USC Racing team showcases racecar at LA Auto Show
From Nov. 22 to Dec. 1, the USC Racing Team, a student organization that models and builds a racecar from scratch every year, will showcase a car they built this year at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Pedal to the metal · Members of the USC Racing Team built a racecar, which is currently featured at the Los Angeles Auto Show from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 in downtown Los Angeles. – Photo courtesy of USC Viterbi School of Engineering
The team is mainly comprised of engineering majors from the Vitberi School of Engineering. The project is an opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in real life. The group is one of 80 that compete in the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers car competition in Lincoln, Neb. every summer.
Though the Formula SAE is a small competition between teams from other universities, team members said presenting their car at the L.A. Auto Show is a great chance to get the word out about the group.
“It shows people who aren’t familiar with the competition what cool and exciting things students at USC are working on,” said Sean Summers, a representative for the USC Racing Team. “It gives the team a large sense of pride knowing that their hard work is being viewed and appreciated by thousands of people, and that we have the chance to represent the school.”
Summers said it takes around 11 to 12 months for the team to finish the car, which they build in their “shop” in Parking Structure A. The team is never truly finished with the car, however, as they are constantly trying to improve its design and functionality. The team designs an entirely new car every year, with each successive car focusing on fixing and improving the shortcomings of the last one, as well as pushing the team’s technological and modeling boundaries.
Though no prizes are given at the L.A. Auto Show, the event symbolizes the culmination of a lot of hard work for the team.
“The L.A. Auto Show really boosts morale for the team, and shows everyone that our team is bigger than just a campus club,” Summers said. “We are important in the real world. This is experience and work that the auto industry appreciates and respects.”
The team said they often feel a special bond with their car because they spend many hours designing and building the model. They also name each car. This year, they’ve chosen the moniker “Kimi.”
The team members said they encountered many problems along the way in the building process, but that overcoming those made them a stronger and more unified team.
“As a member for three years, I have learned a great deal that will prepare me for working in nearly any facet of engineering,” said Jason Zide, the team’s project manager. “Displaying our car at the L.A. Auto Show is a great way to demonstrate the abilities of the school, making the team and the school proud.”
The team members agreed that seeing the end product is the best, most rewarding part of being on the team.
“The best part is seeing the fruits of your labor,” Summers said. “It’s an invaluable, real life application of engineering that class doesn’t always provide. Seeing something you made from scratch actually work, and then compete, is a special feeling.”
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