May 19, 2014

SVSU Cardinal Formula Racing car finishes tops in acceleration category at international competition

The 2014 team finished 36th overall

Saginaw Valley State University’s Cardinal Formula Racing team sped to its fifth-best finish ever during the annual Formula Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Design Series competition.

The May 14-17 event at the Michigan International Speedway featured 120 schools across the globe competing in categories including design, cost, acceleration and endurance.

SVSU’s team finished 36^th overall, including first in the acceleration category.

Last year’s group finished second in the acceleration category.

“We have fast cars year after year because we have a great team of students, faculty, staff, administrators and sponsors,” said Brooks Byam, SVSU professor of mechanical engineering and Cardinal Formula Racing advisor since 1998. “The great support we have is why we go fast.”

SVSU’s Cardinal Formula Racing team has only finished better four times in its history. The top four finishes were sixth in 2002, eighth in 2005, 14th in 2008 and 18th in 2010.

Byam said he is already looking forward to next year’s competition. He estimates 12 of the 2014 team’s 16 students will return to design next year’s Indy-style car.

“The students did a great job and I am very proud of them,” he said. “I'm a very competitive person and so are my students. We left MIS wanting more. We all believe we left a lot of points out there on the track. We'll be back next year.”

The 2014 team featured a mix of students from various fields of study.

The mechanical engineering students on the team are Jarred Felt, of Muskegon; Alex Fullerton, of Onaway; Zach Haveraneck and Brandon King, both of Saginaw; Matthew Kline, of Jonesville; Clayton Piechowiak and Logan Shelagowski, both of Bay City; Zachary Putnam, of Hale; Brandon Stanhope, of Dearborn; and Brandon Verhun, of Ann Arbor.

The group’s two electrical engineering majors are Justin Dolane, of Davisburg, and Shane Oberloier, of Beaverton. There are two Saginaw graduate students studying for a Master of Business Administration degree: Henry Shin and Joey Wisniewski. Scott Stanford, of Novi, is an accounting major. Samuel Dantuma, of Pinconning, is a fine arts major.

Related: SVSU's 2014 Cardinal Formula Racing team gears up for international competition (from May 16, 2014)