2009 - Car 74


Car 74 (2009)

After several years of "rebuilding," GTMotorsports has returned to the top 10 in the Formula SAE competition, held this past week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The team placed 8th overall, out of a field of 93 collegiate teams from around the world.

The Formula SAE competition is an Engineering Education competition that comprises a blend of static and dynamic events, intended to challenge both the students' knowledge of their car's design, and, to challenge the performance and ruggedness of the car that they have built. In the static events, gtmotorsports placed 27th overall including a multi-way tie for 12th in the design event. In the dynamic events, the team placed 7th overall, with critical finishes of 15th in autocross, and 5th in the all-important endurance/fuel-economy event (40% of the total points are at stake in the endurance event). The combined static/dynamic score led to the overall 8th place finish. This is the highest the team has placed since 2003 (4th in that year).

The accomplishment this year is all the more impressive to me because the team undertook a complete clean-sheet redesign of the entire vehicle. Fabrication of the chassis wasn't even begun until January, whereas in most previous years it would already have been finished by Thanksgiving. The dedicated members of the team invested a great deal of time to bring the car to a competitive state in time for the event, and the results are a credit to their efforts.

The top ten schools were:
  1. Graz University of Technology (Austria)
  2. Rochester Institute of Technology
  3. Ecole De Technologie Superieure (Canada)
  4. Purdue University
  5. University of Applied Sciences - Graz (Austria)
  6. Missouri University of Science and Tech
  7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  8. Georgia Institute of Technology
  9. University of Michigan - Dearborn
  10. Centro Universitario Da FEI (Brazil)

Beyond the large contingent of teams from the U.S., teams from schools in Canada, Singapore, Venezuela, Brazil, Korea, Austria, and The Netherlands participated in this year's event.

GTMotorsports was founded in the mid 80's by Paul Allen. Many, many students have participated in GTMotorsports over the past years. These past and the current students thank all of the sponsors, faculty, staff, friends and parents who have helped and supported the team over the years.

GT Motorsports is a volunteer organization, comprised of students from many academic units on campus. Ciao!

Ken Cunefare
Faculty Advisor, GTMotorsports and GTOffRoad


- Photo Highlights of the 2009 Competition -

Car 74 History


FSAE Michigan
  • Overall: 8th
  • Acceleration: 41st
  • Skidpad: 38th
  • Autocross: 15th
  • Endurance/Fuel Econ: 5th
  • Design: 12th

Detailed Specs
Engine: Naturally Aspirated
549cc 77° V-Twin Aprilia
Custom Intake
2 Fuel Injectors per Cylinder
Chassis: 4130 SpaceFrame
Bonded Carbon Floorpan
Suspension: Dual Unequal Front A-arms Inboard Pullrod Front Trailing Link Rear A-arms Inboard Pushrod Rear
Electronics: Motec ECU
Pneumatic Paddle Shifting
F1-Style LED Tachometer