Anteater Formula Racing builds an open-wheel, internal-combustion race car inspired by Formula 1 and IndyCar racing to compete at Formula SAE California. Forty-five engineering students participate in the design, manufacturing and testing phases to gain the engineering skills needed for industry in a highly-technical, fast-paced and competitive environment. The team collectively spends over 10,000 man-hours each year developing the car and its subsystems alongside engineering coursework.
Engineering students earn jobs in several industries, including automotive, aerospace, electrical, software and more, because of the hands-on training, communication and management skills, and design-to-reality experience that is gained directly from competing in Formula SAE. It is considered by industry experts to be an essential part of any new engineer’s resume.
Anteater Formula Racing Subteams
Aerodynamics: Using experience in fluid mechanics, the Aero subteam designs the front and rear wings, bodywork, and diffuser to manipulate air flow to reduce drag and increase downforce. The subteam tests their designs by developing computer flow simulations, wind tunnel testing, and on-track testing.
Chassis & Suspension: Designs the single, rigid structure that mounts all other subsystems using computer-aided design software. This subteam balances the requirements of every system in a condensed, weight-minimizing package that protects the driver. Connects the chassis to the road using shocks, dampers, control arms and more. The suspension subteam constantly tunes to create the handling characteristics that help the driver achieve faster run times.
Powertrain: The Engine Development Subteam adapts a standard motorcycle engine for a FSAE car by designing and manufacturing intake, exhaust and cooling components. It uses knowledge in thermodynamics and engine tuning software to create custom engine tunes that improve reliability, power and efficiency.
Electronics: Designs the wiring harness that connects all onboard data systems, including engine management information, and displays it on a MoTeC digital display. It also collects data from dozens of onboard sensors for future analysis.
Human Interface: Makes sure that all drivers are comfortable and safe in the car, allowing them to get the most out of the performance of the vehicle. Designs the brakes to stop the car as quickly as possible. The subteam includes the seat, firewall, steering column, dashboard, shifter, reservoirs, master cylinders, calipers, and rotors, which are designed using computer-aided engineering software.
Vehicle Dynamics: The vehicle dynamics subteam creates, validates, and updates the lap-time simulator that is custom built in Matlab. They work with physics calculations in the source code to increase the accuracy of the simulation, and have variable inputs based on vehicle specifications. They support the other sub-teams during the design phase by testing multiple configurations and validating the simulator using track-testing data.
About Anteater Formula Racing’s International Competitions:
Formula SAE Knowledge Event 2021 and Formula SAE Validation – California 2021 are SAE Collegiate Design Series events that will feature student teams representing over 130 universities across the world. FSAE competitions are overseen by a dedicated group of industry professionals and involve technical and safety inspections to ensure rules compliance for each system, presentations for teams to discuss their designs with industry professionals, and dynamic events in which students race their cars for direct comparison in several performance categories: Acceleration, Skid Pad, Autocross, Endurance, and Efficiency. Each presentation and event scores points counts for the overall Knowledge Event score and each dynamic event counts for the Validation Event score. Anteater Racing’s best overall finish in a FSAE competition is 19th at Formula SAE Lincoln (Nebraska).