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MAY 2016 WWW.PNWR.ORG 47 free-form for the competitors". This is most apparent in the vehicle performance evaluation. The SAE Baja event has a hill-climb, rock-crawl, agility test, and a 4-hr endurance race that sees cars and drivers actually competing against each other on a course. Contrast this with the SAE Formula event that includes braking, slalom, autocross, and an endurance event where cars have 'let-by' or passing zones and are not allowed to race each other directly. The SAE Baja Competition will be taking place in California this May, while the SAE Formula will conclude in Nebraska during June. Students are generally involved in development of both cars and move freely between the two teams. They pay for their own way to these SAE events, which is an added expense to the course curriculum. Money from PNWR goes into the VRI account and is used to purchase various supplies for the construction and development of the SAE cars (e.g. engines, parts, components, raw materials). Typical construction costs range from $25K - $30K for the SAE Formula car and $20K – $25K for the SAE Baja car. The VRI Shop is well equipped with CNC machines, machine lathes, welding equipment, composites, and a rapid-prototyping machine. In conjunction with various software design programs like Catia and Computational Fluid Dynamics, WWU is able to compete against teams with much larger budgets, sponsorship, and personnel from Germany, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, China, Mexico, India, and Canada. Kate told me that the SAE Formula Team planned on attending the April 7th PNWR Autocross event at Bremerton, to evaluate the car prior to their June competition. "We'll use this as a test bed for our car to make sure all systems are performing as designed and to make any necessary tweaks before the big event". The team ran a 'shake-down' test at the Arlington Airport prior to the autocross event. The SAE Baja Team will be testing out their vehicle at a local motocross track to gauge the durability of the components prior to their competitive event in May. The students of WWU's VRI Program will be having a presentation and open-house for us on May 7th, highlighting their 2015/2016 vehicle preparation for this spring's annual SAE competitions. Registration and details for this free event is though www.motorsportsreg.com. After a driving tour north to Bellingham to Western Washington University, a pizza lunch for all will be provided prior to the presentation by the students and staff. This will be followed by an open- house of their shops and their SAE cars with students available to answer specific questions regarding their vehicles. If you've ever wondered what goes into the manufacture of a vehicle for SAE competition or are intrigued by what type of collaboration occurs between an educational institution and private enterprises or just wondered if maybe if you made the wrong career choice in life, this event will inspire and amaze you in what the future holds for the next generation of automotive engineers. amaze you in what the future holds for the next generation of

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