falling under a minute with a 59.549.
That was a short lived lead, however, as just a few cars later, the University of Washington jumped that with a 59.431. They hold the lead... for now.
2:06 pm - The Toledo Rockets are now at the top of the time sheets with a 62.786, clearing 2nd place CSU-Northridge by three full seconds.
1:53 pm - A format clarification, for those wondering - each team gets four runs. Two drivers, with two runs each. We'll be reporting results as a team score, but the single best run counts, no matter the driver.
1:49 pm - Well, here's some fun... The autocross competition is now an intramural battle between the Cal State programs. Northridge has moved ahead of Chico with a 65.433. Important to remember, though, that its very early, and these teams are in their first runs.
1:45 pm - A little about the course today: It's been designed by SCCA Hall of Famer Roger Johnson, and customized for the FSAE cars. Lots of slaloms, hard braking, hairpins for acceleration, and long (in autocross terms) straights.
1:43 pm - Early on, it's a battle to lay down the best times. Cal State University - Chico has set the bar early, with a time of 67.597.
1:30 pm - It's autocross time! Some of the cars are at grid. Like this morning's sessions, you can make your runs anytime before 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
Noon - Sighs of relief from the Southern Illinois Salukis, as they get out of grid just as the clock strikes 12. They're the last team in line - we'll update results here just as quickly as we can get them!
For now, it's off to a lunch break, and the autocross course will open at 1:30 pm.
11:55 am - The clock is down to five minutes, and the acceleration runs are clear. Just four cars remain in line at the skid pad, and it appears all will get a run.
11:50 am - 10 minutes to go, as the Columbia driver makes his second run following a thumbs up to his team. Seven cars remain in line, while two scramble to get in line. Who will get shut out, or will they all get in?
11:30 am - The gate is closed to the Dynamic area! From our vantage point here, it appears that 15 cars are in line to take runs. All of them are in the "second driver" line - so first drivers for each of these teams have gotten a run.
11:21 am - The announcement has been made, based on the earlier delays. The gate into the dynamic area will be closed at 11:30. However - those cars still inside will be able to run until noon.
In other words - teams can get in line. But there is not much time to play with, so get going!
11:10 am - The good news: Timing and scoring have the times coming through, and are keeping an order. The bad news: we're going to have to wait just a bit to show you. Apologies if you're trying to follow the live timing link at FSAEOnline.com - but we'll let you know just as quickly as we can!
11:07 am - We like you, too, University of Washington.
11:04 am - There's a line of teams waiting on the skid pad as we approach the finish time.
10:43 am - The tension is building as we get get closer and closer to that 11:30 end time. Teams are deciding which line to get into first - acceleration or skid pad? Remember, at the buzzer, the competition is over, no matter where in line a team is.
10:28 am - Just a little glitch with timing gave us a short break on the skid pad (and this Bowling Green Falcon is in no way blaming the University of Toledo team for that), but we're back and running. The standings with an hour to go:
1. Missouri University of Science & Tech: 4.813 seconds
2. University of Wisconsin: 5.249 seconds
3. University of Texas - San Antonio: 5.250 seconds
10:00 am - Halfway through on time, lets take a look at acceleration's standings.
1. The University of North Texas: 4.391 seconds
2. UC - Irvine: 4.566 seconds
3. University of Texas: 4.585 seconds
9:50 am - ETS Montreal is back in line! It's a love story. Our Wildest Dreams. I'll do this all day.
9:44 am - It, um... it stalled at the line. Bad Blood. Blank Space. The team is working on it and getting it back in line. But I knew it was trouble when it walked in. Shake it off, Ecole De Technologie Suerieure (they're from Quebec).
9:26 am - Polytechnic Montreal has just set the time for the EV team - and it was QUICK. The Electric powered machine went under five seconds for the skid pad, quicker than any of the internal combustion engines that we've seen so far.
9:21 am - Let's hear it for the Anteaters! The University of California-Irvine is at the top of the acceleration. The greater Los Angeles area is the spiritual home of drag racing, so this isn't really a surprise, is it? 4.328 seconds is now the time to beat!
9:17 am - The University of Wisconsin team lined up on the skid pad and ripped off the quickest time of the day moving left - but the Badgers are still JUST behind the Roadrunners in the standings.
8:57 am - So, race fans, remember the "good ol' days" (that's tongue-in-cheek, save your comments!) of Indianapolis, when you could make your qualifying runs at anytime, but when the gun went off, the session was over? That's how Formula SAE operates. If you're in line at 11:30 a.m., sorry about your luck - time is up!
Four teams have taken to the course in the first hour, and the Roadrunner Racing car from the University of Texas - San Antonio leads the skid pad with a very fast 5.25 second adjusted time. Southern Methodist University has set the bar in acceleration with a time of 4.9 seconds.
8:44 am - Acceleration and skid pad are under way - and guess what? Through Formula SAE, you can follow the timing LIVE! Click here to visit results.fsaeonline.com - but keep checking back here, too!
8:40 am - There are 1,000 points possible this week. A break down on how Formula SAE determines the overall winner of a meet like this:
Thursday (Static Events)
Presentation - 75 points
Design - 150 points
Cost Analysis - 100 points
Friday/Saturday (Dynamic Events)
Acceleration - 75 points
Skid pad - 50 points
Autocross - 150 points
Fuel efficiency - 100 points
Endurance - 300 points
So, yeah - the endurance portion is pretty important! Heat may be an issue.
8:35 am - Northwestern University is first up on the skid pad - so we'll have an early leader in the clubhouse! Each skid pad run consists of two laps to the right, and two laps to the left. The second time around counts; and if you hit a cone, it's a 1/4-second penalty. Each team gets two drivers, so it's the best time for the TEAM that counts!
8:28 am - We've covered the what - now, the who! There are 94 colleges and universities represented by their student teams here this weekend. 70 of those are in the traditional combustion engine competition. 24 have joined us in the electric motor competition. These teams have come from all over North America.
8:24 am - So, what are we going to see today? Today's focal point is what we at the SCCA love - the subjective part of the competition. Clock don't lie!
This morning has two elements - skid pad and acceleration. Those are as "simple" as they sound - the acceleration is simply how fast you can move your car from point a to point b in a straight line. The skid pad is a circle - how quickly can you get around?
This afternoon is familiar to SCCA - there's a large autocross course set up. Who is the fastest? That's the big question, isn't it?
8:16 am - A little about this weekend's competition, for those who aren't familiar. Yesterday, Thursday, was Day 1, and what we'll call the "static" competition. It is the subjective part, and each team made three presentations.
The first was "Design Judging" - what did they build? How does their car work? Why is it special?
Then came "Cost Judging" - the student's chance to prove that they built the best car for the money.
The third is "Presentation" - this is the sales pitch, to "sell" the car.
Final judging happens on Friday night.
The amount of material that each team has prepared is staggering. Each presentation comes, in most cases, with a large binder full of information. This is a serious project for all the teams here!
7:50 am - Good morning from the Lincoln Airpark in tropical Lincoln, Nebraska! It's a warm, warm weekend, with temperatures reaching triple digits on the concrete. We are going to update this page regularly today with everything we can find for today's Formula SAE Lincoln.
If you've got something to add, you can comment below - we'll keep an eye on it.
If you're not familiar with Formula SAE, get some information on this program here!
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