The 1989 Formula SAE Student Design Competition 900840
Forty-five cars were entered from 37 universities across the U.S. and Canada in the ninth annual Formula SAE Student Design Competition held on May 25, 26 and 27 at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Thirty-six cars from 31 schools actually competed, but only 22 cars finished.
The event included many firsts in Formula SAE. The SAE South Texas Section set a precedent by co-hosting the competition with the UTSA. The GM Sunraycer display and demonstration exhibited high technology and corporate support of Formula SAE. Total award funds (from various sponsors) exceeded those of previous events. New awards were given by new sponsors in 1989. However, the most notable citations were the continuing grants provided by D.O.E. for excellence in the use of M-85 (85% Methanol fuel), cash sponsored by Dow Chemical for best uses of composite materials, increased awards from Siemens-Bendix for best use of electronics, and Dupont for excellence in the design, cost and presentation of the vehicles.
Winners of the dynamic phases of the competition included West Virginia U. for a 4.88 second, 100-yard (91.4 meter) acceleration time; University of Waterloo for 1.04g on the 55-foot (17 meter) diameter skid pad; Oregon State University for 16.0 mpg (14.7 1/100km) on a 1400-foot (426.7 meter), 22-turn maneuverability course; Cornell University for an average speed of 27.2 mph (43.8 kph) on the maneuverability track; and UT-Arlington for an average speed of 28.7 mph (46.2 kph) on the 28-lap [7.42-miles (11.9 km) total, 18 turns/lap] endurance event.
First Place Overall was awarded to one of the two entries of the University of Texas at Arlington. The rankings and all the results are summarized in the Appendix.
This paper presents not only vehicle and competition data, but also a study of the organization and conduct of the largest Formula SAE event to date.
