2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

For coordinating upcoming events and remembering past ones.

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Christine Grice
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2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

It's that time again! I have seen Karen out at our local events waiting patiently to talk to you in the registration lines.

2011 Formula SAE California Competition
In its 6th year in California, Formula SAE will again be held at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California in Fontana. Wednesday through Saturday, June 15-18.

Teams: 80 college and university teams are registered for the Competition: 53 from the United States; 27 from Canada, Mexico, South America, Asia and Europe.

Volunteers: Volunteers are needed to continue the success of this Competition. Whether you are new to Formula SAE or a seasoned veteran, let us know when and where you would like to help. If you can work multiple days, that is very much appreciated.

Volunteers are needed in most areas and most days, but the big focus for the autocrossers are Friday and Saturday:

Fri, June 17 and Sat, June 18: Dynamic Course Workers
Fri AM: Acceleration Course Workers and Skid Pad Course Workers
Fri PM: Autocross Course Workers
Sat: Endurance Course Workers; Timing & Scoring; F&C (Flagging, Communications)

It has been announced that June 2011 will be the last Formula SAE Competition in California. In the next post is an announcement from Steve Daum, SAE Collegiate Programs Manager, with further details. Building on the success of the last five competitions, we hope you will make an extra effort to help us to make the 2011 Competition the most rewarding yet for both student teams and volunteers.

Begin the pre-registration process now by sending a reply email to the Volunteer Registrar, Karen Stewart:
FormulaSAEWest@gmail.com

Don’t wait until the last minute. Put your name on the pre-registration list and invite your friends, family and colleagues to participate as well. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
~Christine Grice
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

Message from Steve Daum:
Effective in 2012, FSAE California will be relocated to Lincoln Airpark in Lincoln, NE and be renamed FSAE Lincoln. 2011 FSAE California will remain at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

When we launched FSAE California in 2006 our long range plan was to operate on a break even budget within three years. For that to happen we needed to attract significant sponsorship income and for registration to grow to 100 teams. The global economic downturn had a devastating effect on both sponsorship and team budgets. Despite our best efforts, sponsorship never grew and registration stagnated at about 80 teams. Although SAE International is a nonprofit organization we must operate on a balanced budget.

From an organizing standpoint FSAE California has been very successful and that success is reflected by the positive feedback we’ve gotten from teams. Unfortunately it’s always operated at a significant loss. While the competition struggled financially, it ran smoothly and well. FSAE California’s dedicated volunteers are entirely responsible for the success the event enjoyed. You have our sincere thanks for the hard work you contributed to make that success possible.

Without enough sponsor revenue our options were to significantly raise the registration fee or to find a lower cost site. Given that we doubled registration fees last year, placing an additional burden on teams is unacceptable and we must move to a more affordable site.

Moving the event to Lincoln will greatly reduce our organizing costs. Additionally, Lincoln is near the geographic center of the lower 48 states, so driving distance will be significantly reduced for many teams.

Lincoln Airpark has offered us 90 acres of unobstructed concrete where we can layout the event courses, team paddocks, tents for operations, practice tracks and everything else needed at an FSAE competition … and still have extra space. SCCA holds its Solo National Championship at Lincoln Airpark and will be actively supporting FSAE Lincoln.

Relocation will involve an extensive organizing effort, but we are confident that many highly qualified local volunteers will step forward to support FSAE Lincoln and make it a success. But, equally important, with lower expenses the competition will be financially viable for the long run.

Your work as a volunteer has helped make FSAE California a success and given the competing students the opportunity to significantly improve their design engineering and project management skills. FSAE California depends on you. Our goal is to make 2011 FSAE California the best of the bunch and we hope we can count on your help.

Best regards,

Steve Daum
Collegiate Programs Manager
SAE International
~Christine Grice
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution, Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/ChaseCam
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

Stories and Highlights from previous years:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4170" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A thread describing the event and a bunch of pictures:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=100" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The event's website:
http://students.sae.org/competitions/fo ... ries/west/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Email Karen Stewart at formulasaewest@gmail.com to get your name on the volunteer list.
~Christine Grice
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution, Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/ChaseCam
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Giovanni Jaramillo »

Added this as a active NEWS item on the main Solo2.com home page.
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Tom Berry
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Tom Berry »

I will be there to help!
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by George Schilling »

My favorite memory of this event happened at the end of the endurance on Saturday. My job as driver change and grid coordinator was done but I was still monitoring the timing and control channel while I stacked cones in the grid and start areas. Generally the cars you get at the end of the endurance portion are those that belong to the teams who are not in contention for anything, just happy to be there with a car that is still running. The last team running, an entry from India, certainly fit that description.

India's car didn't look half bad but it was clear that this may have been a first time effort for this team. They were they only team to show up with threaded tires and an alignment more suited to a family sedan. I found out later that the car was built for $5,000 with some parts coming from the junk yard.

It was clear that this team had done very little in the way of driver development or road testing. They were slow. But their car had made it here from India, cleared customs, and was now about to reach a goal of completing the competition with a running car, something that couldn't be said for many of the teams that made the trek to California. Their first driver had completed his 10 laps, they had successfully completed the driver change within the required time, and when the engine started for the second driver, the elation felt by the team was clearly evident as the team cheered and jumped for joy.

The first driver had been slow, but the second driver was painfully slow. As I stacked cones, I listened to event officials on my radio as they discussed the situation. I was shocked as the decision was made and a call was given to the starter to wave the checkered flag and bring him in. My thought was that this team had come all the way from India to compete and was being denied the satisfaction of completing their goal. I was standing near the start line as their car approached, the starter had the checkered flag in hand and was beginning to display it when an anonymous voice came on the radio and said "let him run." The started immediately brought down the flag and the driver from India finished his last seven laps to the delight of not only his team, but also to the cheers and claps of the onlookers as the last car crossed the finish line.

Many thanks to all those who helped put on this event. As always, this was a truly rewarding experience for me. I hope others who were there received the same satisfaction.
I was perusing some of the stories and ran across this one I wrote after the 2009 competition. Put a big smile on my face again. I remember watching the starter getting the flag ready after event officials had made the decision to pull India's car off course. As the starter was about to wave the checkered flag, in a spur of the moment decision. I grabbed my radio and said "let him run". The starter immediately dropped the flag and India was able to finish the competition.

I really enjoyed reliving this moment that I had completely forgotten. I'm sure there are lots of fond memories in the minds of those of us who have volunteered for past events. Unfortunately, this will be the last year to make new memories of this event here at AAA Speedway. I just may have to fly back to Lincoln next year to make more.
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Eric Clements »

I'll help, e-mail sent to Karen.
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

We are still looking for volunteers!

FSAE Michigan was held last week, and Global Formula Racing won. Here is the description of their team from their website:
GFR is an international collaboration between the former BA Racing Team from the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg-Ravensburg (DHBW-R), Germany, and the Beaver Racing Team from Oregon State University (OSU).
The cool thing about this competition is that the teams can be from around the world and no two cars look the same.
~Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Rick Brown »

Christine Berry wrote:We are still looking for volunteers!

FSAE Michigan was held last week, and Global Formula Racing won. Here is the description of their team from their website:
GFR is an international collaboration between the former BA Racing Team from the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg-Ravensburg (DHBW-R), Germany, and the Beaver Racing Team from Oregon State University (OSU).
The cool thing about this competition is that the teams can be from around the world and no two cars look the same.
If PFM is going to be there this weekend, maybe have them park next to registration with their car on display when they are not running.
Since light is faster than sound...many people look bright until they speak...
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

We are still looking for people to help out!

If you can only make it out for one day, that is fine. If that day is only Saturday, even better. Saturday is when we have the most need for volunteers.

Also, We are looking for a couple people to help out on Thursday to do course set-up during the day.

If you are avalible to help, please email Karen Stewart at formulasaewest@gmail.com
~Christine Grice
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution, Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/ChaseCam
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Arthur Grant »

I can make Friday the 17th.
Last edited by Arthur Grant on Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Bob Beamesderfer »

I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Arthur Grant »

Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
What day isthat Bob?
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

Arthur Grant wrote:
Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:
Thanks!
What day isthat Bob?
Friday after the Autocross event.
~Christine Grice
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

No Autocross Experience needed to work this event!
We give a safety and course worker briefing at the begining of the events. If you have any friends or relatives that are free on June 17th or 18th, they are very welcome to volunteer.

While all the teams work off the same set of rules, no two cars look alike! The will be some cars with wings and a bunch without. There will be one cylinder cars with carbon fiber monocoque and there will be 4 cylinder cars with a tube frame chassis. Sidepods or no sidepods. Short and stout or long and lean.
Here are a bunch of photographs from the FSAE Michigan Event held a couple weeks ago:
http://www.jasonmungerphotography.com/S ... 50_fVRQzFP" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

contact Karen Stewart to get your name on the volunteer list: formulasaewest@gmail.com
~Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Mark DeShon »

Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
I can't work the autocross, but I'm already signed up to help with the changeover. What time will you need me there?
Mark D.
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Arthur Grant »

Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
Bob, I have gotten approval to take Friday off so have moved my availability from Saturday to Friday (works out better for me anyway). I am all yours.
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

I know I am starting to sound like a broken record...

We are still looking for volunteers! This is your last chance to see this event before it moves to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I am also still looking for people available on Thursday in the middle of the day to help with course set-up.


contact Karen Stewart to get your name on the volunteer list: formulasaewest@gmail.com
~Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Kurt Rahn »

Christine Berry wrote:I know I am starting to sound like a broken record...

We are still looking for volunteers! This is your last chance to see this event before it moves to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I am also still looking for people available on Thursday in the middle of the day to help with course set-up.


contact Karen Stewart to get your name on the volunteer list: formulasaewest@gmail.com
I'm in on Sat. Already contacted Karen. I can hardly wait!
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Bob Beamesderfer »

Mark DeShon wrote:
Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
I can't work the autocross, but I'm already signed up to help with the changeover. What time will you need me there?
Mark D.
The Autocross usually ends about 4 p.m., so that's a good time.
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Bob Beamesderfer »

Arthur Grant wrote:
Bob Beamesderfer wrote:I'm also looking for about four people to help with Endurance Course changeover after the autocross is over. Payment is limited to my undying gratitude. :gpower:

Thanks!
Bob, I have gotten approval to take Friday off so have moved my availability from Saturday to Friday (works out better for me anyway). I am all yours.
Thanks Art!
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Bob Beamesderfer »

Christine Berry wrote:I know I am starting to sound like a broken record...

We are still looking for volunteers! This is your last chance to see this event before it moves to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I am also still looking for people available on Thursday in the middle of the day to help with course set-up.


contact Karen Stewart to get your name on the volunteer list: formulasaewest@gmail.com
I'll be there Thursday.
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Ron Tsumura »

Bob Beamesderfer wrote:
Christine Berry wrote:I know I am starting to sound like a broken record...

We are still looking for volunteers! This is your last chance to see this event before it moves to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I am also still looking for people available on Thursday in the middle of the day to help with course set-up.


contact Karen Stewart to get your name on the volunteer list: formulasaewest@gmail.com
I'll be there Thursday.
I might be up for Thursday? Depends if I golf or not..
In for Friday and Saturday
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

We are still looking for volunteers for both days!

If you are unable to preregister, we will be allowing walk up volunteers, but you will have to take a little more time filling out some information for Karen. FormulaSAEWest@gmail.com

For some of you that don't have any experience with this event, I'll go through a quick summary.
The competition officially begins on Wednesday when the teams get access to the paddock and begin the Tech Inspection process.

Thursday is a "Static Events" day. On Thursday the teams must give presentations for a Cost Event, a Design Event, and a Sales Presentation Event.

Friday is a "Dynamic" events day. The morning consists of Skidpad and Acceleration operating at the same time. The Afternoon is an autocross run just like our local autocrosses except each team gets two drivers and each driver only gets two runs.

Saturday is the big show. The Endurance. This is a road race style event where you have 5-6 cars on course at a time with passing lanes and SCCA flaggers.

Each of the events counts for points and the team with the highest total points for the week wins the competition.

There is a much more detailed description of each event in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=100" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Image
~Christine Grice
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Christine Grice
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Re: 2011 FSAE CA Volunteers Needed!

Post by Christine Grice »

Looks like The Sooners are coming to the competition with active aero!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wozSqFXitY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
~Christine Grice
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution, Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/ChaseCam
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