Take a drive with Bobcat Motorsports

 In Bobcat Motorsports — one of MSU’s many education-based clubs — students can clock in some speed on the race track while applying their mechanical knowledge to real-world scenarios. 

With automotive education at the forefront, this club facilitates collaboration, ingenuity and craftsmanship by allowing engineering students to build and race vehicles in Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competitions throughout the U.S. In coordination with Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Professor Robb Larson and the organization's eight company sponsors, Bobcat Motorsports sprung into action in the fall of 2005 and has since become the longest-continuously running SAE chapter at MSU, according to their official webpage. 

This organization has a clear mission in mind when taking to the tracks. “We provide a safe way to let gearheads express themselves on and off the track. Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, majors and levels of knowledge of racing. As long as you are interested in the nitty-gritty of the automotive world, this is the place for you. We come together to design and build high-performance vehicles through adherence to sound engineering philosophies, ethical business practices and disciplined creative input,” according to Bobcat Motorsport’s mission statement.

These projects combine the world of racing and the mechanics behind it. Their complex designs require months to complete. Students must collaborate to design lightweight, well-handling and fast formula prototypes that are budget-conscious and race-ready. 

Vice President Zach Shepard, who has been an active member since his freshman year, broke down some of the club linguistics.

“Engineering students, at the start of their last year, are given a wide array of projects to choose from for their capstone. The Motorsports Club funds two to three capstone projects through the College of Engineering each year to have seniors build. These capstones build different subsystems of the car, such as a team for drivetrain and a team for suspension, like this year. Capstone [teams] are then assigned by instructors, ” Shepard said.

However, President Grant Smith, who gained a love for racing through off-roading, shared that everyone is welcome to join, regardless of their major or degree. Smith said that the capstone teams tackle the main subsystems of the car while the club and non-capstone members take on smaller projects.

The first car MSU students raced was Formula #20 in 2005. A Formula car is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel racing car with substantial or elongated front and rear wings and an engine behind the driver. Each team selects an engine suitable to their design’s capacities and capabilities.

In 2005, Formula #20 placed 46 out of 70 competitors in its first SAE competition at the Auto Speedway in California. The SAE International Formula program is an engineering design competition for undergraduate and graduate students. These competitions allow teams to race cars non-professionally at varying venues throughout the West. According to the SAE, teams are judged on their design, construction, performance and cost package.

The cost of building the car is only half the battle, according to Shepard. “We compete each June, which requires moving 10+ people to wherever the competition is [that year]. This year, 14 [members] are traveling to Williamsport, Pennsylvania,” Shepard said. 

Smith and Shepard estimated their annual budget to be between $15,000 and $20,000. “The car build normally accounts for 40-50% of our spending, and the rest is competition expenses. Competition registration is nearly $2,000. Running the club is similar to running a small business,” Smith said.

The team combats competition and production costs through student fundraising efforts, sponsorships, donations and school funding.

“The College of Engineering gives us some funding since we sponsor capstone projects, and some other club funding comes from the Open Source Ecology Club (OSE). Most of our budget comes from sponsorships from local businesses. We have been lucky to gain the support of a few local names, such as Pacific Steel and Recycling, Dark Horse Customs, Rising Sun Automotive and others who have been with us for years. Without this outside funding, there is no way we could make it to competition,” Shepard said.

The club raises 75% of its annual budget through sponsorship trips to local and even national and international businesses to help fund their projects. “Donations are not always monetary as we also rely heavily on some sponsors for the donation of building materials or services like special manufacturing methods to make parts for the car,” Smith shared. 

This organization is an excellent way for students to pursue their mechanical and automotive interests, gain technical in-field knowledge and get their hands a little dirty.

“This club gave me the opportunity to work with a team of like-minded people. The experiences I’ve gained in the club have been paramount to gaining an internship and job. Plus, when else will I be able to build a racecar and go race it completely funded by an organization?” Shepard said. 

“Watching our cars cross the finish line after a four hour endurance race is the ultimate reward,” Smith said.