Help the USC Racing Team Complete Their 2014 Car and Attend Competition: A $5,000 Challenge

Overview:        

USC Racing is a USC Viterbi School of Engineering design team that competes in the Formula SAE design series. Each year, we design, build, test, and race our own custom formula style car. We attend the FSAE West competition, which features 80 teams from around the world. This competition gives USC students crucial hands on experience and serves as an outlet to execute what we have learned in the classroom. This competition is a prerequisite for entering the automotive industry, and is looked highly upon by the engineering industry as a whole. Making a business proposal and managing finances of the team also gives us an opportunity to learn about the business side of any engineering project.

History:                       

Our team was founded in the mid-1990’s. In 2004 we placed in the top twenty overall at FSAE Michigan, however, the team had dissolved by the late 2000’s. The team was re-founded in 2009-10, with a focus on the team’s relationship with the university, leadership transitions, accountability, and the passing of knowledge. In 2010, the competition USC Racing had regularly attended in Fontana, CA was moved to Lincoln, NE. This created an unexpected $6,500 jump in travel expenses and causes significant financial strain. However, we have been able to attend each competition since 2011 and placed 57th in 2011, 58th in 2012, and 48th in 2013. 

Competition Summary: The competition is a total of 1000 points, split between the “static events” and the “dynamic events”. The static events include a business presentation, a design presentation, and a cost & manufacturing evaluation. The dynamic events test the performance of your car, and include four tests: endurance (including fuel economy), autocross, skidpad, and acceleration.

Reasons to Support: A Generous donor has pledged $5,000 in matching funds if $5,000 can be raised for a total of $10,000!!!

Each student who participates in USC Racing does so because of their passion for the racing, the automotive industry, the application of engineering, and USC. In addition to their regular coursework, students spend hours working collaboratively and cross functionally to design the best racing car possible with little room for error. Please donate today and enhance the educational experience of USC students.